Handwriting is a skill that powers the development of language and literacy, as well as math skills. This is an important early foundation skill. Keyboarding does not replace writing at any age. If you doubt me, gather up all your pencils and pens for a day or two. See what happens. If they are truthful,…… Continue reading Homeschooling? Make Learning to Write Easy for Everyone
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End Toddler Biting Using Clear But Compassionate Messaging
I couldn’t resist it. Nip. Biting. Bud. But toddler biting is no joke. According to one of my clients, a child can be asked to leave preschool or daycare if they are a repeat offender. The problems that lead to biting are easy to see, the solutions are not. Here are my explanations for why toddlers bite,…… Continue reading End Toddler Biting Using Clear But Compassionate Messaging
Why “Go The F**K to Sleep” Resonates With Parents of Special Needs Toddlers
I have been asked to teach a short class on sleep and special needs kids this spring, so of course this funny little book came to mind. Truthfully, when I heard of it, I laughed out loud. But bedtime struggles are not fun when you are in the middle of a tantrum at 11…… Continue reading Why “Go The F**K to Sleep” Resonates With Parents of Special Needs Toddlers
Why Do You Start (Uppercase) Letters at the Top? Speed and Accuracy
Another week, another second-grader showing me how he writes uppercase letters starting on the baseline. You don’t have to use Handwriting Without Tears to use correct start and sequencing of strokes; no standard letter style starts uppercase letters on the baseline. For a reason. It is harder to achieve good control of your fingers in…… Continue reading Why Do You Start (Uppercase) Letters at the Top? Speed and Accuracy
Baby Wearing For Better Infant Sleep
Most parents use carriers/wraps for two reasons: practical and personal. But did you know that wearing your baby can also help your newborn sleep better? Being able to carry your baby allows you to have both hands available. Baby wearing is an intimate connection that parents usually enjoy. Babies feel their parent’s heartbeat and listen…… Continue reading Baby Wearing For Better Infant Sleep
Too Fussy to Breastfeed? It May Not Be Latching-On Issues
Latch-on is a big deal when you nurse. Getting a newborn to achieve that solid seal and then synchronize the suck-swallow-breathe rhythm is essential. When I was a younger occupational therapist, I was all about the mechanics of achieving oral control and teaching that rhythm. Some babies have medical issues that make it harder, but…… Continue reading Too Fussy to Breastfeed? It May Not Be Latching-On Issues
Will Swaddling Affect Newborn Sleep?
The short answer? It almost always gives them a slightly longer sleep cycle. The longer answer: many babies need more than a good swaddle to add that extra hour or so to their sleep cycle. Interestingly enough, research and the American Academy of Pediatrics have suggested that swaddling makes a newborn’s sleep lighter. Lighter isn’t…… Continue reading Will Swaddling Affect Newborn Sleep?
Get Your Toddler And Preschooler To Sleep Faster When You Use Happiest Toddler Techniques at Bedtime
The Happiest Toddler on the Block has a unique perspective to bedtime sleep training: it starts right after breakfast. One of the cornerstones of THTOTB is Patience Stretching. In my post Stretch Your Toddler’s Patience, Starting Today! I wrote about Dr. Harvey Karp’s fabulous technique, and how parents have to use a little creativity and…… Continue reading Get Your Toddler And Preschooler To Sleep Faster When You Use Happiest Toddler Techniques at Bedtime
Improve Transitioning Skills in ASD By Helping Kids Pay Attention To The Sounds Around Them
Kids with ASD often have limited auditory awareness and processing. Imagine your life if you struggled with this: Should I pay attention to the hum of the fan or your voice? That ringing; is it a doorbell, a toy, or a phone? I didn’t notice you speaking to me, and now you tell me that…… Continue reading Improve Transitioning Skills in ASD By Helping Kids Pay Attention To The Sounds Around Them
Teach Yoga Breathing To Calm Toddler Frustration
Toddlers live lives filled with drama, but can they really learn to do deep breathing to calm down? Yes, but you have to spin in so they can understand what to do and when to do it. You will have to demonstrate it and show that you do it too. Will you have to remind…… Continue reading Teach Yoga Breathing To Calm Toddler Frustration
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
Baby Nursing For Only a Few Minutes Then Fussy? Use the 5 S’s to Settle And Focus your Newborn To Feed, Not Just to Sleep
I was wandering around baby blogs (I always like to see what other writers are saying!) and stumbled onto a sleep consultant’s post about the “cluster feeding” pattern. These babies nurse/feed briefly then become fussy without a good reason (diaper change, illness of some kind, lack of sleep), and get hungry soon afterward. These newborns…… Continue reading Baby Nursing For Only a Few Minutes Then Fussy? Use the 5 S’s to Settle And Focus your Newborn To Feed, Not Just to Sleep
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
Self-Regulation in Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder: Boost Skills By Creating Routines and Limits
Occupational therapists are routinely asked to help young children that have poor self-regulation or modulation skills. What do difficulties regulating alertness and arousal look like in a very little person? Big shifts in excitement/agitation over seemingly minor events, sleep that isn’t very deep or very long for their age, and difficulty switching between locations/activities. Often…… Continue reading Self-Regulation in Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder: Boost Skills By Creating Routines and Limits
Are Babies Addicted to White Noise? Yes….and No
White noise helps colicky newborns calm and sleep. It can help newborns develop essential self-calming skills in the first 3 months of life. It can help older babies tolerate teething and their first colds. It can even help babies transition to a shared bedroom with a toddler sibling. The magic of white noise is not…… Continue reading Are Babies Addicted to White Noise? Yes….and No
When Kids Climb Into Mom’s Bed at Night
I recently chatted with a single mom who works long hours. Her 5 year-old wakes in the middle of the night and climbs into her bed. She wanted some suggestions and some reassurance that the “snuggle time” they got (and the loss of sleep for both of them) wasn’t a bad idea. Her son’s behavior…… Continue reading When Kids Climb Into Mom’s Bed at Night
Why Low Muscle Tone Affects Pencil Grasp
Low muscle tone can cause a child to struggle with holding crayons and pencils. Those little fingers wrap around them, fold over them and sometimes ball up into a fist to hold a pencil. How a child holds a pencil does not automatically mean that his handwriting will be illegible, but it almost always makes…… Continue reading Why Low Muscle Tone Affects Pencil Grasp
Teaching Handwriting In Three Simple Stages
Parents and teachers are consistently surprised that there is a natural developmental progression in between scribbling and being a completely independent writer. Knowing the three stages of handwriting makes any writing lesson less frustrating for teachers as well as kids. Building skills rather than doing drills just works better! Stage One: An adult demonstrates how…… Continue reading Teaching Handwriting In Three Simple Stages
Good Posture: Is it Vestibular or Proprioceptive?
These two senses that baffle parents when kids with sensory processing issues struggle with posture and efficient, safe movement can often be confused. They are not the same, but they can both affect postural control. Here is my attempt to make things a bit clearer on this foggy morning in NY. Proprioception (and it’s close…… Continue reading Good Posture: Is it Vestibular or Proprioceptive?
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