The concept of “spoons” is a popular one for people who are dealing with fatigue, pain, and weakness from any condition. It references the idea of pacing activities to prevent reaching a point of no return. Counting your spoons, using your spoons, saving your spoons; there are tons of SnapChat and Instagram posts on how…… Continue reading “Spoon Theory” for Fatigue Isn’t Enough: You Deserve Better Tools
Category: teens and tweens
POTS and Learning to Drive
Learning to drive is a rite of passage for almost all teens. Using a private vehicle to get around can be huge for self-esteem. It can also make life easier. Buses and Ubers are never going to be as comfortable or as stressless as driving to class, to therapy, or to a bestie’s house.…… Continue reading POTS and Learning to Drive
Teens with Hypermobility or Dysautonomia: How Can OT Help Them Thrive?
Children with hypermobility often get OT only in preschool and grade school. They get help with handwriting, and sometimes with scissor use or clothing fasteners. And then they get dropped. They might see a PT for gait or balance problems. Sometimes for pain management. If they develop a dysautonomia, they see a cardiologist. Maybe they…… Continue reading Teens with Hypermobility or Dysautonomia: How Can OT Help Them Thrive?
When Your Child’s Defiance is Coming From Being Neurologically Disorganized
Over a few decades of being a homecare OTR, I have seen a lot of different reactions from parents. And received a lot of different requests. The most honest ones are from parents who think their child is constantly defying them. They would like some pointers so they can stop wishing they were on a…… Continue reading When Your Child’s Defiance is Coming From Being Neurologically Disorganized
Why Your Kid With hEDS Doesn’t Seem to Know They Need the Potty… Right Now!
“Daddy….I gotta go. Right NOWWWW!” No parent wants to hear this coming from the back seat of their car while driving down a freeway or on a rural road. But it happens. And it can happen to older kids with hypermobile Ehlers Danlos syndrome (hEDS), well past early childhood. It can happen to…… Continue reading Why Your Kid With hEDS Doesn’t Seem to Know They Need the Potty… Right Now!
Why Using a Chair Correctly is SO Difficult for Hypermobile Kids and Adults
I spend a fair amount of time teaching hypermobile people of all ages how their sitting position affects their ability to write, keyboard, or do just about anything. And of course, we want hypermobile people to have a stronger core while sitting. But their chair can help them. It is not a crutch. It is…… Continue reading Why Using a Chair Correctly is SO Difficult for Hypermobile Kids and Adults
Book Review By An OTR: Life, Disrupted; Getting Real About Chronic Illness in Your Twenties and Thirties
Although I work in pediatrics now, I spent the first 10 years of my career in adult ortho-neuro rehab. This means that I worked with many young adults facing issues from RA, MS, Lupus, spinal cord injuries, and more. They were just getting started with jobs, raising children, and making an adult life, but they…… Continue reading Book Review By An OTR: Life, Disrupted; Getting Real About Chronic Illness in Your Twenties and Thirties
Book Review From an OTR: Easy For You To Say Q and A’s for Teens Living with Chronic Illness or Disability
If you are a teen with JRA, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, MD, paraplegia, or any of the many conditions that create daily challenges in your life, you need to read this book. If you are the parent of a teen or tween with these medical conditions, you REALLY need to read this book. Dr. Miriam Kaufman wrote…… Continue reading Book Review From an OTR: Easy For You To Say Q and A’s for Teens Living with Chronic Illness or Disability