As a pediatric occupational therapist, I am often asked to weigh in on this debate. Not often enough, it seems, based on the pencils I see being used by kids who are struggling to write. There are a lot of kids out there using pencils with wonky grasp patterns because no one…… Continue reading Which Improves Pencil Grasp Best: A Pencil Grip Or A Thicker Pencil?
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For Kids With Sensory Issues and Low Tone, Add Resistance Instead of Hand-Over-Hand Assistance
One of my most popular posts, Why “Hand-Over-Hand” Assistance Works Poorly With So Many Special Needs Children , explains how this common method of assisting children to hold and manipulate objects often results in rejection or even aversion. This post tells you about my most successful strategy for kids with low muscle tone and limited sensory…… Continue reading For Kids With Sensory Issues and Low Tone, Add Resistance Instead of Hand-Over-Hand Assistance
How Hypermobility Affects Self-Image, Behavior and Activity Levels in Children
As rehabilitation therapists, OTs and PTs are focused on skill building and reaching functional goals with our clients. But feelings influence behavior, and so therapists have to be aware of more than joints and muscles when looking at function. In this post, I would like to address the many ways that hypermobility can create social…… Continue reading How Hypermobility Affects Self-Image, Behavior and Activity Levels in Children
OXO for Kids: Great Tableware For Older Kids With Sensory and Motor Issues
Does your child knock over her milk on a daily basis? Do utensils seem to fly out of your son’s hands? I treat kids with hypermobility, coordination and praxis issues, sensory discrimination limitations, etc.; they can all benefit from this terrific line of cups, dinnerware and utensils. Yes, OXO, the same people that sell you…… Continue reading OXO for Kids: Great Tableware For Older Kids With Sensory and Motor Issues
Parenting Researchers: Check Your Privilege
Zero-To-Three just ran this summary on their Facebook page MIT language study and I felt so sad. For everyone. For the umpteenth time in the past few years, I am in the awkward position of agreeing with “experts” that kids learn language skills best with face-to-face interaction that expands language, but I also appreciate why some…… Continue reading Parenting Researchers: Check Your Privilege
Should Your Hypermobile Child Play Sports?
This is one of the most difficult questions I field from parents of children over 5. Every parent wants their child to receive the social, emotional and physical benefits from participating in sports. They also know that there are greater risks for hypermobile kids. Kids with hypermobility fall on a very wide spectrum. Some are…… Continue reading Should Your Hypermobile Child Play Sports?
Why Telling Your Child “It’s OK” Doesn’t Calm Him Down (And What To Do Instead)
In a few months I will be doing another lecture on managing difficult toddler behaviors, and I can’t wait. I love teaching parents, therapists and caregivers how to help young children manage their most difficult behaviors. The responses that most therapists dread (crying, whining, tantrums, etc.) are the ones I hope will happen…… Continue reading Why Telling Your Child “It’s OK” Doesn’t Calm Him Down (And What To Do Instead)
How To Talk So Your Gifted Child Will Listen
I have written a few posts about identifying giftedness in very young children ( Your Bossy Baby or Toddler May Be Gifted. Really. Here Are The Signs You Are Missing! , How To Help Your Gifted Child Handle Frustration and How To Spot A Gifted Child In Your Preschool Class (Or Your Living Room!) ) but I want…… Continue reading How To Talk So Your Gifted Child Will Listen
What Helps Sensitive and Autistic Kids Handle Haircuts?
Depending on your child’s age and issues, getting a haircut can be anything from a chore to a dreaded event that you put off, and then put it off a bit more. So many kids fear them: kids with ASD, kids with sensory issues, children that have had multiple hospitalizations or procedures, children with anxiety…… Continue reading What Helps Sensitive and Autistic Kids Handle Haircuts?
Have More Fun When You Use Drawing To Develop Pre-Writing Skills
Why should learning to write mean a pile of boring worksheets? It shouldn’t! This week, try teaching your preschooler to draw fun shapes that mirror correct letter formation, start/sequence and connections, and watch their handwriting skills take off! Why draw? Because some kids need more practice, avoid writing due to fear of failure, or…… Continue reading Have More Fun When You Use Drawing To Develop Pre-Writing Skills
Should You Tell Your Gifted Child About Their Giftedness?
Your child is gifted. Perhaps a school psychologist has formally tested your child, or you have engaged private testing that indicated advanced skills. Or perhaps you watch your child on the ball field or in school plays. She just blows her peers away. Everyone knows that there is something very special about your child’s…… Continue reading Should You Tell Your Gifted Child About Their Giftedness?
How Parents Can Teach Healthy Body Boundaries To Young Children
One of the greatest horrors of the Larry Nasser story is that parents were often mere feet away from these girls while they were being molested. The people most invested in a child’s safety had no idea that anything violent was occurring, and these girls did not reveal their discomfort at the time. These…… Continue reading How Parents Can Teach Healthy Body Boundaries To Young Children
Can You Use The Wilbarger Protocol With Kids That Have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome?
My posts on proprioception and hypermobility have been popular lately, leading me to think that parents (and therapists) want more information on the sensory basis for their children’s struggles, and that often their treatments don’t include addressing their sensory processing issues. The Ehles-Danlos Syndromes (yes, there are more variants than just vascular and hypermobile!) are…… Continue reading Can You Use The Wilbarger Protocol With Kids That Have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome?
Teach Utensil Grasp and Control…Without the Food!
Therapro has just published my latest guest post! There are some situations that almost require occupational therapists to separate mealtime from utensil manipulation, at least at the earliest stages. Check out my post Teaching Utensil Use Outside of the Mealtime Experience to find out if your child or client would benefit from this approach! If you haven’t…… Continue reading Teach Utensil Grasp and Control…Without the Food!
Why Gifted Preschoolers Should Be Taught Handwriting Early (And With The Best Strategies!)
Gifted children are often identified by their asynchronous development. The three year-old that can read the names on cereal boxes, the two year-old that can play a song on the piano after hearing it once at music class, the four year-old that can complete his sister’s math homework…from second grade! These children have one or…… Continue reading Why Gifted Preschoolers Should Be Taught Handwriting Early (And With The Best Strategies!)
New Baby? Exhausted? Try Dr. Karp’s 5 S’s To Pull Things Together
New parents are often shocked at how tired they are. After all, newborns don’t DO much. They eat, sleep, pee and poop, and that is about it. But they do it around the clock and they aren’t very experienced with any of it. Dr. Karp’s 5 S’s can help all of you learn…… Continue reading New Baby? Exhausted? Try Dr. Karp’s 5 S’s To Pull Things Together
Stop All The Whining With The Fast Food Rule
Whining is a “fingernails on a chalkboard” experience for most adults. We often give in to a whining child, just to avoid hearing that noise. Or we explode and scare them (and ourselves) with the anger that whining can trigger. What can you do? What would you say if I told you that I use…… Continue reading Stop All The Whining With The Fast Food Rule
Hypermobility, Sleep, And The Hidden Problems With Blankets
Everyone knows that sleep is important. Research in sleep science (yes, this is a thing) tells us that our brains are working to digest the day’s learning, the immune system is active during sleep, and our bodies are repairing and renewing tissues and organs while we slumber. As much as we need sleep, kids need…… Continue reading Hypermobility, Sleep, And The Hidden Problems With Blankets
Potty Training Boys: Do You Teach Standing Up Or Sitting Down?
Training children for bladder control before bowel control is often easier for quite a few reasons: More frequent bathroom trips = more opportunities for success, digestion and diet issues don’t stall success, and urination is usually a painless, phobia-free, and quick experience. In general, families that hire me as a consultant are encouraged to…… Continue reading Potty Training Boys: Do You Teach Standing Up Or Sitting Down?
How To Stop Your Baby From Throwing Things (Most of the Time!)
After the adorable infant period of dropping objects from the high chair to see you scoop them up, most children devolve into a throwing stage. Commonly seen at the 11-16 month developmental level, this is different behavior but it can be just as maddening. Maybe more. Today, I am going to give you both…… Continue reading How To Stop Your Baby From Throwing Things (Most of the Time!)