What is Stuttering?
By Madison Gwizdalski MS-CCC, SLP All of us experience moments of disfluency in our speech. Do you remember a time when you felt stuck or stuttered on a word you were trying to say? Children especially experience these moments as they are learning to speak… but when does normal disfluency cross over into a reason […]
Brand new and state-of-the-art sensory gym at Uplift Therapy Center
The brand new and state-of-the-art sensory gym at Uplift Therapy Center will be opening this summer. We will provide occupational therapy and speech therapy services to the pediatric population at our clinic located in La Cañada. Why a sensory gym? When parents see a sensory gym, they may think it is a really cool playroom […]
Calming Strategies for Sensory Overload
By Anahit Grigoryan, OTR/L Sensory overload is what happens when you get more input from all of your senses than your brain can process. It is overstimulation that does not feel manageable. When a child experiences sensory overload, they may become very irritable, have difficulty focusing, feel restlessness and discomfort, become overly excited, show stress, […]
Building play and social skills
By Deborah Lee MS, OTR/L Play is a child’s main and most important occupation. Through play, children progressively develop skills within various domains such as their overall physical (gross and fine motor), social-emotional, and of course their communication (receptive and expressive language) skills. Play can also be a contributing factor towards an increase in children’s […]
Communication Temptation
By Deanna Sargsyan MS, CF-SLP As a parent, you are your child’s interpreter. You know when they’re hungry, when they want to take a nap, or when they want their favorite toy. But let’s take a step back for one minute. If we were to hand our child their favorite toy before tucking them in […]
Fun Games for Fine Motor Skills!
By Anahit Grigoryan, OTR/L What are fine motor skills? Fine motor skills involve the small muscles of the hands, wrists, and fingers. Children need to develop fine motor skills to be able to complete everyday activities such as brushing their teeth self-feeding writing/drawing getting dressed tying shoelaces typing on a keyboard Children begin to develop […]
Promoting Utensil Use Through Play
As occupational therapists (OT’s), one of the many areas that we target during intervention is promoting and enhancing self-care/ adaptive skills. Mealtime success can be challenging for children that struggle with decreased fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination skills, poor body awareness, difficulty with seated posture and positioning, and decreased bimanual skills (ability to use two […]
Brushing teeth with Sensory Processing Disorder
By Deborah Lee OTR/L It is common for children with sensory processing disorder (SPD) to resist tooth-brushing activity day and night and as a result, many parents feel helpless. Aside from having to brush their teeth, some children may even resist putting things into their mouth such as food or anything with texture due to […]
Autism: Preconceived Notions vs. Truth
By Madison Gwizdalski MS-CCC, SLP In 2021, the CDC reported that approximately 1 in 44 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to 2018 data. This data indicated that most children were still being diagnosed after age 4, but that autism could be reliably diagnosed around age 2! You might […]
Oral Sensory Seeking Behavior
By: Madison Gwizdalski MS, CCC-SLP If your child constantly chews on their shirt, bites their nails, or craves crunchy snacks, you’re not alone. Many children engage in these behaviors as a natural part of their development due to a need for oral sensory input. While it can be puzzling for parents, understanding this behavior is […]