Pediatric Occupational Therapy Tips

Does Your Child Have a Sensory Processing Disorder?

2013-05-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

Pathways.org has some wonderful informational videos that I'm excited to share with you. Please check them out!

Sensory Processing Videos by Pathways.org

Tummy Time Video by Pathways.org

Typical/Atypical Development by Pathways.org

The Importance of Early Therapy by Pathways.org

Poetry by Scott Lentine

2013-05-19T12:36:00.003-07:00

A while back I was contacted by Scott Lentine, a 25 year old man with high-functioning autism (PDD-NOS/Asperger's). He graduated from Merrimack College magna cum laude with a Bachelor's Degree in Religious Studies with a Biology minor. He's an intern at the Arc of Massachusetts in Waltham, where he works to persuade lawmakers to pass key disability resources legislation to improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities.

Scott is also an amazing poet. Here are several of his poems. Enjoy!

-->

Just a Normal Day

Just a Normal Day

Never knowing what to say

Never knowing what to do
Always looking for clues

Just a normal day

Feeling unsure
Totally perplexed with everyday life
Always on edge never certain
I wish I could lift this curtain

Needing to constantly satisfy my need for information
Always online searching for new revelations
Going from site to site
Obtaining new insights every night

Trying to connect with people my age
Attempting to reveal my unique vision
But ending up alone and unengaged
Feeling like my needs a total revision

Just a normal day

Can’t You See

Can’t you see
I just want to have a friend
Can’t you see
I need the same connections in the end

Can’t you see
I want a good job
Can’t you see
I need to have stability and dependence and part of the general mob

Can’t you see
I want to be independent on my own
Can’t you see
I want to be able to have my own home

Can’t you see
I want the same things as everyone else
Can’t you see
I want to be appreciated for myself

The Ode to the Autistic Man

Try to understand the challenges that I face
I would like to be accepted as a human in all places

Where I will end up in life I don’t know

But I hope to be successful wherever I go

I would like to expand my social skills in life
Making new friends would be very nice

Stand proud for the autistic man
For he will find a new fan

I hope to overcome the odds I face today
Increased acceptance will lead me to a brighter day

By the age of 20, I will have made tremendous strides
I know in the future, life will continue to be an interesting ride

I have made new friends by the year
I will be given tremendous respect by my family and peers

I hope to get noted for bringing the issue of autism to the common man
So that autistic people can be accepted in this great land

Stand proud for the autistic man
For he will find a new fan

I hope to overcome the odds I face today
Increased acceptance will lead me to a brighter day

Thanks for sharing Scott! Please support Scott by visiting his blog @ http://scottlentine.wordpress.com/.

Keeping Cursive Alive

2013-05-09T14:37:00.002-07:00

PediaStaff recently contacted me and asked me to write an opinion piece on cursive handwriting in response to this article in the New York Times. I was happy to do so!

Keeping Cursive Alive
When my 12-year-old daughter left for summer camp, I slipped some stationary into her suitcase and asked her to write me while she was away. I checked the mailbox regularly, looking forward to a letter, but to my dismay, she never wrote. Once she was home, I asked her why she never wrote.

“It takes too long to write a letter. If I’d had my laptop, I could have just typed you a letter, but I don’t like to write,” she declared.

I was surprised and a little sad. I have wonderful childhood memories of corresponding with my pen pal, Lori, who lived in Hawaii, and writing letters to my parents when I was at summer camp was a fun experience. I always added a P.S. at the end of every note, and I loved sealing the envelope and adding a stamp. Are those days really gone?

Unfortunately, they may be. The new Common Core Standards require legible handwriting in Kindergarten and grade 1, but they do not include cursive handwriting. However, the standards do state that by the end of Fourth Grade, students must demonstrate the keyboarding skills necessary to complete a one-page writing assignment.

As an OT, I am very much “pro-cursive.” Why? Writing in cursive has a number of benefits.

· Writing in cursive develops visual motor and manipulative skills, which are important for daily living skills, recreation, and work.

· Research suggests that students who write in cursive efficiently have better academic skills, including reading comprehension.

· One must be able to read cursive handwriting in order to read historical documents written in cursive.

· Research reveals that students who write in cursive receive better grades than those who print.

· Requiring keyboarding at young ages can be a detriment because if the child’s hands are too small for the keyboard, they will develop a habit of “hunting and pecking,” which can be difficult to break.

· Too much time in front of a computer screen can lead to eyestrain, discomfort, and headaches.

· A cursive signature is important for preventing forgery and necessary when signing legal documents.

Important Points

· Regular practice and reinforcement are necessary when learning print, write in cursive, AND keyboard correctly and efficiently.

· Just like cursive handwriting, keyboarding is an important skill. It allows for ease in editing, guarantees legibility, and is an ideal tool for children who have dysgraphia. Students should be skilled with handwriting skills AND keyboarding skills.

It is my hope that school systems continue to include cursive instruction in their curriculum, despite the fact that cursive is not included in the Common Core Standards.

To hear more thoughts on cursive in this era of technology, check out PediaStaff's blog post with links to other articles written by occupational therapists in response to the NYT Article!

Photo Credit: Microsoft Office

Special Students Making a Difference

2013-05-03T18:38:00.001-07:00

I'm excited to tell you about a project that my students have been working on! Thanks to a grant funded by The Collierville Education Foundation, students with special learning needs created multimedia paintings, decorative pillows, & aprons that will be sold Saturday and Sunday in Collierville at the “Fair on the Square.” The money raised will be used to purchase supplies to continue the project in future school years, and a portion of the profits will be donated to Collierville Education Foundation.
   The students that participated in this project have motor skill challenges, and many are unable to communicate due to delays with speech and language skills. The students benefit physically, socially, academically, creatively, and emotionally by expressing themselves through therapeutic art projects.
   By creating these arts & crafts, a variety of functional “work-based” skills were addressed, such as problem solving, grasping, cutting, writing, & following directions. The students also gained skills that can be used for future employment, such as sewing (with supervision and a needle guard for safety), writing, counting money, interacting with peers, using functional language, and crafting skills.
      The regular education peer tutors learned valuable life skills, such as patience, empathy, supportiveness, and understanding. The icing on the cake is that by making donations to The Collierville Education Foundation, the students will also experience the joy of helping others.

A special thanks to Sew Memphis for designing the aprons...they are awesome! I also want to thank Memphis artist NJ Woods for granting us permission to use some of her paintings as models for our artwork. This made the students very happy :) Please show your support to Sew Memphis by visiting their shop, and be sure to visit NJ's website and her new gallery at 2563 Broad Avenue in Memphis!

Scroll down to see samples of the students' wonderful work:

The painting above was inspired by NJ Woods artwork

Squeezing and Placing Clothespins for Strengthening and Color Matching

2013-04-24T18:27:00.001-07:00

Squeezing and placing clothespins is a great way to strengthen the small muscles in the thumb, index, and middle finger and improve eye hand coordination, which are both important for handwriting and scissor skills. I like to have the child place the clothespins on a paint stirrer to address bilateral skills. A great way to add a cognitive demand to the task is to use colored clothespins and wrap corresponding colored tape strips around the paint stirrer, so that the child can match color to color. Have fun!

Pixie Cubes are a Great Activity for Visual Perceptual Skills

2013-04-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

Pixy Cubes is a great game for children ages 6 and up that addresses a variety of skills, including visual perception. It includes 16 colorful geometrically patterned cubes that can be arranged into different mosaic designs and design cards with patterns to copy. They are available on Amazon.

Click HERE to read my full review of this game on the PediaStaff Website.

Shrimp Cocktail Game is a Wonderful Addition to Your Therapy Toolbox!

2013-03-13T10:22:00.004-07:00

Last week I sat down with two of my students who have visual perceptual processing problems and played a game of Shrimp Cocktail. We all had a blast! Little did the students know, they were working on a variety of skills, including the ability to respond quickly, visually scan, categorize, and discriminate! The adorable shrimp on the cards can share up to 4 traits: size, origin, color, and/or quantity. The first player to find a match and squeezes a squeaky starfish gets to keep the matching cards. At the end of the game, the player with the most cards wins! This game has so many therapeutic benefits and is a must have for every therapist’s toolbox! It's available on Amazon.

Enter the Tummy Time Contest Sponsored by Pathways Awareness!

2013-03-04T14:46:00.001-08:00

Pathways Awareness is holding a tummy time photo contest on Facebook, so get your camera out and snap a shot of your little one having fun during tummy time! Pathways is a non-profit educational foundation that uses research and multimedia to promote the health and development of all children.
The organization "strives to empower health professionals and parents with knowledge of the benefit of early detection and intervention for children’s sensory, motor, and communication development."

So click HERE to enter the tummy time contest, and be sure to visit Pathways.org for a variety of amazing educational resources, tools, and links for parents and health care professionals.

Aimee’s Babies First Year Milestones DVD: A Wonderful Resource

2013-03-02T10:36:00.002-08:00

-->

How can parents play an important role in fostering their baby’s overall development? By understanding early infant growth and development! However, most parents are extremely busy and don’t have the time to read a textbook on infant development. Fortunately, parents can pop in Aimee’s Babies First Year Milestones DVD for a wealth of information on infant development.

This DVD is wonderful resource for parents who want to promote their little one’s social, emotional, and physical development. It includes important information about your child's sensory motor development and milestones during the first year of life, as well as a variety of activities that will help baby meet those important milestones. To give your child the best possible start in life, get this amazing resource.

Click HERE to visit Aimee’s Babies website and order the DVD.

For a chance to win an Amee’s Babies First Year Milestones DVD, like my Facebook page (upper right corner of this page) and sign up for my newsletter by clicking HERE.

No More Sticky Fingers from Bubbles!

2013-02-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

Here is a little tip that I'm happy to share. Many kiddos that I see for OT love bubbles, but in the past, I avoided pulling them out because my fingers would get sticky from reaching into the bottle for the wand. (Yes...I have sensory issues!) One day my bubbles were sitting next to a roll of Duct tape and I had a thought. I cut a piece of tape about 3-inches long and stuck another narrow strip to the back of that piece. (See photo)

I attached the Duct tape to my bottle of bubbles and voila!...a handy holder for my bubble wand. No more sticky fingers! :)

Video for Teaching Shoe Tying

2013-02-13T06:32:00.001-08:00

Tying shoes is a challenging skill that requires motor planning and dexterity. A child should be independent with shoe tying by 7 years of age, but many children master this skill much earlier. When teaching shoe tying, it's a good idea to practice with a shoe that is placed just in front of the child, either on the floor or a table (rather than on their foot). Here is a video of one strategy that I frequently use with kids.

Remember, the best way to develop fluency with shoe tying is to practice, practice, practice!

I Can Spell My Name!

2013-02-05T14:08:00.001-08:00

Do you have a students who is learning to spell her name? This is a fun activity that is easy to create. Using a large, simple font (I like 72 Cambria or Chalkboard), type the child's name and print it out on white paper or card stock. You can begin with just the first name and progress to first and last name. Cut around the letters making small squares and laminate them. I frequently use the s elf adhesive laminate sheets available on Amazon . Cut out a rectangular piece of black poster board (make sure the child's name fits on the poster board) and laminate it as well. Use sticky-back velcro dots to attach each letter to the piece of poster board. (See photos below).

Mix the letters up and place them in front of the student. You may want to start with a field of two or three letters. Ask the child, "What letter comes first in your name?" The child should choose the correct letter and Velcro it to the first spot on the poster board. Provide cues and modeling if necessary. Continue with the activity until the child has fully spelled her name.

Sequin Art Projects are Great for Fine Motor Skills

2013-01-20T14:44:00.003-08:00

I love these little sequin art kits. They are great for fine motor skills and kids love them! I found some at a local craft store, but they are also available on Amazon (click here). Kids gets plenty of opportunities to practice a pincer grasp when picking up and peeling the sequins/stickers. Placing and aligning the sequins in the little circles is also great for eye hand coordination and visual perception. In the video below, this student is doing a great job with hers!

Weight Blankets

2013-01-17T17:21:00.001-08:00

This article was originally written for Pediastaff.com

Have you ever felt a sense of relaxation when someone gives you a big hug? Sleeping under a weighted blanket is like getting a big, warm hug all night long. Weighted blankets provide deep pressure/proprioceptive input to an individual’s joints, muscles, and bones. In many cases, the input is calming and leads to improved sleep. Weighted blankets have been used successfully with individuals who have sensory processing disorders.

When selecting a weighted blanket for a client with sensory processing issues, the treating therapist should carefully consider the client’s specific sensory needs. There are no “official” research-based guidelines for selecting the weight and size of a blanket, but based on feedback from occupational therapy practitioners, 10% of the individual’s body weight is often effective when using weighted vests or lap pads. The treating therapist may want to start with 5 to 8% and make adjustments based on the reactions and/or feedback from the individual. If the client is nonverbal, it may be necessary to get feedback from the parents. For safety reasons, it is critical that the user be physically capable of independently removing the blanket. Most importantly, a weighted blanket should never be used for restraint purposes. If the user does not like the sensation of the blanket, use of the blanket should not be forced.

The blanket should fit evenly on top of the mattress so that no weights are hanging over the edge of the bed. This could cause the pressure provided by the blanket to be uneven. The blanket should NEVER cover the individual’s head, and parents should always provide supervision when using a weighted blanket with their child.

The effects of weighted blankets vary. Many parents have reported that the first night of use resulted in a good nights sleep for their child. However, it may take two to three nights to observe improvements in sleep. If no changes are noted at that point, the treating therapist may want to consider increasing the blanket’s weight. As stated previously, there is no evidence-based research on weighted blankets, but anecdotal reports from therapists and clients are generally positive. For someone with a disorganized nervous system, a weighted blanket may be the perfect solution for a good night’s sleep.

Cutting on the Lines: Another Tip!

2013-01-02T18:15:00.000-08:00

Teaching a child how to cut on the lines when cutting can be challenging. I posted about this in September and provided several suggestions.

Here is another idea to add to you teaching “toolbox” of ideas for cutting instruction.

Materials Needed:

Sturdy Plastic Canvas Needlepoint Sheets (found at craft stores or Amazon),

4 x 6 Index Cards or card stock paper- Much easier than paper to handle when cutting.

Black or bold colored marker

Paper Clips

Use the marker to draw the cutting line on the index card. Begin with straight lines, then progress to curves and angles. Using the cutting line as a guide cut out two pieces of the plastic needlepoint sheet so that they are approximately ¼ to ½ inch from the cutting line. (See photos below)

Attach the canvas cut outs to the index card.

When holding the scissors, be sure that the child’s thumb is turned upward inside the loop and the middle finger should be inside the other loop. The index finger should be outside the loop serving as a “guide”.

Tell the child to "touch the black line with your scissors" and start cutting. Remind her to continue touching the line with her scissors while cutting. If she veers off of the line far enough, her scissors will bump the plastic, reminding her to get back on the lines. (See video)

Handmade Holiday Ornaments

2012-12-21T12:12:00.002-08:00

Are you ready to have some messy holiday fun?

These handmade holiday ornaments are so cute and simple to make!

Thanks to my friends at Sew Memphis for sharing this awesome idea! All you need to get started are a couple of plastic Christmas ball ornaments, Mod Podge, scissors, and some colorful fabric scraps.

Cut the fabric scraps into small pieces. They should not be any larger than 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch. Pour the Mod Podge into a paper or plastic bowl. For a great sensory experience, dip a fabric scrap into the Mod Podge then smooth it onto the egg using your fingers. If you want your students to work on grasping, you can use a small sponge paint brush to "paint" the Mod Podge on to fabric scraps. Both sides of the fabric should be covered with the Mod Podge.

Keep adding fabric scraps until the ornament is completely covered. Tie on a colorful piece of yarn or ribbon in a loop and and hang it up to dry. Your handmade holiday ornament is ready for the tree!

Aren't they awesome?

Music Therapy Holiday Gift Idea!

2012-12-19T12:43:00.002-08:00

Are you searching for the perfect Holiday gift idea for a child with special needs? If so, keep reading!

Ryan Judd is a board certified music therapist. He believes that children with special needs deserve to learn and develop in a fun, creative and motivating atmosphere, and his mission is to teach parents, educators and therapists how to use music therapy to help children with special needs learn, grow and thrive!

His website www.therhythmtree.com is an amazing resource for therapists and parents of special needs children. It includes lots of information about music therapy as well as a videos of fun, interactive, therapeutic music activities!

I was so excited when I discovered that Ryan recently released a Rythm Tree DVD Package! I contacted Ryan and asked his permission to post about his website and the DVD package and guess what? He's offering a 10% discount on the package just for my readers! To order, just click HERE and enter the code JINGLE during check out. What a wonderful gift idea!

Image used with permission from www.therhythmtree.com

The Rhythm Tree DVD Package includes:

A 56-minute DVD with nine fun and engaging songs that address various developmental goals
Bonus DVD chapters on:

How to use effective prompting strategies
How to make homemade instruments and use them to address therapeutic goals
How to adapt instruments so that any child, regardless of physical ability, can play them successfully

A full-length CD with all nine songs included
A 30 page guidebook that gives you the music and lyrics for each song and includes specific strategies and techniques for addressing developmental goals
3 sets of fun and motivating instruments including:

Two tambourines
Two pairs of maracas
Two pairs of rhythm sticks

Thank you Ryan for your amazing music therapy website and for offering a 10% discount to the readers of Pediatric OT Tips!

Making a Difference for Individuals with Special Needs!

2012-12-18T05:24:00.000-08:00

I’m starting something new here on Pediatric OT Tips and I’m extremely excited about it! Every two months, I’m going to feature a very special person who makes a difference in the lives of special needs children in a big way. The individuals that will be featured are committed and compassionate and have taken action to open doors for children with special needs, and I’m looking forward to sharing their stories.

Tereson Dupuy-Image from teresondupuy.com

Tereson Dupuy had a problem, and not only did she come up with an idea to solve that problem, she turned her idea into a multi-million dollar business! Tereson’s son, Eden, was born with severe eczema and suffered from chronic diaper rash. After trying every cloth diaper on the market to no avail, she realized that chemicals and the moist cotton from the diapers were causing the rash. Solution…FuzziBunz® cloth diapers! Tereson created a modern cloth diaper, that is soft, easy-to-use, and eliminates chemicals and diaper rash! To top it off, she’s expanding her business to reach all ages to truly bring comfortable products that meet the entire lifespan of an individual.

Not only is Tereson a cloth diaper expert, she also has a passion for business. She established TeresonDupuy.com, which is an amazing platform that assists entrepreneurs in creating successful businesses. Her lessons focus on perseverance, patience, pride and passion – the 4Ps! Click HERE to visit Tereson’s website and learn how to turn an idea that you have into a business.

When Tereson’s son Eden was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, a form of Autism, her family and community were extremely supportive. She also discovered support and information through Autism Speaks, a national advocacy organization dedicated to funding autism-related research and helping families impacted by autism. Read on as Tereson’s shares how she is “giving back.”

Image from http://www.fuzzibunz.com

“…in Eden's honor, FuzziBunz® will donate $1 for every "Light It Up Blue" diaper we sell to Autism Speaks. The diapers are the same price as the all the other FuzziBunz® cloth diapers—so I hope you'll simply add the Light It Up Blue diaper to your stash and know that, by doing so, you're helping families like mine cope with autism and that you're contributing to our nation's plight to find a cure.” Read more about Tereson’s advocacy by clicking HERE to visit her website.

A sincere thanks to Tereson Dupuy for making a difference by supporting Autism Speaks!

Fun Christmas Tree Craft!

2012-12-04T19:40:00.003-08:00

It's holiday time and one of my favorite classes at Shilling Farms Middle School is working on a fun Christmas craft and I'm excited to share it with you. This is a great therapeutic activity because it involves folding paper!

Materials needed:
Old magazines
Silver and Green Spray Paint (for adult use only)
Elmer's Glue
Glitter
Painting sponge brush
Pom Pom

Begin by folding each page of the magazine as it's being done in the video. Be sure to bring the first fold as close to the spine of the magazine as possible.

The folding is very time consuming, so it's a good idea to have your students take turns folding. An adult can provide assistance as needed. Once the folding is complete, the tree will look like this:

At this point, an adult should take the "tree" to an outdoor (well-ventilated) area and spray paint the exterior. Once the paint dries, have the students "paint" the trees with a mix of 2 parts Elmer's glue to to 1 part water. See video:

Before the glue dries, the student should sprinkle the wet glue with glitter. Final step: Glue a pom-pom or some other decoration to the top of the tree and wait for the glue to dry. What a nice holiday decoration!

Teaching Colors Using Multi-Sensory Instruction

2012-11-19T15:32:00.000-08:00

If you are working with a student who is having difficulty learning his colors, implementing a multi-sensory approach might be effective.

Pair each color with a song. The following songs are nice because each color song has a different tune:

Black Color Song
Red Color Song
Yellow Color Song
Blue Color Song
Green Color Song
Purple Color Song
Orange Color Song

Pair each color with a scent. (The child can even smell the appropriate scent while she sings each color song). Scented markers are great and are available at Amazon.

Black- Licorice                Red-Cherry         Blue-Blueberry
Yellow-Lemon          Green-Mint            Orange-Orange
Brown-Cinnamon       Purple-Grape    Pink-Melon
Turquoise-Mango      Dark Green-Apple Magenta-Raspberry

Connect the color with something meaningful. "Goldfish snacks are orange. The ball in the therapy room is blue." Food is especially good because it pulls in the sense of taste...."lemons are yellow, orange juice is orange."

Here's an example of an approach I used in therapy:

The student sits on the red therapy ball and tosses several red balls into a red bucket as I sing or play the "red song". Then we move to a table and the child colors a picture of a red firetruck using the red scented marker while the "red song" is playing in the background.

Eventually, the pairing should not be necessary, but initially the goal is to help the student associate the smells, songs, etc. with the particular colors. At some point, when the child sees the color green, the song & smell for green should come to mind and this will help them remember "that's the color green."

Multi-Sensory Instruction for Handwriting: Stencils and Raised Letter Cards

2012-11-15T14:59:00.003-08:00

Here is a simple way to make letter stencils and raised letter cards. All you will need are several sheets of craft foam, available at craft stores or on Amazon, a pair of scissors and card stock paper (old file folders also work well). Choose the letters for the stencils. A student that I have been working with is learning the capital letters L and F, so I made stencils/raised letter cards for those letters.

Write the letter on the foam and cut it out. Take care to keep the letter “cut out” intact. To make your raised letter cards, just glue the “cut out” to a rectangular piece of card stock. (I like to laminate the card stock first).

First, have the child trace the raised letter card with their index finger. While tracing, pair the motion with verbal cues for forming the letter. The “Handwriting Without Tears” language is good. For example, for an F, say “long line down, top across, middle across.”

After several tracing trials, have the student write the letter using the stencil while verbally repeating “long line down, top across, middle across.” For tracing, the child can use a marker, crayon, or even a “squiggle” pen. You want it to be fun!

Finally, have the student write the letter without the stencil using the verbal prompts. Gradually fade your verbal prompting.

The great thing about these materials is that you can use them over and over again!

Live Your Most Authentic Life

2012-11-08T14:35:00.001-08:00

How many hats do you wear in an average day? The list is probably quite long... mom, wife, chef, employee, chauffer, housekeeper, friend, caregiver, and many more!

You dedicate countless hours to your many responsibilities, why not set aside some time for yourself? You can do this by signing up for my new self improvement course, Living Your Most Authentic Life. For more information about the course, click HERE.

As soon as you sign up for the course (you choose how much you want to pay), your first lesson will be available. The remaining lessons will be emailed to you weekly. Don't miss out on this opportunity for self-improvement!

Here are several of the topics that are covered:

The Path to Self-Discovery

Understanding and Dealing with Discontent

How to Live Passionately and Discover Your Soul's True Joy

Click HERE to sign up!

Cutting on the Lines: Teaching Tips

2012-09-22T16:02:00.003-07:00

It can be a challenge to teach a a child to cut on the lines, especially if the child has motor skill or perceptual problems. Here is another approach that I frequently use when working on scissor skills and teaching students how to cut on the lines.

When working on scissor skills, always start with card stock paper. It is much easier to handle and the child will get more sensory feedback while cutting than with regular paper. Make the cutting lines bold and dark, then outline the cutting lines with neon "puff paint." You can find this at craft stores or on Amazon. When the puff paint hardens, it is difficult to cut across with scissors! This provides a tactile "clue" when the child veers off of the line. How closely you put the puff paint to the cutting line depends on how skilled the child is with cutting. If a child is just learning to cut on the lines, leave 1/4 to 1/2-inch of space between the puff paint and cutting line, and narrow the space as the child learns to cut with more accuracy.

Tell the child to "touch the black line with your scissors" and remind her to keep both "thumbs up" while cutting.
If you don't have any puff paint, you can also cut sticky back craft foam to the appropriate size/form and stick it on either side of the cutting line.

Great cutting!

Tummy Time Tips to the Rescue!

2012-09-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

As a parent, do you dread tummy time? Does your baby cry every time you position her on her belly? Thankfully, with time and a few simple techniques, any infant can learn to tolerate tummy time. I have a website that shares a number of tips on how to introduce tummy time and increase an infant's tolerance without making parents' and baby's life miserable.

Tummy time that is provided on a daily basis leads to the mastery of important motor milestones, such as rolling over, pulling up, and crawling. Also, infants who aren't exposed to tummy time are at risk for motor skill delays and developing flat spots on the head. So click HERE to visit Tummy Time Tips, and be sure to check out the video!

Also, for more information about tummy time as well as some wonderful brochures and handouts, visit http://www.pathwaysawareness.org/.

Plagiocephaly & Torticollis Awareness Day: Please Help by Signing This Petition

2012-08-26T17:36:00.004-07:00

Click HERE to sign the petition!

Are you familiar with plagiocephaly and torticollis? The number of infants diagnosed with flat spots on the head (plagiocephaly) and tight neck muscles (torticollis) have been on the rise in America. Recent studies cite incidence rates of plagiocephaly as high as 48%, and one study cites a six-fold increase in rates of incidence, increasing from 1 in 300 infants to 1 in 60.

These conditions are serious, and we need to bring attention to them with a PLAGIOCEPHALY & TORTICOLLIS AWARENESS DAY in order for parents to recognize the signs early and get their children the help that they need early on.

Here is a testimonial from a mom who has dealt with these conditions first hand:

Both of our sons developed plagiocephaly after birth. With our first, I noticed that he tended to always look to one side right from birth, but even though I'm a physical therapist myself, it never occurred to me that he might have torticollis (tight muscles in the neck) or develop a flat spot– I was so worried about breast feeding, lack of sleep, and everything else that comes along with a newborn that I just wasn't looking at my baby through PT eyes!

When my son was about 10 weeks old, we finally noticed his tendency to look to one side and the flat spot that was developing, so we went to the pediatrician, who told us not to worry about it, and repeatedly telling us "it will round out on its own". I think my husband and I were in denial a little, not wanting to even consider that it might not resolve on its own. So we waited and waited, and didn't pursue further intervention until he was almost 1 year old.

At that time, we went to a local Occupational Therapist who specializes in babies with torticollis. She is a very skilled therapist, as well as a very warm and empathetic person– she is a wonderful clinician. She began educating us on stretching and positioning, and strongly recommended cranial banding due to the assymetry in his face, ears, and jaw. Our son began wearing the helmet shortly after his first birthday (which is very late in terms of effectiveness for cranial banding!), and wore it 23 hrs/day for 3 months. I was SO anxious about the helmet, and remember crying about my poor baby having to wear it… but we had it painted to look like a footbal helmet, and he actually looked really cute in it and it didn't bother him one bit. Most importantly, it worked!

He is now 5 years old and has a perfectly round head with no assymetry. Also, the OT and our pediatrician (who later got on board with treatment) wrote excellent letters to our insurance company, and our cranial band was paid for IN FULL– we were amazed and ecstatic!

Our second son was born about a year after our first came out of his cranial band, and he also had a strong tendency to look towards one side right from birth. The second time around I was definitely watching him through my physical therapist eyes! We noticed the torticollis immediately and brought him to our OT within about 2 months. We started doing weekly OT sessions and home exercises, as well as using our knowledge about appropriate positioning and use of tummy time, and after a couple months his flat spot had disappeared and he was no longer turning his head in only one direction.

I feel strongly that if we had not intervened as early as we did with our second son, we would have ended up needing a cranial band for him too, so I'm so happy that we knew better the second time around. I hope this information might be helpful to anyone who is in a similar situation, unsure of whether or not to pursue further intervention. If you notice a flat spot or limited range of motion in the neck at all, I would definitely recommend purusing intervention… cranial banding is non-invasive and very effective, but can be expensive (depending on your insurance) and time-consuming, so all the more reason to pursue early intervention to possibly eliminate the need for a band at all!

How can you can help?

Please sign the Petition now to create an Awareness Day!