A few days ago I received an email from a mom who was ordering Loopeez for her 15 year old son. She explained that her son has Dyslexia and has struggled his entire life with tying shoes. She also explained to me that most people with Dyslexia have problems with fine motor skills and she has been searching for a product like Loopeez for years.

Now when I developed Loopeez for my daughter I knew nothing about special needs, fine motor skills, Occupational Therapy, etc. I developed this product simply to help my daughter tie shoes. Knowing that I have developed something that can benefit people of all ages really warms my heart. I hear learned so much and met so many people all who have been so nice and willing to guide me to different areas where Loopeez will be beneficial. I am so thankful to everyone.

I just sent out the order so I can’t wait to hear how Loopeez helped this young man. I hope that they are the thing that makes his life easier and gives him the confidence to put on his shoes wveyday and feel proud that he can tie .

How often do we think about adults and shoe tying? How easy is shoe tying after one had a stroke? Or someone who has severe Arthritis and can’t use their hands so well because of pain. Learning to tie shoelaces all over again can be a daunting task. Before Loopeez I never thought about the older people I saw in Velcro shoes maybe just couldn’t tie their shoes because of a medical condition.

Shoe tying aids for adults are really important. Especially for one who has suffered a medical set back that shoe tying made simple once again.

Giving kids confidence is all part of shoe tying and we here at Loopeez are thrilled to help.

Here is something I found online that gives  step by step instructions on how to teach the “bunny ear” method. Notice how they use two different color laces so kids can see the difference between the left/right lace. They also mention that a good age to teach shoe tying is between five and seven.

http://wondertime.go.com/learning/article/how-to-tie-shoes_5 html

We had so much fun connecting with everyone. I got to meet some of our catalog contacts in person which was really nice. I brought my daughter the second day so she got to see first hand how these shows go. She was pretty shocked to see how huge these shows are and was super surprised to see how many people were coming up to our booth to see how Loopeez works.  She happily went around to check out the other booths and even though she is only 11 she made some really great contacts and helped promote Loopeez. I owe her big time!

Another cool thing was the excitment over the new bi-color teaching shoelaces laces. I can’t believe how many OT’s tie two different color laces together or have the kids color a shoelace with a marker! I am happy to make life even easier for you!!

I have to laugh at the amount of times I was asked to demonstrate one handed shoe tying. When I developed Loopeez one handed tying never crossed my mind. It was at the AOTA conference in Houston when I was put on the spot with that one. It still blows my mind that a person can tie their shoes with Loopeez with one hand in under a minute.

What really sunk in from the past few days talking to everyone is how much Loopeez can help. I knew it could help any kid learning to tie shoes, but it can be life changing for someone who is a little more challenged. These men and women work with kids with autism, fine motor delays, adults and kids who only have use of one arm, stroke victims, cerebral palsy, and brain injuries.  Knowing a product I created will change lives is the most amazing feeling in the world.

I can’t wait for next years conference. See you on 2012!!!