Doing Quickshifts? Modulated Music? Therapeutic Listening? Get These Affordable, Comfortable, Kid-Size Bluetooth Headphones From PURO!

Wirecutter, owned by the New York Times, just did a piece on great gifts. The PURO BT2200 models were featured because they are child-sized NOISE-LIMITING headphones with a BUILT-IN MIC, which is great for virtual school participation. I am recommending them because they will not destroy your child’s hearing. They max out at 85 decibels.…… Continue reading Doing Quickshifts? Modulated Music? Therapeutic Listening? Get These Affordable, Comfortable, Kid-Size Bluetooth Headphones From PURO!

Quickshifts: A Simple, Successful, and Easy to Use Treatment For Regulation, Attention, and Postural Activation

What if you could add a sensory-based treatment that targets specific sensory, motor, and behavioral goals, doesn’t require expensive equipment or a large therapy space, and you could see the effects within a very short time? Since adding Quickshifts to my therapy sessions, I have been able to successfully address some of the more difficult…… Continue reading Quickshifts: A Simple, Successful, and Easy to Use Treatment For Regulation, Attention, and Postural Activation

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?

Want A Stronger Pencil Grasp? Use a Tablet Stylus

  The trick? They need to use a short stylus and play apps that require primarily drag-and-drop play. Stop them from only tapping that screen today, because tapping alone will not make much of a difference in strength and grading of force. Why will drag-and-drop play work? The resistance of the stylus tip on the…… Continue reading Want A Stronger Pencil Grasp? Use a Tablet Stylus

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

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?

Take Notes with a Paper Notebook, But Only if You Can Write Quickly

Research in Psychological Science last spring and in an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education suggests that writing notes by hand requires the listener to synthesize a lecture more effectively than laptop note-taking.  Three studies showed that testing immediately after a lecture and even a week later still saw improved retention of conceptual information when students…… Continue reading Take Notes with a Paper Notebook, But Only if You Can Write Quickly

Peekaboo Apps: Fun Learning Choices for the Toddler Techies

One of the best app designers for very young children (for whom short periods of screen time with an interactive adult is always the way to go) are the folks who make the Peekaboo series.  They have created a handful of apps (Peekaboo barn, vehicles, fridge, ocean) that use sharp but simple graphics, sound effects…… Continue reading Peekaboo Apps: Fun Learning Choices for the Toddler Techies

Toddler Apps That Make Tiny Hands and Tiny Minds Work Together!

One of my favorite app designers are the folks at Tiny Hands.  They have a suite (but you can buy apps separately and get free mini trials) of apps for the 2-5 set that are progressive in challenge but consistently high in fun. Since I am always looking for positive (read: active) tablet use, I…… Continue reading Toddler Apps That Make Tiny Hands and Tiny Minds Work Together!

LEGO Apps That Your Child Really Wants to Play

Toddlers and preschoolers love tablets.  Wouldn’t it be terrific if parents could download apps that actually developed skills instead of just kept children happy? The LEGO Duplo apps series for toddlers will enchant kids and their parents.  Occupational therapists like them because they develop perceptual and ocular control skills, as well as muscle strengthening when…… Continue reading LEGO Apps That Your Child Really Wants to Play

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