Here is your gentle reminder to “Get Outside and Play!“ For over 25 years, I’ve practiced as a pediatric occupational therapist and been a homeschool mom. In recent years, I’ve been living the dream! I no longer work in a clinic or school; instead, I’ve taken my therapy services to people’s backyards around my home...
Summertime is winding down, and we’re squeezing in our last-minute trips. This time of year can be magical, and we want to make sure it’s the best yet. Our sensory-sensitive kiddos are a bit more prone to getting overwhelmed with new situations. What are you going to do to ensure they aren’t sensory overwhelmed during...
Being purely right handed is the “norm”. Being left handed is less the norm, but often comes with "laterality dominance". “Pure” ambidexterity is even less common. Either way you look at it, being left handed lends to certain challenges. Here are some tricks to help!
Many kids with a diagnosis of Motor-Based Dysgraphia struggle with the fine motor aspect of writing. This condition often causes their hands to hurt when they write or leads to an unusual pencil grasp. Their fingers may lack the fine muscle movements needed to form smooth, fluid letters, which in turn slows down the writing...
Summer is a great time for children to engage in fun activities that both entertain and work on important skills needed for development. Fine motor skills in particular are an important part of everyday life and can be worked on through a variety of fun activities. Fine motor skills involve the coordination of small muscles...
How Summer Break Impacts Autistic Kids: Tips for Smooth Transitions It’s Summer! As we count down the final days of the school year and get ready for summer break, it is important to consider what summer break can mean for families of children with Autism. It is a very exciting time, with warmer weather, sleeping...
An important early fine motor milestone that children develop is the ability to feed themselves with utensils. Toddlers typically start using a spoon for eating between the ages of 10-12 months (CDC). A child will continue to develop towards increasingly effective use of a wide variety of eating utensils for self feeding as they get...
What is Reciprocal Play? Reciprocal play occurs when your child is engaged with another person and participating in some kind of back and forth action or exchange. A classic example of this is peek-a-boo! When your child covers their face and then pops out, you reciprocate with a surprised face and “peek-a-boo”! You initiate the...
Fall is here! When providing your child with developmentally appropriate activities, utilizing the natural materials around you is a great way to foster a love of nature and keep costs down. Fall leaves you find in your neighborhood are a great material with a variety of different uses. Here are some fun ideas for using...
Alma is an energetic and happy three year old who has just started preschool. Her teachers have noticed that she gets agitated when the classroom is noisy or another child touches her unexpectedly, which is impacting her participation in many group activities. Alma seems to be over-responsive to some types of sensory input. So what...
