20 Summer FUN Ideas (OT Approved!)
SUMMER is here! Most families look forward to summer’s relaxation and lazy days. However, the lack of routine and structure can evoke great stress for families of children with special needs. School routines are predictable and provide consistency and the transition to summer may be a difficult one. In addition, the skills your child […]
5 Tips to Help With Dyscalculia
Many children struggle with difficulties in writing and math. When a child is smart and has a high IQ, struggling with something that comes so simply for other students in the class often leads to anxiety and low self-esteem. As with most learning disorders or learning disabilities, symptoms emerge at different times and each child […]
What is Interoception?
Interoception is known as the eighth sense. What is it and how does it affect the occupation of kids? Here’s a section from an article in Frontiers of Psychology: “While interoception is a term that has gained and still is gaining popularity in the academic literature since the start of the millennium, consensus on its […]
Book Report Alternatives for Kids with Learning Disorders
Writing book reports can be challenging for some students with dyslexia and other disabilities involving writing and language. As long as your children or students reach the objectives you expect them to achieve after reading a book, why not allow them to demonstrate their learning with these book report alternatives? Try a few of these […]
7 Tips for Children Who FEAR Loud Noises
Imagine the sound of your mother’s voice….. What memories, thoughts, emotions does that bring up? How about the sound of popping popcorn? Does that make you think of movies, circus, carnival? Think of the sound of nails on a chalkboard. How about the sound of a bee buzzing near your head? Each sound evokes feelings within […]
5 Questions from My School-Based OT Conferences
OT friends, you know how much I love traveling across our beautiful country delivering conferences to fellow therapists. Last week, I traversed to Albuquerque, NM, and Denver, CO. I can not begin to put the beauty of NM into words. The Sandia Mountains towered in a spectacular fashion and left me in awe. Denver, was […]
Valentine Perler Bead Craft
I love crafts that help to build fine motor skills. This is an awesome activity that really builds skills such as following directions, strengthening hand muscles, and works on visual perception. Supplies Red, pink and white Perler beads Square plastic Perler bead pegboard Perler bead ironing paper Perler bead tweezers White card stock Pink and […]
5 Tips to Build Kids’ Working Memory
Working Memory: Executive Function Skill Executive function difficulties commonly come along with (are co-morbid with) many disorders. What are executive function skills……Check out our earlier blog post here for 5 quick facts. Children who have been diagnosed with: ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, sensory, auditory, among many others experience dysfunction in working memory. What IS this […]
5 New Year Resolution Ideas for Kids
Wow, the power of a visual is never more influential than watching the year change. If you’re in the US, you may watch a ball drop on the larger than life 2020 display in Times Square. The feelings are powerful as the end of a chapter in our lives ends and refreshes as the page […]
Sounds & Emotions – Sensory Processing Tips
Sounds and Feelings Imagine the sound of your mother’s voice. What memories/emotions does the sound of popping popcorn bring? Think of the sound of nails on a chalkboard. How about the sound of a bee buzzing near your head? Each sound evokes feelings within us. Sounds are more than just noise. Human beings make sense […]