Wheelchair breakdowns are very disrupting to children and their families. When a specialized wheelchair breaks many children do not have a back up, making it difficult for positioning, comfort and most importantly a mode of transportation. Pediatric therapists are frequently called upon to help with quick fixes of wheelchairs. Recent research in the American Journal […]
I came across this video from RealLookAutism that shows how a young man with autism is learning to tolerate shaving with the help of his occupational therapist and his mother. This is such a wonderful video that really helps to explain how sensory techniques can help some individuals to learn activities of daily living. It […]
Here is an old favorite therapeutic activity – spray shapes and patterns. Cut up some fun foam into different shapes or use any foam shapes. Using a spray bottle, squirt some water on a white board or mirror. The fun foam will stick to the surface. You could trace the shapes on a dry area […]
A student recently did a research review on the influence of fine motor skills on handwriting. Of the nine articles that could be included, 7 researched the relationship between fine motor skills and handwriting legibility and 4 studies investigated fine motor skills and handwriting speed. The results indicated that children with poor handwriting received significantly […]
Physical Therapy published research on the effects of hippotherapy on balance. Sixteen children with documented balance problems participated in 45 minute hippotherapy sessions, 2 times per week for 6 weeks. Following the intervention the participants exhibited a statistical difference on the Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) on the Activities Scale for Kids—Performance (ASKp). The researchers concluded […]
Zaner-Bloser has proposed Written Language Production Standards for Handwriting and Keyboarding. These standards offer developmentally appropriate, research–based indicators to integrate handwriting and keyboarding into the curriculum. From the Zaner-Bloser website it states that the standards are: “research-based and includes basic letter formation and keyboarding indicators included in the Common Core State Standards for English […]
The development in children of fundamental motor skills such as ball handling and locomotor skills need to be learned, practiced and practiced some more. A recent research review in Child: Care, Health and Development aimed to determine the effectiveness of motor skill interventions in children. The results indicated the following: 1. A significant positive effect […]
Since occupational therapist’s may teach tooth brushing for self care here are two recent research studies of interest that were published: 1. The results from a study of 176 individuals (76 had spastic cerebral palsy and 89 had no neurological impairment) indicated that intellectual disability can be considered a contributing factor for the development of dental […]
If you can not view the May 2012 issue below visit www.YourTherapySource.com/magazine to download it as a pdf. Open publication – Free publishing – More autism