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
Category: occupational therapy
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!
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?
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. Missing even one of them means…… 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
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!
Transition to Kindergarten By Beginning With a “C”
This isn’t about the grade “C”. It is about the benefit of writing a circle by starting with the letter “C”. I just taught a dad how to build his son’s handwriting skills without teaching him any letters or numbers. His son will be starting kindergarten in the fall, and although there were few worksheets…… Continue reading Transition to Kindergarten By Beginning With a “C”
The Two Important Handwriting Teaching Strategies For Lefties That Everyone Forgets
Teaching left-handed children to write in a right-handed world (estimates for right dominance varies, but always hovers over 80%) isn’t really all that different. However, there are two specific actions that parents and teachers need to make while teaching that rarely make it to the blogs and articles on the web. Read on.…… Continue reading The Two Important Handwriting Teaching Strategies For Lefties That Everyone Forgets
Will White Noise Harm a Newborn’s Hearing?
This question doesn’t come up as often as it should when I do Happiest Baby on the Block consultations. The short answer is that common sense goes a long way to protecting a newborn’s hearing. The longer answer is that understanding sound conduction and newborn development will help parents use white noise confidently. Here we…… Continue reading Will White Noise Harm a Newborn’s Hearing?
Why The Switch to Single-Line Paper Creates Handwriting Problems
It seems so simple: if a child can write all of her uppercase and lowercase letters independently, she should be able to use paper with only a baseline as an anchor. I see too many kids in kindergarten and first grade go from proud writers to discouraged writers when the “training wheels” of extra…… Continue reading Why The Switch to Single-Line Paper Creates Handwriting Problems
When Sensory Seeking Becomes Attention Seeking
As an occupational therapist, I see sensory-seeking kids every week who crash, jump, wiggle and hug their way through their days. If a couch is available, it is either a launching pad or a landing pad. Adults are for hanging on, landing on, or giving full-body hugs. Seeking unsafe or inappropriate movement and touch for…… Continue reading When Sensory Seeking Becomes Attention Seeking
Low Tone and Toilet Training: Transition to Using The Adult Toilet
Once the potty seat has been mastered, the question soon becomes: How is she going to use a regular toilet? Most younger children use a step stool and an insert to sit securely on an adult toilet. Kids with low tone often need a little more assistance to get up there and stay stable. Here…… Continue reading Low Tone and Toilet Training: Transition to Using The Adult Toilet
Out Of The Swaddle And Into The Frying Pan
Those first 2 weeks of life are pretty simple: feed, sleep, diaper. Lather, rinse and repeat. From about 2 weeks until 12-14 weeks, the Happiest Baby strategies for getting a baby calm and sleeping soundly really do work to keep newborns (and parents) happy. I am a certified Happiest Baby educator, and it is relatively…… Continue reading Out Of The Swaddle And Into The Frying Pan
How To Pick The Best Potty Seat For Toilet Training A Child With Low Tone
Kids with low tone benefit significantly from supportive seating for eating, playing, and yes, toileting. Picking the right training potty can make all the difference for them, and their parents. My new favorites for smaller children (smaller than the average 3-4 year-old) are the Little Colorado Potty Chair and the Fisher Price Custom Comfort Potty… Continue reading How To Pick The Best Potty Seat For Toilet Training A Child With Low Tone