“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)!
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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?”
The Ten Most Common Mistakes Parents Make During Toilet Training
Since writing The Practical Guide To Toilet Training Your Child With Low Muscle Tone, I have been asked for a list of missteps that happen on the way to success. Here they are: Ignoring their own readiness issues. Parents who are unaware of their own lack of readiness will not be able to be the…… Continue reading The Ten Most Common Mistakes Parents Make During Toilet Training
Waiting for Toilet Training Readiness? Create It Instead!
I just watched a therapist on YouTube tell parents how to look for toilet training readiness signs. From her limited description, you would have a better chance of finding truffles in France! The signs of readiness in special needs children can be subtle, so do not ignore moves such as going behind the…… Continue reading Waiting for Toilet Training Readiness? Create It Instead!
Why “Hand-Over-Hand” Assistance Doesn’t Work With So Many Special Needs Children
This method of teaching fine motor skills has never worked well for me in Early Intervention. In my professional experience, it has been a popular technique for many special educators. But they aren’t always getting the results they want. Very often, the scenario is as follows: I get a call from a concerned parent, telling…… Continue reading Why “Hand-Over-Hand” Assistance Doesn’t Work With So Many Special Needs Children
Teach Your Kindergartener How To Erase Like a Big Kid
Does it matter how a child erases their mistake? You are probably thinking that I ran out of topics for my blog this week. Not exactly. I was thinking about what makes my handwriting posts different than other bloggers that publish posts on early writing skills. I like to look at all the details when…… Continue reading Teach Your Kindergartener How To Erase Like a Big Kid
Can You Toilet Train a Non-Verbal Child?
Parents of non-verbal children often delay toilet training, assuming that these kids need more communication skills to be successful. I disagree. I think children and their parents need other skills more. Here are my thoughts about what really matters for these kids: Their parents need excellent observation skills. A child that cannot easily communicate their…… Continue reading Can You Toilet Train a Non-Verbal Child?
Does Handwriting Have An Uncertain Future in School?
I have read two reviews of Anne Trubek’s book The History and Uncertain Future of Handwriting, one of them in the New York Times The Story of How Handwriting Evolved, and May Soon Die Off. I have not read her book yet, but since I work with young children, I spend plenty of time with “boots…… Continue reading Does Handwriting Have An Uncertain Future in School?
Want Pincer Grasp Before Her First Birthday? Bet You’ll Be Surprised At What Moves (Hint) Build Hand Control!
The image of a baby popping cereal into her mouth and grinning is commercial genius. But what if your child is still raking them with a fist at 8 months? Is that late or just right? Is there a way to promote early grasp without offering a baby something tiny that she can choke on?…… Continue reading Want Pincer Grasp Before Her First Birthday? Bet You’ll Be Surprised At What Moves (Hint) Build Hand Control!
Weaning the Pacifier From An Older Child
Weaning pacifiers can be difficult, no matter the age. I wrote a popular post a while back on pacifier use and abuse, Prevent Pacifier Addiction With A Focus on Building Self-Calming Without Plastic , but I think that I might need to write another. Once an older child, over 3, still uses a pacifier, it is a…… Continue reading Weaning the Pacifier From An Older Child
Teaching Children To Use Utensils to Eat: Use Good Tools, Good Food, and Good Timing
I gave a crash course in utensil instruction to an interested dad recently. Speaking with him, answering his questions, made me realize that I had spent years refining my approach to teaching young children how to use spoons and forks. I had never written it all down. Select your tools carefully. Many parents and…… Continue reading Teaching Children To Use Utensils to Eat: Use Good Tools, Good Food, and Good Timing