Snowman Craft
What better way to prep for the holidays than by sitting down and doing a craft together as a family? This craft is not only adorable, it also targets some key fine motor skills! Enjoy this fun winter or Christmas craft with your family this weekend.
Fun Christmas Activities for Your Kids
Christmas time is coming up fast, and keeping the kids busy can be exhausting for many parents. The ideas listed below are very easy things to do to keep your kids busy and occupied while having fun; all the while, we parents can get what needs to be done, done. Of course, feel free to join your child in these activities. They will love it, or set them up and let them go!
Sensory Processing Around the Holidays
Christmas is a time of joy, family, friends, presents, beautiful lights, decorations, crafts, holiday gatherings, and more! However, this season can be challenging if your child struggles with sensory processing. Taking time to prepare for an accommodate these sensory issues can make the holidays for enjoyable for both you and your child. Keep reading to discover how to help your child have the best Christmas!
Christmas Gift Guide
Christmas is around the corner and gift buying for your little ones can be tricky.Instead of asking yourself “What do I get my kid” this year, let me help you! I put together a list of my favorite toys as a speech language pathologist that can promote language with your help of course. On the list I put together, you will notice a theme of hardly any electronic toys! This is important. Children need social interactions with others and not with their toys to build their language skills. Being present and playing with these toys with your child is super important.
Utilizing Sensory Books for Feeding Therapy
Feeding therapy has many pieces to it. Occupational therapists deal with the sensory component of feeding therapy, while a speech language pathologist will look at the oral-motor component. Feeding is an important occupation in the daily lives of children, and thus it is important for OTs to work on a child’s self-feeding and food acceptance.
What is Feeding Therapy?
Feeding therapy is a type of intervention to help children who are struggling eaters. Feeding therapy is often directed by a team of an occupational therapist and a speech therapist who have undergone the specific training. It addresses the sensory and oral motor parts of eating that may affect how a child consumes food.
Effectiveness of Art Interventions for Children with ASD
Art interventions are effective for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Creative arts interventions target behavioral, sensory processing, communication, and social skills.
Art for Children with Autism: Help Build Your Child’s Creativity
Art and creativity are not only a way for your child to play, but it allows for crucial cognitive growth opportunities and provides many benefits. Keep reading to learn more about art's benefits and some art activity ideas!
Evidence-Based OT Interventions for Fine Motor Skills
The American Journal of Occupational Therapy released a study to show that common occupational therapy interventions effectively address fine motor problems and define the most common interventions used. The multisensory and motor development approaches were the most common and effective interventions.
Home Activities That Benefit Your Child’s Fine Motor Development
Fine motor skills are an essential part of your child’s daily life. They allow your child to interact freely with the world around them. The best way to help your child develop fine motor skills is through play! The activities on this list are great to incorporate into a play session to help develop fine motor skills.
Handwriting Interventions for Occupational Therapists
The American Journal of Occupational Therapy published “Interventions Within the Scope of Occupational Therapy to Improve Children’s Academic Participation: A Systematic Review.” This systematic review looked at OT interventions to improve components, including educational participation, literacy participation, and handwriting. Since occupational therapy interventions often target handwriting, it is crucial to use evidence-based and best-practice interventions.
What Does Occupational Therapy Have to Do with Handwriting?
Handwriting is a daily occupation for most, involving a series of fine motor and even some gross motor skills. This makes handwriting an area of expertise for occupational therapists. Writing builds on each other or, in other words, is a progressive skill. Basic shapes, like lines, circles, and crosses, make up the alphabet. As your young child begins to doodle, their scribbles eventually become more refined until they build the fine motor skills that are required to learn how to write letters.
Sensory Play and Sensory Bins
We’ve talked a bit about sensory regulation, how it works, and why it is essential. So, how can you expose your child to different sensory experiences and stimuli? Through sensory play! Sensory bins are a great activity for your child to participate in sensory play.
Sensory Regulation Explained
What is sensory regulation? It might be a term that you hear your child’s therapist use often. In simple terms, sensory regulation is how our body processes and regulates all the different sensory stimuli it encounters. Our body is constantly taking in different sensations both outside and inside our body, and our body needs to regulate how it reacts to those other sensations.
The Family Ecosystem and its Influence On Sensory Sensitivity
Sensory integration and sensory processing disorders are commonly addressed in occupational therapy. Sensory disorders can vary from over-responsive, under-responsive, or sensory seeking. This can lead to trouble with motor skills and coordination, behaviors, and relationships, and overall prevent the child from being able to participate in their lives actively.
Occupational Therapy for Sensory Integration
Occupational therapy can help with sensory sensitivities or trouble processing different sensory inputs. This is also known as sensory integration. Although everyone reacts differently to different sensory inputs, sometimes these sensations can be overwhelming to the point that it affects a child’s ability to participate in their daily activities, and this is where an occupational therapist may be able to help.
Incorporating Assistive Technology in Occupational Therapy
Assistive technology (AT) is anything that helps a person function in their daily lives. Perhaps technology isn’t immediately associated with occupational therapy, but it is in fact a core part of helping people, both young and old, live their most functional lives.
What is Assistive Technology and How Can You Use It?
Assistive technology (AT) is anything that helps a person function in their daily lives. Perhaps technology isn’t immediately associated with therapies such as occupational, physical, and speech therapy, but it is in fact a core part of helping people, both young and old, live their most functional lives.
Executive Function Deficits in Children and Why It’s Crucial to Treat Them
Executive functions (EFs) are cognitive skills that allow for self-regulation, attention, problem-solving, working memory, multitasking, planning (including motor planning), flexible thinking, and time management. It’s all the skills used daily to be able to complete tasks. When executive functioning is impaired or isn’t implicitly learned, it has to be explicitly taught, otherwise, daily occupations can become difficult to complete.
What is Executive Functioning?
Executive functions (EFs) are all the cognitive, or brain, skills used to complete a task. This can range from things like problem-solving to organization. In simple terms, EFs are the functions we need to be able to properly manage life.