5 Ways to Get the Most Out of a Therapy Session

June 16th, 2009

Pediatric therapy sessions last for only a short period of time. A common frequency of pediatric therapy is visit per week for a 30 minute sessions. It is very difficult to make substantial change during 30 minutes. Therefore, during each therapy session, therapists should be offering carry over of skills to the classroom and home. Here are 5 ways to get the most out of a therapy session:

1. Teach strategies that are appropriate for the child’s level and the care giver’s level. Certain techniques require several teaching lessons for an adult care giver. In addition, once a technique is taught do not forget to review it in the future.

2. Children learn new skills through multiple practice sessions. Offer suggestions on how specific skills can be practiced over and over during the course of a regular day.

3. Provide visual directions and hand outs that offer more information on specific techniques or activities. This can provide predictability for the children and review for the adults.

4. Be very specific on your expectations and suggestions by setting realistic goals for the week until the next visit. Teachers and parents have other children that they are responsible for on a daily basis. Make sure the goals set are achievable. For example, “Johnny will practice putting his shoes on at least one time per day each day this week”.

5. Remember to allow children to be children. This might sound obvious but children enjoy playing and having fun. Boring tasks may result in non compliance or behavioural issues. Keep practice tasks fun and novel. Vary tasks when able and allow children to choose what activities to practice. Act like a child yourself and you may get better results. Follow the child’s lead. You may land up learning more than the child.

For simple activities to carry out throughout the day check out Therapeutic Activities for Home and School.

Posted in pediatric occupational therapy, pediatric physical therapy | 1 Comment »

Plan a Therapy Talent Show!

June 15th, 2009


Why not try something different for the end of this school year or for during the summer programming? Plan a therapy skills show. Students can exhibit the skills that they learned in therapy over the school year to teachers, classmates and parents. Maybe showcase how to use a new piece of assistive technology or adapted equipment. Perhaps a child would like to demonstrate how they learned to cut out objects, walk across the room or drive his/her wheelchair up a ramp. Each act can just be a few minutes long. This would be a great self esteem boost for the children to show off what they have learned.

If you are working at a school don’t forget all the important steps to plan an event.
1. Request permission from school administrators
2. Schedule a convenient time and reserve auditorium
3. Ask for volunteers to help the day of the show
4. Make flyers to invite teachers, students and parents
5. Create a program to pass out the day of the show

Don’t have time to plan a show? Have the children complete the following statement and hang their responses on a bulletin board or make a digital slide show of the results – “The most important skill I have learned in therapy is…..”. Schedule a time for the entire school to view the slide show to promote how therapy can help children.

Posted in pediatric occupational therapy, pediatric physical therapy | No Comments »

5 Fun Physical Activities to do for National Get Outdoors Day!

June 12th, 2009


Tomorrow is National Get Outdoors Day (June 13, 2009). Here are 5 fun activities to do with children outdoors.

1. Go to the playground - go visit a local playground and explore all
the climbing equipment, swings and slides. Supervise and assist
your child as necessary. Sometimes all a child needs is some
verbal reminders of how to use the equipment such as “try moving
your foot to the next ladder”. If your child is fearful of
movement, let him explore at his own pace. If your child has
decreased safety awareness, review all playground rules before
play and supervise closely.

2. Hit the pool or lake - Swimming is a wonderful fitness activity
for all levels. It is a great way to strengthen muscles and improve
overall endurance. Practice balance and jumping skills in the
water, it makes it fun if you do fall!

3. Take a hike - Go on an adventure in the woods. Look for hiking trails appropriate for children – level and smooth. Many trails that are handicap accessible are perfect walking trails for younger children. Create a list of things to look for on your hike such as three birds, one squirrel, turtle, yellow leaf, etc. See how many you can find.

4. Play games in the yard - Here are several fun games for the backyard:

Scavenger Hunt – ask your child to find three things in the yard such as brown leaf, green leaf and white rock and bring in back within one minute.

Green Hunt – cut up green construction paper into one inch by 8 inch strips. Hide the green paper strips in the grass. The child must find all the strips that you have
hidden.

Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles – practice blowing bubbles and chasing them. Blow bubbles, catch it on wand and child can clap or kick the bubble to pop it.

Sidewalk Chalk Games – Hopscotch is always a great physical activity to practice jumping, bilateral coordination and motor planning. Draw long, twisty lines with the
chalk and child can try to walk on line without stepping off.

Ball games – play catch with a different sized balls, beach balls or even better water balloons. Practice dribbling a ball with your feet – use a beach ball or balloon for easier control to start.

5. Go letterboxing - Visit www.letterboxing.org to read clues to hidden boxes near your home. Follow the directions to the hidden boxes (usually on hiking trails, in parks and on bike paths). Once you find the box, open it to find a stamp. Stamp the image in a small notebook and you sign into the log book. This is great fun for all ages!

REMEMBER – HAVE FUN AND BE SAFE!!!!!

Check out Sensory Motor Activities for the Summer.

Posted in children, gross motor skills, physical activity | No Comments »

Fine Motor, Gross Motor and Visual Perceptual Activity

June 11th, 2009

Here is a video of a fun outdoor activity idea, Create, Hide and Lace, that encourages fine motor, gross motor and visual perceptual skills. The children can create paper circles, hide them outdoors and run to lace them on the ribbon. Looking for more sensory motor ideas? Try these electronic books:

Motor Magic: Turn Fine Motor Skills into Gross Motor Skills
Get Up and Learn: Incorporating Movement with Learning
50 Sensory Motor Activities for Kids!
$ensory Motor Fun on a Budget

Posted in fine motor skills, gross motor skills, pediatric occupational therapy, pediatric physical therapy, visual perceptual skills | No Comments »

Self Regulation as a Predictor of Academic Abilities

June 10th, 2009

Self regulation is the ability of a person to tolerate sensations, situations and distress and form appropriate responses to that sensory input. Simply stated, it is the ability to control behavior. In children, self regulation matures just like other developmental processes. Children get older and learn to think before they act. Research continues to develop in this area of self regulation and how much it effects other aspects of development. A recent article in Developmental Psychology reports that self regulation in children is a predictor of academic abilities. The researchers used the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders Task (HTKS) to evaluate 343 kindergartners ability to self regulate. The HTKS task measures the ability to listen, remember instructions and follow motor commands. It does not measure emotional responses. Children with higher levels of self regulation in the beginning of the school year achieved higher scores in reading, vocabulary and math at the end of the school year. The researchers concluded that improving self regulation in children can improve academic achievement and behavioral responses.

Now, for any therapist, teacher or parent who has knowledge of sensory integration knows how much deficits in self regulation effect behaviours, social skills and motor responses. We need to continue to educate school staff on the importance of this skill be developed in all children. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten curriculum has changed it’s focus to reading, writing and math skills at an earlier age. There is not enough practice time to learn self regulation during these early formative years. Now it appears as if this hard core academic curriculum in the early years needs to slow down. This study provides significant evidence to support teaching self regulation skills.

Here are 5 simple tips to encourage self regulation in all children:
1. Therapists, teachers and parents should model good self regulation and self control. Use a calm tone in stressful situations. Model self control during disruptive classroom or home time.
2. Partner children who lack self regulation with children who exhibit better control to act as appropriate role models.
3. Play fun games that require children to wait for directions before they act (i.e. Simon Says).
4. Play fun games that require turn taking.
5. Keep activities structured and predictable.

Something to ponder for OT’s - Do you find that the majority of children with sensory modulation disorder exhibit deficits in all aspects of academic achievement? Does anyone know of any research on this topic? Would love to read it. Please comment.

References: Ponitz, Claire Cameron; McClelland, Megan M.; Matthews, J. S.; Morrison, Frederick J. A structured observation of behavioral self-regulation and its contribution to kindergarten outcomes. Developmental Psychology. Vol 45(3), May 2009, 605-619.

Oregon State University (2009, June 9). Self-regulation Game Predicts Kindergarten Achievement. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 9, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/06/090608162547.htm

Posted in pediatric occupational therapy, self regulation, sensory processing disorder | No Comments »

10 Simple Activities to Encourage Physical Activity in the Classroom

June 9th, 2009

Here is a great hand out to give to teachers to get students moving in the classroom. Just hit the print button!

Posted in ADHD, pediatric occupational therapy, pediatric physical therapy, sensory processing disorder | No Comments »

Free Communication on the Go

June 7th, 2009

Came across this website with free communication software downloads for smart phones and PDA’s (personal digital assistant) for autistic children. According to the website, it has been developed by a team of researchers and funded partially by Microsoft. It is meant to be used with young children or children with severe autism. You download the software of the picture images to your computer and it can then be transferred to a PDA or smart phone. Once on the PDA or Smart Phone the pictures can be moved around on the touch screen to create sentences. There are more than 400 picture cards that can be downloaded for home and school use. You can even upload your own photos. Another additional bonus, is that parents, teachers and therapists can track what symbols are being used to gather data on what is working. There is one catch though – the PDA or smart phone has to be able to run the Microsoft Mobile Windows operating system (therefore no Blackberries or Palm). Visit www.communication autism.com for more information and to get the free downloads.

Posted in autism, pediatric therapy | No Comments »

Family TV Watching and Autism

June 5th, 2009

I came across this article on TV watching and autism on Twitter from @cozycalm. Eileen Parker is owner of Cozy Calm Weighted Blanket Store. I really enjoyed reading this article because it is written from her own experiences (she has SPD, high functioning autism and OCD). Her blog offers interesting reading and helpful tips. She has given us permission to reprint her blog post here on this topic. In my opinion, this article offers some great suggestions for parents and therapists (to pass this info along). Thanks, Eileen Parker for your insight and helpful information.

Family TV Watching and Autism
By: Eileen Parker on May 8, 2009.

You can help your child with autism lower their stress level with some simple rules about family TV watching.

As a child and now an adult with autism and sensory processing disorder, I know that TV can be stressful to the point of jumping, tears, anger, confusion, and other reactions. As an adult, I have learned to contain some of my reaction in front of others, but children don’t necessarily have that regulation built in yet. Also, while watching TV, I will start to feel upset. I often don’t realize what is bothering me early on, but I have learned to identify my own signs.

When my hubby and his kids are talking and watching sports, I have to leave the room, close the door, and go away because my aggravation from the sound continues to elevate until it boils.

A child may not know that they can leave the room to a quieter place. A family member may even tell the child to stay in that room or the TV may be audible throughout the house, so the child has no escape from the sound. With the noises from the TV, the child’s irritability can climb all day.

Here are some TV rules that could make your child’s life much more relaxed:

1. No talking while the TV is on. More than one source of sound is not merely aggravating; it feels like a hurt in the brain.
2. Mute the commercials. The sudden jarring sound of a blasting commercial bashing into the ears can make your child jump, sweat, breathe fast, or make sounds.
3. If your TV has the capability, lower the treble. The higher register noises are more painful.
4. Put the TV in an enclosed room and close the door so your child does not have to hear it.
5. If you are not watching the TV, turn it off.
6. Have your child look away from the screen during commercials so the fast-moving visual stimuli don’t make it worse.
7. Turn the volume down.
8. Learn to make TV more bearable for your child by doing a brushing protocol first. Your child can also lie under a weighted blanket while watching TV.

Visit www.EileenParker.com to view her blog or go to www.CozyCalm.com to check out her weighted blankets.

Posted in autism, pediatric occupational therapy, sensory processing disorder | No Comments »

Can you name one simple activity that encourages 6 developmental skills?

June 3rd, 2009


The answer is…MUSIC! Most children love to listen and dance to music. Music and dance are a great avenue to promote motor skills, listening skills and sensory processing skills. There are few movement activities that incorporate all of the 7 senses with minimal to no preparation. Therapists, parents and teachers love how easy it is to carry out simple movements to music using interactive songs. All the adult has to do is simply turn the therapeutic music on and the fun begins. This type of fun encourages:
1. Sensory Processing Skills - Children have to use their auditory sense to listen to the directions. Children model other children in the room therefore using their visual sense. The proprioceptive and vestibular system are activated while jumping and spinning. Don’t forget the tactile sense – touching hands to knees, dancing in bare feet, etc.
2. Motor Learning - Children learn gross motor skills through practice. Through the use of interactive songs, the children have opportunities to listen, follow directions and move over and over again.
3. Socialization - Children are able to play together while dancing to the music.
4. Learning - Children can learn how to follow multiple step directions.
5. Motivation - Music is motivating and fun!
6. Positive behavior - Interactive songs usually have structure and a routine. Children are able to know what to expect.

Therefore, here is one activity that covers many developmental areas all by just pressing the play button. It does not get any easier than that!

We have a nice selection of interactive songs available at Your Therapy Source.

Tuned Into Learning has created music with simplified song lyrics, simplified instructions and additioanl response time. Children with autism will really learn and enjoy the specialized songs and visual cues from Tuned Into Learning.

Posted in autism, music therapy, pediatric occupational therapy, pediatric physical therapy | No Comments »

Digital Magazine from Your Therapy Source Inc June 2009

May 31st, 2009

Our June issue is hot off the digital presses. Don’t forget about our free download for the month at www.YourTherapySource.com/newsletterinfo.

Posted in pediatric occupational therapy, pediatric physical therapy | No Comments »

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