When most parents think of sensory processing issues, they think of the children who hate clothing tags and gag on textured foods. Joint hypermobility, regardless of the reason (prematurity, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, head injury, etc) can result in kids who stumble when they move and wobble when they rest. They are seen by orthopedists and…… Continue reading Hypermobility and Proprioception: Why Loose Joints Create Sensory Processing Problems for Children
Category: occupational therapy
Your Bossy Baby or Toddler May Be Gifted. Really. Here Are The Signs You Are Missing!
Very young children can be a challenge at times. Tantrums over broken cookies, insistence on hearing “Goodnight Moon” for the 11th time in one night, etc. They can be adorably cute and amazingly difficult in the same 15 minute period! Lurking inside all that chaotic behavior may be signs of genius. Here are some…… Continue reading Your Bossy Baby or Toddler May Be Gifted. Really. Here Are The Signs You Are Missing!
Infants With Sensory Sensitivity: When Your Fussy Baby Takes Over Your Life
fpsyg-08-00789 Parents are often the first to suspect that their infant’s constant and intense complaints are more than just fussiness. Sometimes pediatricians pick up on a pattern of edginess that cannot be explained by all the usual suspects: teething, food sensitivity, temperament. Having a baby who complains bitterly about the most common events, such…… Continue reading Infants With Sensory Sensitivity: When Your Fussy Baby Takes Over Your Life
Child Writing Too Lightly on Paper? It Might Not Be Hand Strength Holding Him Back
If your child barely makes a mark when he scribbles or writes, most adults assume that grasp is an issue. Today’s post suggests that something else could be the real reason for those faint lines. Limitations in postural and bilateral control contribute far more to lack of pressure when writing than most parents and teachers…… Continue reading Child Writing Too Lightly on Paper? It Might Not Be Hand Strength Holding Him Back
Low Tone and Toilet Training: Learning to Hold It In Long Enough to Make It to The Potty
If your child can’t stay dry at night after 5, or can’t make it to the potty on time, there are a number of things that could be going wrong. I won’t list them all, but your pediatrician may send you to a pediatric urologist to evaluate whether there are any functional (kidney issues,…… Continue reading Low Tone and Toilet Training: Learning to Hold It In Long Enough to Make It to The Potty
Does An Atypical Pencil Grasp Damage Joints or Support Function In Kids With Hypermobility?
As a pediatric OTR, I am often asked to assess and teach proper pencil grasp. Once you start looking, you see a lot of interesting patterns out there. When a child clearly has low muscle tone and/or hypermobile joints, the question of what to do about an atypical pencil grasp used to puzzle me. I…… Continue reading Does An Atypical Pencil Grasp Damage Joints or Support Function In Kids With Hypermobility?
Why Dot-To-Dot Letter Practice Slows Down Writing Speed and Legibility
Most workbooks feature dot-to-dot practice for writing letters. They shouldn’t. Why? The answer is obvious if you know how to teach handwriting. The biggest problem is that so few people understand how children learn to write, and what gets in their way. There are 3 stages of learning: imitating an adult, copying printed materials, and…… Continue reading Why Dot-To-Dot Letter Practice Slows Down Writing Speed and Legibility
Strengthening A Child’s Pencil Grasp: Three Easy Methods That Work
When a child makes fast progress from a fisted grasp to a mature pencil grasp in therapy, parents notice. This isn’t easy to accomplish, but it is possible. I spent the first decade of my pediatric OT career thinking that finger exercises were the answer. Nope. Here are my three favorite strategies to…… Continue reading Strengthening A Child’s Pencil Grasp: Three Easy Methods That Work
Sensory Sensitivity In Toddlers: Why Responding Differently to “Yucky!” Will Help Your Child
Sensory sensitivity and aversive behaviors are among the most common reasons families seek occupational therapy in Early Intervention. Their kids are crying and clinging through meals, dressing, bathing and more. What parents often don’t see is that they can help their child by being both empathic and educating them throughout the course of the day.…… Continue reading Sensory Sensitivity In Toddlers: Why Responding Differently to “Yucky!” Will Help Your Child
Avoiding Letter Reversals In Preschool
Are letter reversals in preschool normal? Yes. Can you avoid them, and thus speed up the accuracy and automaticity that are hallmarks of successful handwriting? Sure! This post will explain why reversals are slowing kids down unnecessarily and how to limit letter and number reversals right from the start. Writing letters backward is very common…… Continue reading Avoiding Letter Reversals In Preschool
Hypermobility in Young Children: When Flexibility Isn’t Functional
Your grandma would have called it being ” double jointed”. Your mom might mention that she was the most flexible person in every yoga class she attended. But when extra joint motion reduces your child’s performance or creates pain, parents get concerned. Sometimes pediatricians and orthopedists do not. Why would that happen? A measure…… Continue reading Hypermobility in Young Children: When Flexibility Isn’t Functional
Your Gifted Child: More Than An Amazing Intellect
The characteristic that convinces a parent that their child is gifted is often an impressive vocabulary or mathematical ability. This is the criteria that will get them into the “G and T” program in school, and is often a source of pride for both parents and children. Wait! There are other characteristics of giftedness…… Continue reading Your Gifted Child: More Than An Amazing Intellect
Gifted and Struggling? Meet the Twice Exceptional Student, and How OT Can Help
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
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!)
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
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)!
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