Toilet training is one of the few self-care skills that fall primarily on special needs parents. Speech therapists, feeding therapists, occupational therapists and ABA instructors all do assessments and create plans. Hints on toilet training from your therapy team are often very helpful, but “the boots on the ground” are yours as a parent. You…… Continue reading Why Do Some Kids With ASD and SPD Refuse Toilet Training?
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Low Tone and Constipation: Why This Issue Delays Toilet Training Progress
Kids with low tone and sensory processing disorders are not the only children who struggle with constipation, but it is more common for them. The reasons are many: low abdominal and oral tone, less use of available musculature because they use compensatory sitting and standing (the schlump, the lean, the swayback) patterns, and even food…… Continue reading Low Tone and Constipation: Why This Issue Delays Toilet Training Progress
What’s Really Missing When Kids Don’t Cross Midline?
If I had a dollar for every teacher who remarked on a child’s inability to cross the midline of his body (left-right midline, not top/bottom midline), I would be writing this post from my beachfront condo in Hawaii. Here is what problems crossing midline can signify, what other issues are often seen with these kids, and…… Continue reading What’s Really Missing When Kids Don’t Cross Midline?
Low Tone and Toilet Training: How Your Child’s Therapists Can Help You
Over the years as an occupational therapist, I have been giving parents hints here and there. Writing my e-book this fall, and preparing an e-course (coming soon) to support families makes me realize that some clients did not ask me very many questions while they were toilet training their child. So….Are there aspects of therapy…… Continue reading Low Tone and Toilet Training: How Your Child’s Therapists Can Help You
Low Tone and Toilet Training: What You Can Learn From Elimination Communication Theory
Yes, those folks who hold a 6 month-old over the toilet and let her defecate directly into the potty, not into a Pamper. Elimination Communication (EC) has committed fans, as well as people who think it is both useless and even punishing to kids. I am not taking sides here, but there is one thing…… Continue reading Low Tone and Toilet Training: What You Can Learn From Elimination Communication Theory
Vestibular Fun For Infants With Motor Delays
Picture this: a dad swings his 6 month-old upside down, and she giggles and smiles from ear to ear. What doesn’t daddy know? He is stimulating her developing balance system and teaching her to love movement while they play. When babies have motor delays, whether due to prematurity, illness, or a brain injury such as…… Continue reading Vestibular Fun For Infants With Motor Delays
Low Tone and Toilet Training: Parents And Children Need To Work Together
This one is simple to explain, but not so easy to achieve with some kids. Children whose interactional pattern is defiance or whining are going to be much harder to train, regardless of whether or not they have significant issues with low muscle tone. In fact, I would rather coach a very physically unstable but…… Continue reading Low Tone and Toilet Training: Parents And Children Need To Work Together
Your Best Pre-Writing Activities List: Target Key Skills And Have Fun!
The school year is coming up fast, and parents are wondering what skills their preschoolers are going to need. Finding fun things to do with the rest of the summer that actually build skills, not just entertain the troops, isn’t easy, even for occupational therapists. Here are my current favorites: Bring out the scissors and…… Continue reading Your Best Pre-Writing Activities List: Target Key Skills And Have Fun!
Low Tone and Toilet Training: Kids Need To See How It’s Done
Low muscle tone creates more challenges for toilet training, but that means parents need to focus on getting all the parts of teaching and practicing down right. If your child is unfocused or inattentive when you speak about potty training, you can try books and videos. Sometimes the use of media will spark interest and…… Continue reading Low Tone and Toilet Training: Kids Need To See How It’s Done
Why Doesn’t Swaddling Alone Calm Newborns?
I attended a local function last night, and this question was on my mind as parents recounted their experiences with newborns and calming. They thought that they were doing the swaddling wrong. Or that their child was abnormal. Not likely. They just didn’t realize that for most babies, swaddling alone doesn’t do the deal. As…… Continue reading Why Doesn’t Swaddling Alone Calm Newborns?
Is My Child Ambidextrous?
I answer this question from parents about once a month, on average. Here is the better question: Is my child developing age-appropriate grasp? The statistics are against your child being ambidextrous: only about 1% of people are truly ambidextrous. Being able to hit a ball equally well with either arm is valued on a team,…… Continue reading Is My Child Ambidextrous?
Why Some Newborns Look Like They Hate To Be Swaddled
Yes, I said it. Some babies scream louder after you swaddle them, and parents assume that this means that they are horrified of being restricted. This is usually far from the truth, but you have to know a little bit about newborn neurology to understand why this is likely not to be a case of…… Continue reading Why Some Newborns Look Like They Hate To Be Swaddled
Low Tone and Toilet Training: The 4 Types of Training Readiness
When clients ask me if I think their child is ready to potty train, my answer is usually “Tell me more about the readiness signs you believe you are seeing.” There are numerous factors to consider when assessing toilet training readiness if a child has low muscle tone. Here are the four types of readiness…… Continue reading Low Tone and Toilet Training: The 4 Types of Training Readiness
Summer Fun Pre-Writing Activities
Here in the U.S., summer is fully underway. Pools, camps, and vacations! Handwriting isn’t really on anyone’s radar. Except mine. Without practice, kids with learning differences, motor control issues, and visual-perceptual concerns can lose a lot of the skills that they worked so hard on all year long in therapy. Here is a fun…… Continue reading Summer Fun Pre-Writing Activities
Why Writing An “M” Like a Mountain Slows Handwriting Progress
I had this conversation with a very sharp grandma this week. She was curious about why I did not teach her granddaughter to write an “M” this way, since it is so much easier than the standard formation. Here is my answer: Teaching it incorrectly? No! None of the common handwriting styles (Zaner-Bloser, D’Nealian,…… Continue reading Why Writing An “M” Like a Mountain Slows Handwriting Progress
Low Tone and Toilet Training: The Importance of Dry Runs (Pun TOTALLY Intended)
In my posts about choosing a potty seat, How To Pick The Best Potty Seat For Toilet Training A Child With Low Tone then picking clothes and learning to wipe, Low Tone and Toilet Training: Teaching Toddlers to Wipe, planning and preparation for potty use was emphasized. Kids who are unsteady and struggle with coordinating actions need to…… Continue reading Low Tone and Toilet Training: The Importance of Dry Runs (Pun TOTALLY Intended)
Color Wonder Paper Will Boost Creativity and Save Your Walls
Nothing ruins the fun of scribbling like the frustration of discovering that clothes, skin and walls are also covered with “creativity”. It is important to teach children that we color only on specific surfaces, but messes will happen on the path to full comprehension and compliance. Crayola has just about solved this problem…… Continue reading Color Wonder Paper Will Boost Creativity and Save Your Walls
Melissa And Doug Tape Activity Book Is Reusable Fun
I am so excited when I find a truly fun toy that builds the visual and fine motor skills that my preschool and early elementary clients need. I am giving this book to 2 of my best friend’s grandchildren (ages 8 and 10) today. She and her husband have them for the holiday week,…… Continue reading Melissa And Doug Tape Activity Book Is Reusable Fun
Low Tone And Toilet Training: Pull-Ups or Cloth Training Pants?
My post on clothing choice when toilet training a child with low muscle tone Low Tone and Toilet Training: Teaching Toddlers to Wipe covered a lot, but it did not include a very important garment: underwear. I am putting pull-ups and their generic equivalents in the underwear category. Many would not, as they are as absorbent…… Continue reading Low Tone And Toilet Training: Pull-Ups or Cloth Training Pants?
Lakeshore Paper Strips Make Summer Writing Practice Easy and Fun!
These paper strips, both the short (shown) and the long versions, are great for summer writing practice. Here are a few handwriting tips to make writing on these strips really fun: They have two different sides; use both of them. There is a single baseline side which can be much less confusing for the…… Continue reading Lakeshore Paper Strips Make Summer Writing Practice Easy and Fun!