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 […]
Children Were Born Leaders!
By Angela Kurdzhukyan, OTR/L As parents, teachers, and caregivers we are often under the impression that we must always guide children. We tell them what they should be doing, how they should be doing it, and try to create strict rules to follow. Although these techniques can be useful for setting boundaries and preparing children […]
Oral Motor Skills
By Deborah Lee OTR/L Does your child appear to have difficulties with feeding skills such as chewing their solid foods thoroughly or closing their lips securely when trying to utilize a straw? If you do notice these difficulties, there is a high possibility that your child is presenting with oral motor delays due to several […]
Does my Child have Speech and Language Difficulties?
One of the most common questions we get as speech therapists is… “is my child normal?” Between the internet, social media, and talking amongst your friends, it can be difficult to filter out exactly what your child should be doing and when they should be doing it. Introduction: Understanding Speech Delays and Disorders Let’s chat […]
Importance of Carry-Over of Skills
By Deborah Lee MS, OTR/L Every therapist strives to educate parents, caregivers, and/or teachers of the skills being addressed during their sessions to promote long-term independence for your child’s speech, play, handwriting, self-care, or even feeding skills. Carry-over of skills basically means transferring of skills that your child learns during their session into other settings, […]
Benefit of Outdoor Play
By Ani Oganesyan OTR/L Outdoor play is an important occupation for many of our children. Children in general are very active and could benefit from outdoor play. Nowadays children are spending less time outdoors, and it’s affecting their overall development. Instead, children are indoors more often, spending an increased amount of time behind screens (television, […]
Benefits of Sensory Bins
By Ani Oganesyan OTR/L Sensory bins provide an opportunity for hands-on tactile play while engaging the senses. They can stimulate a child’s senses, create new sensory experiences, help calm a child, and even engage a child in play. Sensory bins are large containers filled with materials and objects, which promote various developmental skills in a […]
Benefits of Nursery Rhymes
Deanna Sargsyan SLP, CF Ever wonder why children tend to pick up on singing nursery rhymes so easily? Or have you noticed that your child begs you to turn on Cocomelon songs? Maybe they love listening to the same songs over and over again? Nursery rhymes and songs have a powerful impact when it comes […]
Bedtime Battles
By Deborah Lee MS, OTR/L When a child is fighting his or her sleep constantly, not only is their overall quality of life being impacted but also their parents’. A good night sleep is extremely important as it can positively affect one’s overall mood, task efficiency, and joint attention skills for the following day. And […]
Brain Breaks
By Ani Oganesyan OTR/L What are brain breaks and why are they so important to an individual’s learning? A brain break is a short, planned break from instructional teaching. It can consist of any activity different than the work time task itself. During this break, an individual has the opportunity to reset and refresh their […]