Hypermobile kids, kids with low muscle tone, and kids with sensory processing issues are champion “W-sitters”. What’s that? If your child sits with their thighs rotated inward, knees bent, and their feet rotated so their toes point outward, you have a W-sitter. This sitting pattern isn’t abnormal if it is only one of many…… Continue reading How To Correctly Reposition Your Child’s Legs When They “W-Sit”
Category: hypermobility
Does Your Special Needs Child Have a “Two-tude”? Its Not Just the Age; Its Cumulative Frustration Minus Skills
I spend a lot of my work week with toddlers, and they can be a challenge. One minute sunny, the next screaming because their cookie broke. Special needs toddlers can have a ‘tude as well, but many professionals sweep it under the rug. They tell parents that this is normal, and that they should…… Continue reading Does Your Special Needs Child Have a “Two-tude”? Its Not Just the Age; Its Cumulative Frustration Minus Skills
When Writing Hurts: The Hypermobile Hand
Many children resist doing their homework, but most kids say “Its so BORING!” not “My hand hurts too much”. If a child is complaining of pain, and they don’t have a joint disease such as JRA, the first thought is hypermobility. The good news is that there are a few fast fixes that can decrease…… Continue reading When Writing Hurts: The Hypermobile Hand
Safety Awareness With Your Hypermobile Child? Its Not a Big Thing, Its the Biggest Thing
Therapists always try hard to be optimistic when discussing their pediatric client’s future. Why not? Kids have amazing potential, and we aren’t fortune tellers; there are so many things that can go right. As therapists, we also should share the reality of how bad choices create unfortunate consequences. Among them are the long-term…… Continue reading Safety Awareness With Your Hypermobile Child? Its Not a Big Thing, Its the Biggest Thing
Stop Your Child From Chewing on Clothes or Toys
Babies love to munch on their toys. They nibble at book bindings, chew the heck out of their loveys, and some little ones really love to chew their pacifiers. As they grow, most children let go of this behavior. Chewing and biting for sensory exploration and state modulation diminishes and a child’s behavior evolves into…… Continue reading Stop Your Child From Chewing on Clothes or Toys
Should You Install a Child-Sized Potty for Your Special Needs Child?
I know that some of you don’t even realize that such a thing exists: a toilet sized for preschoolers and kindergarteners! Well, you won’t find it in Lowe’s or Home Depot on the showroom floor, but you can buy them online, and it is an option to consider. Here are the reasons you might put…… Continue reading Should You Install a Child-Sized Potty for Your Special Needs Child?
The Not-So-Secret Solution for Your Child With Motor And Sensory Issues: Dycem
In adult rehab, occupational therapists are regularly providing patients who have incoordination, muscle weakness or joint instability with both skill-building activities and adaptive equipment such as Dycem. In pediatrics, you see a predominance of skills training. Adaptive equipment shows up primarily for the most globally and pervasively disabled children. I think that should change. Why? Because…… Continue reading The Not-So-Secret Solution for Your Child With Motor And Sensory Issues: Dycem
Could Your Pediatric Client Have a Heritable Disorder of Connective Tissue?
Therapists see lots of hypermobile kids in clinics and schools. I see hypermobile children every week in their homes for private sessions, consultations and ongoing treatment through Early Intervention. My estimate is that at least 25% of kids over 5 and almost 50% of the younger kids I have treated have some degree of…… Continue reading Could Your Pediatric Client Have a Heritable Disorder of Connective Tissue?
Is Your Hypermobile Child Sitting In An Awkward Position? No, She Really DOESN’T Feel Any Pain From it
Hypermobile children end up in some impressively awkward positions. It can feel uncomfortable just to look at the way their arms or legs are bent. It can be an awkward position with any part of the body; shoulders that allow an arm to fold under the body and the child lies on top of…… Continue reading Is Your Hypermobile Child Sitting In An Awkward Position? No, She Really DOESN’T Feel Any Pain From it
Three Reasons Why Your Constipated Toddler May Also Have Bladder Accidents
Kids with chronic constipation are a challenge to train. It can often appear that withholding is the issue, and to be certain, fear and pain are real issues. But there are some physiological problems caused by constipation that contribute to bladder problems, and they aren’t always what your pediatrician is thinking about. The constant fullness…… Continue reading Three Reasons Why Your Constipated Toddler May Also Have Bladder Accidents
The Best Ride-On Toy For Younger (or Petite) Toddlers
As an occupational therapist, I have always found it difficult to recommend a toddler ride-on toy for younger or smaller kids with low muscle tone and hypermobility. Most of these toys have such a wide seat that children must propel themselves with their knees rotated out and pushing forward on their toes. Exactly the…… Continue reading The Best Ride-On Toy For Younger (or Petite) Toddlers
The Best Toilet Training Book for Neurotypical Kids: Oh Crap Potty Training!
My readers know that I wrote a book on potty training kids with low tone ( The Practical Guide to Toilet Training Your Child With Low Muscle Tone: Potty Training Help Has Arrived! ) but I have to admit, I learn a lot from other authors. Jamie Glowacki has written a terrific book that speaks clearly and…… Continue reading The Best Toilet Training Book for Neurotypical Kids: Oh Crap Potty Training!
Playing With Velcro Food Sets Builds Children’s Hand Skills Fast!
This set is one of my favorite choices for toddlers of all ages and interests. Why? It is a safe, fun, clean-able toy that doesn’t require a USB connection or a battery. That isn’t a complete oddity, but it getting more rare every year. This toy is a great choice for kids with ASD, SPD,…… Continue reading Playing With Velcro Food Sets Builds Children’s Hand Skills Fast!
What Do You Say to Kids Who Don’t Know They Need to “Go”? Tell Them to Stand Up
For children with either low muscle tone or spasticity, toilet training can be a real challenge. If it isn’t clothing management or making it to the potty on time, they can have a hard time perceiving that NOW is the time to start heading to the toilet. Why? Often, their interoception isn’t terrific. What is…… Continue reading What Do You Say to Kids Who Don’t Know They Need to “Go”? Tell Them to Stand Up
Teach Your Child To Catch and Throw a Gertie Ball
These balls aren’t new, but they don’t get the recognition that they should. The ability to catch a ball is a developmental milestone. For kids with low muscle tone, sensory processing disorder (SPD) or ASD, it can be a difficult goal to achieve. The Gertie ball is often the easiest for them to handle.…… Continue reading Teach Your Child To Catch and Throw a Gertie Ball
Tub Safety For Special Needs Children
Bathtime is usually a fun experience for young children. Toys, splashing, bubbles. But it’s not always fun for parents. If your child has issues with sensory sensitivity, sensory seeking or hypermobility, you can feel like a one-armed paperhanger; juggling toys, washcloth and child! One solution is to use a bath seat. A word of common…… Continue reading Tub Safety For Special Needs Children
Teaching Safety Awareness To Special Needs Toddlers
Parents anxiously wait for their special needs infants to sit up, crawl and walk. That last skill can take extra months or years. Everyone, and I mean everyone, uses walking as a benchmark for maturity and independence. They shouldn’t. A child with poor safety awareness isn’t safer when they acquire mobility skills. Sometimes they are…… Continue reading Teaching Safety Awareness To Special Needs Toddlers
Have a Child With Low Tone or a Hypermobile Baby? Pay More Attention to How You Pick Your Little One Up
Carrying and holding kids is such a natural thing to do. But when your child has hypermobility due to low muscle tone, joint issues or a connective tissue disorder, how you accomplish these simple tasks makes a difference. Your actions can do more than get them from one position or location to another: they can…… Continue reading Have a Child With Low Tone or a Hypermobile Baby? Pay More Attention to How You Pick Your Little One Up
Toilet Training For Preschool And Stuck in Neutral? Here’s Why…..
Many of my clients are in a rush to get their kid trained in the next few weeks for school. They have been making some headway over the summer, but things can stall out half-way through. Here are some common reasons (but probably not all of them) why kids hit a plateau: They lose that…… Continue reading Toilet Training For Preschool And Stuck in Neutral? Here’s Why…..
Three Ways To Reduce W-Sitting (And Why It Matters)
Children who sit on the floor with their thighs rolled inward and their calves rotated out to the sides are told that they are “W-sitting”. Parents are told to reposition their kids immediately. There are even garments like Hip Helpers that make it nearly impossible to sit in this manner. Some therapists get practically apoplectic…… Continue reading Three Ways To Reduce W-Sitting (And Why It Matters)