Hand Strength: 5 Fun Activities for Children by Emma Clark, Student OT Childhood is a critical time for the development of intrinsic hand muscles. Without the proper development of these muscles, children will have delayed fine motor skills or fatigue during fine motor activities. Building hand strength in children leads to the development of skills like…
Is My Child Healthy? By Kelsie Noel, DPT Kids Place West Pediatric Physical Therapist America has a growing problem of young children becoming overweight and obese. Recent statistics have placed Arizona as having the fourth highest obesity rate in the country. In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were diagnosed as overweight…
Feeding Foundations For Success Parents never intend for their children to eat only junk food and chicken nuggets. However, unfortunately there are many children currently who have an extremely limited food repertoire. Eating is a basic skill most people are not concerned with until they have a child who refuses to eat or only eats…
Save the Spiders Game by Nicole Campbell, PT, DPT Kids Place West Pediatric Physical Therapist Want a fun, balance activity for the fall season? Create a spider web on the ground using tape and place plastic spiders around the edge of the web. Have your child pretend they are the parent spider and they must…
Halloween Themed Outdoor Activities for Children By the Kids Place Pediatric Physical Therapists As snow and cold weather sweeps through many parts of the country, this time of year is a perfect reminder to why we live in Arizona. The beautiful weather outdoors plays host to many possibilities of games and activities. In the spirit…
Should I Teach My Child Sign Language? By Katy Gudim (Moakley), M.S, CCC-SLP Kids Place West Speech Language Pathologist If you have a child who is a late talker, late communicator or has a language delay, you may have heard of using sign language as an augmentative or alternative form of communication. Will my child…
What is Torticollis? By Andy Albrecht, DPT Kids Place Central Clinic Manager and Pediatric Physical Therapist Torticollis is a term used to describe a tight neck muscle. Congenital Muscular Torticollis occurs when a neck muscle, often involved is the sternocleidomastoid (SCM), is tight or shortened. This presents with a position of one ear towards the…
Child Development of Self-Care Skills By Jessica Holyoke, OTR-L Kids Place Pediatric Occupational Therapist Activities of daily living (ADLs) are a necessary part of our day and include various tasks such as getting dressed, bathing, brushing our teeth or hair, and feeding ourselves. Most of us place very little thought or effort when carrying out…
Sensory or Behavioral? How Do I Know? By Emily Pierson, OTR/L Kids Place West Pediatric Occupational Therapist Sensory processing refers to a person’s ability to take information from the environment using their seven senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, movement, and position) and interpret that information to make sense of the world. When any part…
The Benefits of Co-Treating By Amanda Bruce, MS, OTR/L and Stacy Taylor, MS, CCC-SLP Kids Place Pediatric Therapists Many parents new to pediatric therapy are unfamiliar with the term “co-treat.” Short for co-treatment, this refers to two different therapy disciplines working with one child at the same time. For example, your child may receive treatment…
