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 more than they know. If you…… Continue reading Why Using a Chair Correctly is SO Difficult for Hypermobile Kids and Adults
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Like The Cube Chair? Here Is a Table and Chairs Set For Younger Toddlers!
My post on the classic Cube Chair The Cube Chair: Your Special Needs Toddler’s New Favorite Seat! has been popular, but it isn’t always a great choice for the smaller toddler that was a preemie (they tend to stay smaller in size). So…enter the next choice for toddlers that need some back support and need…… Continue reading Like The Cube Chair? Here Is a Table and Chairs Set For Younger Toddlers!
Why A Circular Scribble ISN’T a Circle
I spend a lot of time in telehealth with toddlers and young preschoolers doing pre-writing. It requires few tools, it is easy to demonstrate, and it is fun. But when parents tell their two year-old that they drew a circle after they scribbled in a circular pattern, I stop them. Why? After all, copying a…… Continue reading Why A Circular Scribble ISN’T a Circle
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
Should You Use White Noise With Toddlers?
I teach The Happiest Baby on the Block techniques to calm newborns because it is based in science. The science of neurology and early development. But babies grow. The 5 S’s, used all together, really don’t work much past 12 weeks of age. Nobody is swaddling a 6-month old, or jiggling an 8-month old. But…… Continue reading Should You Use White Noise With Toddlers?
The Three Stages of Color Recognition in Toddlers and Preschoolers
Although this is not officially an OT issue, I regularly field questions about when and how to teach color recognition to young children. Like many of my other posts, I am writing this one so that I have something I can send parents; they can read about the concepts we discuss. There is so much…… Continue reading The Three Stages of Color Recognition in Toddlers and Preschoolers
How The Pandemic is Affecting A Toddler’s Learning
The New York Times ran a ridiculous piece today about the effects of the pandemic on early learning. It had quotes from staff at programs for music class about the amazing motor and cognitive benefits of clapping in time to a song and imitating animal sounds. It had quotes from parents in wealthy NY suburbs,…… Continue reading How The Pandemic is Affecting A Toddler’s Learning
Help Your Toddler Prepare to Write
Ian, Lila, and Tom aren’t writing. They are drawing! Contrary to the ideas of some preschool teachers, most three year olds don’t write their names. In truth, most young fours don’t either. I refuse to count the kids who “draw” their names like the photo above. That isn’t writing. That is drawing, the same as…… Continue reading Help Your Toddler Prepare to Write
Remote Learning Strategies for Special Needs Students
Remote learning isn’t easy. Helping a special needs student navigate it isn’t easy either. Here are some strategies to improve outcomes and reduce everyone’s stress about it: If your child’s OT has created a sensory diet for them, this is the time to use it. A sensory diet is a series of activities and actions…… Continue reading Remote Learning Strategies for Special Needs Students
Why Your Kid Still Needs To Be Able to Write With A Pencil
I just watched a Google tech guy try to explain why digital education is so great. Maybe it is, for older kids and college students, and kids in rural parts of the world. But for the youngest children, and for kids with special needs of all types, digital instruction has proven to be lacking in…… Continue reading Why Your Kid Still Needs To Be Able to Write With A Pencil
How To Remember to Do A Sensory Diet With Your Child
A “sensory diet” is the cornerstone of managing a child’s sensory processing issues. Every therapist knows that without a good home program that only addressing a child’s needs in a session, we aren’t going to see much progress. Treatment sessions are spent half playing catch-up: trying to increase postural activation, calming them down, or waking…… Continue reading How To Remember to Do A Sensory Diet With Your Child
Why Joint Protection Solutions for Hypermobility Aren’t Your Granny’s Joint Protection Strategies
I spent almost 10 years working in adult rehab before I transitioned to pediatrics. I still teach joint protection, but I teach it differently to hypermobile kids and their parents. Kids rarely have JRA, or joint damage in general. What they have in spades are serious degrees of hypermobility. And the methods to use joint…… Continue reading Why Joint Protection Solutions for Hypermobility Aren’t Your Granny’s Joint Protection Strategies
Got a Whining Child Under 5? Here Is Why They Whine, And What To Do About It
A lot of my youngest clients have started to whine. That cute toddler has turned into a whiny young preschooler. The pandemic isn’t helping them avoid it, or help their stressed parents handle it. But I can help both parties. I cannot make these kids grow up any faster, but understanding many of the reasons…… Continue reading Got a Whining Child Under 5? Here Is Why They Whine, And What To Do About It
How To Respond to Your Child’s Aggressive or Defiant Acts To Get Results That Last
Throwing toys. Screaming “NO!!!!!” Dumping a plate of food on the floor while they look right at you in defiance. Kids can go from cute to aggressive in the blink of an eye. Is it annoying? Sure. Is it dangerous? Not all the time. Should you completely ignore it? Not unless you’d like to see…… Continue reading How To Respond to Your Child’s Aggressive or Defiant Acts To Get Results That Last
Teach Kids How to Cut With Scissors…The Easy Way
As a pediatric occupational therapist, scissor use is something I assess but also something I teach. And I teach it early. I also teach safety early, and teach it with a focus on early success. What makes it easier to teach children to cut with scissors? Good timing. Typically-developing children have the visual-motor skills to…… Continue reading Teach Kids How to Cut With Scissors…The Easy Way
Toilet Training? Your Child Needs the Right Shorts!
In my first e-book, The Practical Guide to Toilet Training Your Child With Low Muscle Tone, I wrote almost a full chapter just on clothing management. If your child needs you to pull clothing on and off, they are NOT fully trained. And if they have clothes that make it impossible for them to…… Continue reading Toilet Training? Your Child Needs the Right Shorts!
Helping Children With Low Muscle Tone Manage Summertime Heat
I write a version of this post every summer. This is because no other OTs are helping parents figure out why their little flowers are wilting. Puzzled parents ask me about their child’s sometimes dramatic reactions to playing outside in the heat. Kids are melting like popsicles, tripping and whining. Time to explain the way…… Continue reading Helping Children With Low Muscle Tone Manage Summertime Heat
Try “Rainbow Tracing” to Build Pre-Writing Skills With Creativity
I am not a huge fan of teaching preschool children to trace strokes. I am very interested in the use of simple drawing to build pencil control and other pre-writing skills. But done right, tracing can be fun and useful for both the child and the adult. Here is one way to use tracing effectively:…… Continue reading Try “Rainbow Tracing” to Build Pre-Writing Skills With Creativity
Should You Use Pre-Mixed Dough to Bake With Your Toddler?
OK; this is a trick question. Using prepared dough is one of the easiest ways to introduce very young children (or special needs kids of any age that are functioning at the 18-36 month level) to food preparation. With the right mindset, it is the beginning of a wonderful way to share practical skills, build…… Continue reading Should You Use Pre-Mixed Dough to Bake With Your Toddler?