I work with two amazing children that could be diagnosed as “twice exceptional”. Both boys, they have amazing intellectual gifts (one verbal, one in math) but they work with me on their handwriting and their behavior. Neither can write a simple sentence without significant errors in letter placement or formation. But both…… Continue reading Gifted and Struggling? Meet the Twice Exceptional Student, and How OT Can Help
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Young Children With Dysgraphia Need Better Handwriting Instruction, Not Just Technology.
The diagnosis of dysgraphia is so vague that I almost hesitate to write about it. The reason I am dipping a toe into these messy waters? Almost every psychologist that gives a child this diagnosis recommends abandoning handwriting in favor of tablets and speech recognition programs. I feel strongly that this does young children a…… Continue reading Young Children With Dysgraphia Need Better Handwriting Instruction, Not Just Technology.
How Do You Teach Word Spacing?
Kindergarteners need to learn to space their words correctly. But how exactly do you do that? Most teachers are using the “put your index finger next to your last word as a spacer” strategy. This isn’t a terrible idea, but many children can grasp the true spacing measure. Here is why you should attempt to…… Continue reading How Do You Teach Word Spacing?
Improve Your Child’s Coordination, Beginning With Fun Finger Awareness Play
Children with low muscle tone, children with spasticity, and children with dyspraxia all struggle with using their hands effectively and efficiently. Therapy can be super boring, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are four simple and fun ways to build your child’s awareness of their fingers that will support grasp, pinch and more! Gentle…… Continue reading Improve Your Child’s Coordination, Beginning With Fun Finger Awareness Play
How Occupational Therapy Can Help Gifted Children (And Their Exhausted Parents!)
Gifted children have abilities that make them more sensitive to their bodies, their world and the people in it. They notice sensations, emotional states and the interplay between the physical and the non-physical world in ways that non-gifted people do not. Exquisite sensitivity, combined with intensity and drive, often come at a price for…… Continue reading How Occupational Therapy Can Help Gifted Children (And Their Exhausted Parents!)
Why is Staying Dry at Night So Challenging For Some Children?
I have received a few questions on this subject since publishing my e-book, The Practical Guide to Toilet Training Your Child With Low Muscle Tone. Parents are wondering how to expand daytime success through the night. Here is what I know about getting through the night high and dry: it is as much a physical…… Continue reading Why is Staying Dry at Night So Challenging For Some Children?
Is Your Sensitive Child Gifted As Well?
Happy New Year! The topic of sensitivity (in all it’s expressions) in young children isn’t new to this blog, but the correlation with giftedness hasn’t been a part of my other posts. It is today. Sensitivity is common in gifted toddlers and preschoolers, and sensitivity is ubiquitous in young children with diagnoses such as…… Continue reading Is Your Sensitive Child Gifted As Well?
Toilet Training Older Kids: Equipment Matters as Much as Approach
Is potty training after the toddler years different? Yes, and no. Here is what you need to consider when you are looking at the equipment for an older child that is still in a diaper or a pull-up. Whether they have language or not, whether they have rigid or stereotyped behaviors or not, your set-up…… Continue reading Toilet Training Older Kids: Equipment Matters as Much as Approach
Successful Swaddling May Take More Layers of Calmness
Swaddling is a skill, but it is also an art. Once you have your little one snug as a bean burrito, they don’t always stop crying right away. When I teach parents the 5 S’s as part of a Happiest Baby on the Block consultation or class, I try very hard to explain that most…… Continue reading Successful Swaddling May Take More Layers of Calmness
After Kangaroo Care: Infant Massage and Tummy Time on Mommy (or Daddy)!
“Kangaroo Care” is the term your NICU used for placing your newborn directly on your chest, face turned to one side, and letting her get the sensory and regulatory benefits that neonatologists believe she can gain from this position. Then she gets stronger and you all go home. What can you do at home? Well,…… Continue reading After Kangaroo Care: Infant Massage and Tummy Time on Mommy (or Daddy)!
Piddlers Make Potty Training Fun!
I laughed out loud the first time I saw a toddler pee onto one of these circles. Then he asked for more juice so that he could come back later and try again! Piddlers aren’t a new concept. Parents have been tossing cereal circles into a potty for “aiming practice” for a long time. These…… Continue reading Piddlers Make Potty Training Fun!
Is My Child Right or Left-Handed? How Handedness Emerges, And How You Can Influence Development
Parents can get worried about a lot of things, and slow development of a dominant hand is one of them. Therapists get worried about things too, but the development of dominance is usually not one of them. Except in one situation. And parents can make a bigger impact than they think. It is generally…… Continue reading Is My Child Right or Left-Handed? How Handedness Emerges, And How You Can Influence Development
The Practical Guide to Toilet Training Your Child With Low Muscle Tone: Potty Training Help Has Arrived!
My most popular post, Why Low Muscle Tone Creates More Toilet Training Struggles for Toddlers (and Parents!) inspired me to write a manual to help parents with potty training. There was nothing in books or online that really helped families, just a few lines about being patient and…… Continue reading The Practical Guide to Toilet Training Your Child With Low Muscle Tone: Potty Training Help Has Arrived!
Should Your Child Use A Pencil Grip?
I will be asked about pencil grips every time I teach a workshop or lecture on handwriting. My popular post, The Pencil Grip That Strengthens Your Child’s Fingers As They Write. , partially explains when and why I would recommend the use of this excellent pencil grip with older kids. I have a message for preschool teachers…… Continue reading Should Your Child Use A Pencil Grip?
Bringing Home Your Preemie: What Your Therapists Would Like You To Know
Discharge day for a preemie is special, but it is just the beginning of a journey that often includes therapy at home. As an Early Intervention therapist, I thought parents could use some insights into what your team is really thinking when they begin to work with you and your baby. We know that you…… Continue reading Bringing Home Your Preemie: What Your Therapists Would Like You To Know
Dressing Without Tears: Sensory-Sensitive Strategies That Work
If your child has tactile (touch) sensitivity, getting them dressed can mean more than a chore. It can mean tears. Tags in shirts, “scratchy” jeans, and all that pulling of clothing over their face! I know families that scheme for months to find clothes that their child will wear to a wedding or buy clothes…… Continue reading Dressing Without Tears: Sensory-Sensitive Strategies That Work
When Can You Start Toilet Training?
Just like walking, children cannot be toilet trained before they are physically ready. That usually happens around 18 months. But like walking, some children are physically ready a bit earlier. WAIT! Using the toilet by yourself is so much more than physical readiness. Potty training is a complex skill, with cognitive, sensory, motor and behavioral…… Continue reading When Can You Start Toilet Training?
Review: Kumon Sticker Books For Toddlers
Children love stickers. Kumon has created great sticker books for the 2’s or children performing at that level. I have the vehicle-themed book, but they have a zoo-themed book as well. I use their scissor books every week, maybe even every day with the 3’s and 4’s. I wanted to see what they came up…… Continue reading Review: Kumon Sticker Books For Toddlers
CMV: The Potentially Disabling Virus Your OB Isn’t Mentioning
The New York Times ran a moving story in their October 25, 2016 issue about children who contract cytomegalovirus (CMV) from their mothers while in utero. CMV is a Greater Threat for Infants Than Zika, but far Less Often Discussed reminded me of the children I have treated with CMV: multiply-disabled, with parents that didn’t…… Continue reading CMV: The Potentially Disabling Virus Your OB Isn’t Mentioning
Finger Awareness and Math Skills: Recent Research, and “Where is Thumbkin?”
The Atlantic magazine ran a terrific article, Why Kids Should Use Their Fingers in Math Class, and I am still blown away with the connections they make between brain activity during finger movements and during math calculation and comprehension. Let me get out my hands and count the ways I could use this information!…… Continue reading Finger Awareness and Math Skills: Recent Research, and “Where is Thumbkin?”