Guess The Object: Purpose: Encourage fine motor skills and stereognosis (using only your sense of touch to determine what an object is).Materials: cardboard box, scissors, stapler, fabric scraps, small objectsHow to Play: Show child a tray of small objects. Place one small object inside the box. The child reaches in and guesses what the object […]
Summer is officially upon us. For some therapists, this means time off or reduced caseloads. If you are looking for some summer work (which I doubt you are but figured I would offer) how about plan a new, unique program to start up during the next school year. Maybe you have a special talent that […]
This website, www.gcflearnfree.org/everydaylife/, offers interactive lessons for daily life skills such as cooking, banking, shopping, schedules and more. The lessons allow learners to practice life skills to be successful in everyday life. This is definitely worth a look for any occupational therapist especially those that work with older children and young adults. Best part…all free!
OT Ghana 2009 is a a collection of blogs from an OT professor and several OT students who traveled to Ghana. They blog about the people they meet, the culture and of course OT. There are several student blogs on it as well. These are listed on the right side of the page. It is […]
The current issue of Pediatrics has published a systemic review on the therapeutic management of congenital hemiplegia in children. Twelve studies and 7 systemic reviews were analyzed. Intramuscular Botox A injections and occupational therapy, neurodevelopmental therapy and casting, constraint induced movement therapy, and hand arm bi-manual intensive training all showed small to medium treatment effects. […]
There are many benefits to animal assisted therapy for children with special needs. Hippotherapy is one of the most common therapies we hear of but there are plenty of other animals involved in this caring therapy. Here is a link to an informative video of the use of animal assisted therapy for children with sensory […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]