I can’t take it any longer. If I hear one more professional on YouTube say that the difficulties begin when your gifted child enters school, I am gonna cry. Real tears. For those younger kids. And their parents. CNN just ran a story in which a psychologist suggested not telling kids that they are “that special”.…… Continue reading What Psychologists Just Don’t Get About Raising Gifted Toddlers
Category: parenting
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
DUPLO’s My First Number Train Set Is An Easy Way to Build Grasp in Toddlers!
I really like this set from LEGO. The DUPLO line is intended for children 18 months to 5 years old, but I think older kids will enjoy it as well when they combine pieces to make more complex designs. The #1 reason I like this set is that the great majority of the…… Continue reading DUPLO’s My First Number Train Set Is An Easy Way to Build Grasp in Toddlers!
Halloween is Coming: For Sensory Sensitive Children, It’s No Celebration
I love Halloween, but not everyone does. Kids with sensory sensitivity top THAT list! The strange transformation of their classrooms, homes and yards aren’t exciting; they are disorienting. The masks and loose costumes? Pure Hell. But at least here in America, it often seems like it is almost unpatriotic to shun this holiday unless you…… Continue reading Halloween is Coming: For Sensory Sensitive Children, It’s No Celebration
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
Not Making It To the Potty In Time? Three Reasons Why Special Needs Kids Have Accidents
If your special needs child isn’t experiencing a medical reason for incontinence (infection, blockage, neurological impairment) then you might be facing one of these three common roadblocks to total training success: Your child has limited or incomplete interoceptive awareness. What is interoception? It is the ability to sense and interpret internal cues. The distention of…… Continue reading Not Making It To the Potty In Time? Three Reasons Why Special Needs Kids Have Accidents
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
How To Spot A Gifted Child In Your Preschool Class (Or Your Living Room!)
Do you have a gifted kid? Do you teach one? You might not be able to tell the difference between a bright child and a gifted child by the number of letters they know, or the facts about dinosaurs they can recall. Here are some distinct signs that your child, student or therapy client is…… Continue reading How To Spot A Gifted Child In Your Preschool Class (Or Your Living Room!)
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…..
KickStart Kindergarten: Get Your Child Ready for Kindergarten Writing The Easy Way!
Starting kindergarten is so exciting for most kids, but learning to write can be challenging for those children that have fASD, SPD, fine motor or visual-motor issues. Even though fewer and fewer teachers know how to teach handwriting well, it is still a necessary skill for young children. Learning Without Tears has developed an…… Continue reading KickStart Kindergarten: Get Your Child Ready for Kindergarten Writing The Easy Way!
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)
Is Your Gifted Child A Troublemaker?
Gifted and talented children are frequently leaders in their schools and communities. They often have advanced language skills and display an early and intense sense of humor. Gifted children can be the funny, outgoing, energetic kids who have deep empathy and abundant warmth. Wondering if your young child might be gifted? Read How To Spot A…… Continue reading Is Your Gifted Child A Troublemaker?
Kids With Low Muscle Tone: The Hidden Problems With Strollers
Whether you live in the city or the ‘burbs, you almost certainly use a stroller for your infant or toddler. Even parents who use slings or carriers for “baby wearing” find themselves needing a stroller at some point. Why are strollers a problem for children with low muscle tone? The answer is simple: sling seats…… Continue reading Kids With Low Muscle Tone: The Hidden Problems With Strollers
Parents With Disabilities Need The Happiest Toddler on the Block Techniques
I usually write about children with disabilities, but today’s post is about parents with challenges. As an occupational therapist that sees children in their homes through the Early Intervention program, I meet all kinds of parents. This includes parents with disabilities of their own. Some parents have vision or hearing issues, some have orthopedic issues…… Continue reading Parents With Disabilities Need The Happiest Toddler on the Block Techniques
Picking The Best Bikes, Scooters, Etc. For Kids With Low Tone and Hypermobility
Welcome to the world of faster (and faster) movement! After mastering walking and possibly running, kids are often eager to jump on a ride-on toy and get moving. If a child has had motor delays and has had to wait to develop the strength and balance needed to use a bike, they may be a…… Continue reading Picking The Best Bikes, Scooters, Etc. For Kids With Low Tone and Hypermobility
Is Compulsive Gaming A Disorder…Or A Symptom?
The WHO has recently classified compulsive gaming a mental illness. I am not so sure. What I do believe is that doing anything compulsively is a big problem for developing brains. Is your child heading in the direction of using gaming or web surfing to deal with issues such as social anxiety or poor executive…… Continue reading Is Compulsive Gaming A Disorder…Or A Symptom?
For Hypermobile Kids, “Listen To Your Body” Doesn’t Teach Them To Pace Themselves. Here’s What Really Helps.
I ran across a comment piece online that recommended parents teach their hypermobile children to “listen to your body” to pace activities in an effort to avoid fatigue, pain or injury. My reaction was fairly strong and immediate. The sensory-based effects of hypermobility (HM) reduce interoception (internal body awareness) and proprioception/kinesthesia (position and movement sense,…… Continue reading For Hypermobile Kids, “Listen To Your Body” Doesn’t Teach Them To Pace Themselves. Here’s What Really Helps.
Help Your Teen with a Chronic Illness Plan For a Career
It is graduation time here in the U.S. Kids (and parents) are thinking about the future. But when your teen has chronic health conditions, the future can be uncertain and the decisions more complicated. I know that the saying “Do what you love and you won’t have to work another day of your life” is…… Continue reading Help Your Teen with a Chronic Illness Plan For a Career
Boost Pincer Grasp With Tiny Containers
These days I am getting pretty…lazy. My go-to items are designed so that children automatically improve their grasp or their posture without my intervention. I am always searching for easy carryover strategies to share with parents too. As with most things in life, easy is almost always better than complicated. My recent fave piece of…… Continue reading Boost Pincer Grasp With Tiny Containers