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?
Category: self-care skills
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
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)
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?
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
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
How Using Utensils To Eat Prepares Your Child To Write
My post on selecting great utensils has generated buzz with my clients. When I mentioned in therapy sessions that every time a preschooler uses a fork or spoon with a mature grasp, they are building the strength and control needed for good handwriting, parent’s jaws hit the floor. It never occurred to them that there…… Continue reading How Using Utensils To Eat Prepares Your Child To Write
Which Spoon Is Best To Teach Grown-Up Grasp?
Using a spoon to scoop with a mature grasp (thumb on top, fingers curled under) and using a pencil to write are two preschool fine motor skills that last a lifetime. Did you know that the design of the spoon can make teaching mature spoon grasp easier? I had a discussion with a child’s speech…… Continue reading Which Spoon Is Best To Teach Grown-Up Grasp?
Why Cutting Nails Is Such a Challenge for Autistic and Sensory Kids
Most children resist nail trimming. But kids on the autism spectrum, kids with sensory sensitivity, and children with significant language delays can turn this simple grooming task into an epic contest of wills. Parents tell me all too often that it is two-person job for them. It can be the hardest thing they do all…… Continue reading Why Cutting Nails Is Such a Challenge for Autistic and Sensory Kids
Low Tone and Toilet Training: Teaching Toddlers to Wipe
The parent that inspired my most popular post ever, Why Low Tone Creates More Toilet Training Struggles for Toddlers (And Parents!) , suggested that I write another about the most useful advice she says I ever offered her. Not the most glamorous topic, but teaching children to wipe their tushies is important.…… Continue reading Low Tone and Toilet Training: Teaching Toddlers to Wipe
Teach Spoon Grip By Making It Fun And Sharing a Laugh With Your Child
Whether you are teaching a younger child to grip a toddler spoon or teaching an older child to hold a spoon in the mature pattern, kids can resist practicing this important skill. I created a game that makes it really fun and builds a warm connection with your child. You share a laugh, and…… Continue reading Teach Spoon Grip By Making It Fun And Sharing a Laugh With Your Child
Good Posture for Kids With Feeding Issues Matters
Feeding challenges are a huge source of concern for parents of children with low tone, autism, and a host of other issues. Improving how a child sits when eating isn’t magically going to solve every problem for every child, but ignoring the benefits of good positioning will make most feeding problems worse. Even problems not…… Continue reading Good Posture for Kids With Feeding Issues Matters
Low Muscle Tone and Dressing: Easy Solutions to Teach Independence
When a child says “I do it myself” most adults are thrilled. Kids with low muscle tone want to do things like the big kids too, including dressing themselves, but they often end up in a tangle of sleeves or twisted pant legs. Here are a few suggestions to make learning to get dressed and…… Continue reading Low Muscle Tone and Dressing: Easy Solutions to Teach Independence
Why Low Muscle Tone Creates More Toilet Training Struggles for Toddlers (and Parents!)
Most parents assume that toilet training a child with low tone (also called hypotonia) isn’t going to be easy. A child with low muscle tone often crawls later, walks later, and may speak later. Low tone can affect toilet training in ways both obvious and subtle. As an occupational therapist, I want to…… Continue reading Why Low Muscle Tone Creates More Toilet Training Struggles for Toddlers (and Parents!)