Primitive Reflexes

By Francesca Reurreccion PT, DPT Do you feel as if your child has challenges with: Balance Handwriting hand-eye coordination Focusing in class Reading & writing Anxiety/emotional regulation Spatial awareness Fidgeting This could be due to retained primitive reflexes. This is not an extensive list; however, these are the common signs and symptoms of retained primitive […]

Leap of Progress: Teaching Your Child to Jump

By Nicole Crisan PT, DPT Jumping is a higher-level gross motor skill that typically develops between 2-3 years old. It takes strength, balance, coordination, and motor control to jump with two feet. This article will help break down the different phases of jumping as well as different activities that you can incorporate during play with […]

The Importance of Crawling

The Importance of Crawling

By Nicole Crisan, PT, DPT Does your child need to crawl? Crawling serves as an important step for independent mobility. This skill typically emerges between 7-10 months of age. Crawling works on various aspects of development such as strengthening, bilateral coordination, motor planning, sensory integration, spatial awareness, and cognitive development. The skills learned by crawling […]

Toe Walking in Children: Insights from a Pediatric Physical Therapist

By Francesca Resurreccion PT, DPT What is Toe Walking? Toe walking is exactly what it sounds like: walking on the toes with minimal or no contact with the ground by the heel. While it’s common for infants and toddlers to toe walk occasionally during early exploration of movement patterns, most children transition to a heel-to-toe […]

Springtime Mindfulness

By Erica Gliga, MOT, OTR/L Springtime is just around the corner and this blog post is all about getting outside, enjoying mindful moments with your littles in nature, and engaging different sensory systems. Nature is filled with so many wonderful sensory experiences and time spent outside can support emotional regulation, for both adults and children. […]

Growing Language through Gardening

By Madison Gwizdalski MS, CCC-SLP With Spring around the corner, we are looking for ways to get outside and help our children learn! One of our favorite ways to help our kiddos learn and practice new skills is through gardening – here’s why: The world of gardening exposes children to a whole new world of […]

What is Motor Planning? 

By: Christine Hemelians, MSOT, OTR/L Most families that seek services are familiar with the terms fine and gross motor skills, or delayed receptive and expressive communication skills. However, fewer people understand motor planning and why it’s important.  Motor planning is defined as “the ability to conceive, plan, and carry out a skilled, non-habitual motor act […]

Gross motor skills: Jumping!

By Deborah Lee MS, OTR/L “When should my child start jumping?” is one of the common questions asked by parents. All the more, when parents see their child’s peers jumping up and down, they cannot help but to compare and become concerned. According the research, children should be able to learn how to jump between […]

What’s heavy work and why does your therapist keep recommending it?

By Christine Hemelians, MSOT. OTR/L Heavy work is a commonly recommended sensory activity that occupational therapists oftentimes suggest to the families that they work with. Occupational therapists use heavy work activities for children that struggle with sensory processing issues. Heavy work refers to any activity that activates our proprioceptors. So what does this mean? Proprioceptors […]

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 […]