Holidays are great times to have your child participate in novel fine motor and sensory activities. Here are some fun Fourth of July crafts and activities to do this summer with your kids, while getting an extra bonus with some OT-themed activities! For Younger Children: Popsicle Stick Flag – great fine motor activity! Glue 7-8…
For some children, standing on one foot can be challenging – especially if they’ve struggled with motor control, coordination, or strength in the past. If your child relies on handrails for going up or down the stairs, sits down on the floor to put on their shoes, or fall or lose their balance often, then…
Teachers often recommend pencil grips as a way to support your child’s grasp and handwriting. That sounds like an easy fix, right? There may be more to the story though. We, as occupational therapists, evaluate the factors that are impacting a child’s ability to grip a pencil and write. Additional factors involved in hand writing…
Does your 2-year-old have frequent, intense tantrums that seem to last longer than other kids his/her age? Does he/she have a hard time playing with new toys? Does your 2-year-old struggle to participate in daily activities or self-care tasks, such as feeding him/her self and dressing? If you answered yes to any of the above,…
An important technique to help enhance your child’s language skills is known as “Parallel Talk.” Many parents and caregivers naturally use this type of technique during their daily routines and activities with their child without even knowing it! What is Parallel Talk and what does it do? Parallel talk is a technique used to narrate…
Do you have a child that could possibly fall into the category as an “open mouth breather?” If your child’s lips are constantly apart and their mouth appears open at rest, they are considered to be open mouth breathers or have habitual open mouth posture. Here are some reasons as to why your child may…
Does your child label objects and point to get what they want? Maybe your child produces a variety of single words, but is not yet combining words? Expansion is a simple language enhancement technique to help your child’s communication skills take off. Reinforcement and Exposure Expansion involves repeating what a child has said and adding…
Waiting! We ask our children to do this all day long, but are we just as much of the culprits of showing impatience, or speaking too soon? Waiting is an incredible tool to use with children whom you would like to encourage more verbalizations, signs and just overall communication. Their little brains are growing, exploring,…
The moment you become a parent; every day is filled with learning experiences. My name is Emmanuel and being the father of a son with Autism makes the everyday roadblocks and life lessons a little more challenging, but not impossible. When our son, Ezra was born there was no road map, operation manual, or Lego…
