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???? 1. Trouble Sitting Still or Paying Attention

• Constant wiggling, leaning, or falling out of the chair
• Difficulty focusing or appearing easily distracted
• Prefers to stand, lie down, or fidget during meals or homework

2. Poor Handwriting or Trouble With Fine Motor Tasks

• Tiring quickly during writing or coloring
• Using an awkward pencil grasp
• Messy handwriting or poor spacing on paper

???? 3. Frequent Clumsiness or Poor Coordination

• Trips, bumps into things, or drops items often
• Has trouble with sports, riding a bike, or tying shoes
• Appears “floppy” or “stiff” during movement

???? 4. Prefers “W-Sitting” or Avoids Crossing Midline

• Always sits with legs in a “W” shape
• Avoids reaching across their body (i.e., uses right hand only on right side)
• Struggles with reading across a page or catching a ball

???? 5. Strong Reactions to Change, Noise, or New Experiences

• Overreacts to loud sounds or bright lights
• Startles easily or feels anxious in new environments
• Needs extra reassurance or struggles with transitions

When to Consider Occupational Therapy

Focus better

Improve coordination

Feel calmer and more confident

Develop fine motor and academic skills

The post What Are Primitive Reflexes? appeared first on Childs Play Therapy Center.

October is National PT Month and we would love to share Tummy Time Tools from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, recommended by The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

This is a comprehensive guide for optimal positioning during all activities, including carrying your baby, snuggling, diapering, feeding, playing, and more!

The post Tummy Time! appeared first on Childs Play Therapy Center.

• Repetitions: the repetition of a sound, syllable, whole word, or phrase (“Hap-hap-happy birthday!”)
• Prolongations: the prolongation of a sound (“Ssssssso what?”)
• Blocks: the stoppage of sound (“I like pi–zza”)
• Interjections: the insertion of fillers such as “umm” and “uh” (“It’s your…umm…turn.”)
• Word substitutions: the production of an easier word rather than the more challenging intended word (“Pass me the ke-ke-…red stuff, please.”)
• Avoidance: the avoidance of certain words or situations perceived to contribute to stuttering (avoiding talking on the phone, avoiding speaking up in class)
• Physical symptoms: the presence of tension in the facial muscles or body; blinking eyes; grimacing; hand and foot movements; rocking

• Age of onset:  If stuttering begins before 3.5 years of age, the child is more likely to develop persistent stuttering.
• Types of disfluencies present: The presence of blocks are more predictive of persistent stuttering than are part-word and whole-word repetitions.
• Family history of stuttering: A child with a family member who stutters is more likely to develop persistent stuttering.
• Duration of disfluent speech: A child who has had disfluencies for 6-12 months is more likely to develop persistent stuttering.
• Sex of the child: Boys are more likely to develop persistent stuttering than girls.
• Concomitant speech-language disorders: A child who has a speech sound disorder or a language disorder is more likely to develop persistent stuttering.

The post Stuttering: What You Need to Know appeared first on Childs Play Therapy Center.

• Therapy sessions incorporating AAC modeling and education
• AAC Evaluations (for pursuit of dedicated devices)
• AAC Office Hours (consultations, editing assistance, family education)

The post AAC Awareness Month: Let’s Model, Model, Model! appeared first on Childs Play Therapy Center.

• Potential Sensory Supports: Try going on a “decorations tour” ahead of Halloween night, in order to see all of the decorations ahead of time, with the idea that if they are already familiar, they will not be as much of a draw away from the group. Also, prior to the “big day”, your family could play games that practice impulse control, such as “Red Light, Green Light” or “Freeze Dance”. Trunk or Treating may also be a less stimulating environment as well, but still plenty of fun!

• Potential Sensory Supports: Try going on a “decorations tour” ahead of Halloween night, in order to see all of the decorations ahead of time, and then you can decide whether or not you need to plan a route away from overstimulating houses. Trunk or Treating may also be a less stimulating environment as well, but still plenty of fun!

• Potential Sensory Supports: A conversation ahead of time about previous trick-or-treating years may help prepare your kids for what is to come, as well as help pinpoint what may be the main overstimulating factor. Ear protection, such as noise-cancelling headphones, is a great investment, and with the amount of colors available, they can complement almost every costume. A trunk or treat may be a good compromise, as they are typically shorter in length, so you would only have to tolerate a non-preferred environment for a short amount of time.

• Potential Sensory Supports: Try taking breaks off of the “main path” to people watch, encouraging situational awareness. As trunk or treats typically take place in parking lots, where other cars may be nearby, we would recommend practicing parking lot safety rules beforehand.

The post Trick-Or-Treating Through the Lens of the Sensory Profile  appeared first on Childs Play Therapy Center.

DOWNLOAD HERE

We’ve also created some Halloween Communication Boards that can be used to support communication for Halloween as well! DOWNLOAD HERE

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Infant Massage is a positive interaction between infants and their caregivers. It connects the caregivers and child through an intimate, securing pattern on touch and response that enhances attachment and teaches the caregiver to recognize communication cues from their child.

Child’sPlay Therapy Center has a physical therapist, Laura Lee, in the Chelsea office certified in Infant Massage by the International Loving Touch Foundation. Massage instruction can be integrated into traditional physical therapy, but will soon be available in a small class format.

While any family will benefit from learning infant massage, families who have experienced a NICU stay, post-partum depressive symptoms, or feeding problems will gain particular benefits both physically and emotionally. Infant massage stimulates circulation, promotes body awareness, advances the child’s developmental milestones, improves infant weight gain, and decreases stress in both participants!

Benefits:

• Relaxation
• Improved infant social skills
• Improved sleep
• Bonding
• Security
• Improved weight gain
• Improved immune system
• Increased self-awareness
• Increased muscle tone

Contact us today to schedule a session or learn more about Infant Massage!

The post Introducing Infant Massage appeared first on Childs Play Therapy Center.

Every September, as schedules get busier and backpacks get fuller, more kids are at risk of experiencing backpack-related injuries. Did you know that over 61% of children carry a backpack that is over the recommended weight limit? ¹

According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), a child’s backpack should weigh no more than 10% of their body weight.^2-3 Overloaded backpacks can cause a change in posture.⁴ If worn improperly overtime, back, neck, and shoulder pain, fatigue, headaches, difficulty concentrating, and even breathing difficulties can occur.^4-5 Developing children are at a greater risk, and these negative effects can follow them to adulthood, if not addressed early.^4-5

The good news? There are a variety of strategies we can enact to support our students. Use this checklist to ensure you are supporting healthy backpack use.

Healthy Backpack Checklist ^{1, 6}

Pack it

• Backpack weighs no more than 10% of body weight
• Items are distributed throughout the backpack with heavier items placed closest to the spine
• Clean out unnecessary items weekly, at minimum

Wear it

• Always utilize both shoulder straps
• Choose straps that are wide and padded
• Adjust the backpack to sit securely along the mid-back (below shoulders, above hips)
• Bonus: opt for backpacks with chest and waist straps for additional support

Carry it

• Encourage children to lift the backpack using their legs (vs. their back)
• Redistribute large loads by carrying heavy items in arms, if needed

Additional Tips to Lighten the Load:

• Choose a smaller water bottle that can be refilled at school
• Pick a day of the week to declutter backpacks — even kids as young as kindergarten can play a role in organizing and building healthy habits!
• Take advantage of digital textbooks
• Encourage children to utilize their locker or cubby to lighten the load throughout the day

By implementing these strategies, parents and care providers can support healthy habits that do not just prevent pain now, but also protect mobility, posture, and comfort in adulthood. Occupational therapists are here to support this initiative during the month of September for National Backpack Awareness.⁷

Do you find yourself wondering how your child’s backpack got so cluttered and overloaded in just a few weeks back to school? Does your child struggle with binder organization? Missing assignments? Difficulty manipulating their locker combination? Your child may benefit from an occupational therapy evaluation to support the development of these executive functioning skills that may be making it difficult to maintain backpack organization and safety. Contact us at Child’sPlay Therapy Center to schedule your OT evaluation today.

 References

1. Prager E, Guimbarda A, Hentis T, et al. Student book bag weight, carriage habits, and perceptions of pain, participation, and quality of life. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2018;72(4_Supplement_1). doi:10.5014/ajot.2018.72s1-po5009
2. Backpack strategies for parents and students. American Occupational Therapy Association. Published 2023. https://www.bu.edu/promotingot/files/2023/11/Backpack-Strategies-for-Parents-and-Students-1.pdf
3. 3 tips for backpack safety. American Physical Therapy Association. Published June 27, 2024. https://www.choosept.com/resources/detail/backpack-safety
4. Loesche S. Back to school: Discussing the biomechanical impact of backpacks. com. 2022;Art 5483. https://www.occupationaltherapy.com/articles/back-to-school-discussing-biomechanical-5483
5. International backpack awareness day focuses on proper usage. American Occupational Therapy Association. Published October 20, 2023.

https://www.aota.org/about/for-the-media/international-backpack-awareness-day-focuses-on-proper-usage

6. Backpack tips & resources. Boston University. Published 2023. https://www.bu.edu/promotingot/promoting-occupational-therapy/international-school-backpack-awareness-day/backpack-tips/
7. Riley K. 6 ways to promote safe backpack use. American Occupational Therapy Association. https://communot.aota.org/blogs/katie-riley/2019/09/06/6-ways-to-promote-safe-backpack-use

Written By Carly York, OTD. OTR-L

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Beyond these considerations, many novel and unfamiliar foods will likely be present at holiday gatherings. The sights and smells of these dishes alone can be quite overwhelming. Here are a few tips that may help your kiddo be successful –

Allow them to be as involved as possible during the cooking and food preparation process. If you are bringing a dish or multiple dishes, encourage them to help you in the kitchen. This can allow your child the opportunity to learn about new foods, even if they are not ready to try them just yet.
Make sure they have 1-2 “safe foods” on their plate during meals. Having foods they consistently accept on their plate will help them feel more comfortable throughout the meal.
Offer small portions of new foods and unfamiliar dishes. Be sure to emphasize that just because the new/non-preferred foods may be on their plate, they do not have to be willing to eat them just yet. This is a great and “low pressure” way to help your kids become more comfortable with a wider variety of foods. Having them “serve themselves” and place foods on their own plate is another great way to increase comfort when encouraging your child to learn about new foods.
Set realistic expectations and don’t put too much pressure on your child – or yourself! Even though mealtimes can be somewhat challenging and stressful, remember to give some grace and enjoy precious time with loved ones. Make all of the memories and have all the fun!

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