How to Improve a Child’s Body Awareness by Hannah Whitty, Occupational Therapy Student Children with poor body awareness have increased difficulty knowing where their body is in space. Body awareness is an essential skill needed for children to properly participate in everyday tasks. Without appropriate body awareness, a child is unable to safely navigate their…
My Child is Constantly Putting Things in His Mouth by Tracie Dahl, OTR/L Kids Place Central Pediatric Occupational Therapist You may have heard your child’s therapist talk about proprioception and the importance of providing proprioceptive input, but what is it? The proprioceptive system helps tell us about the movement and position of our joints and…
by Tracie Dahl, OTR/L Kids Place Central Pediatric Occupational Therapist Teeth begin to appear as early as six months old and should be brushed twice a day as soon as they appear, according to the American Dental Association. But brushing a child’s teeth, especially a young child, is challenging (and stressful), especially when there is…
The Developmental Benefits of Chores by Kristen Henderson, M.S., OTR/L Kids Place West Pediatric Occupational Therapist For many of us, chores are a normal part of childhood. What you may not realize is that common household chores can help children develop a variety of executive functioning skills that are beneficial later in life. Executive functioning…
Temper Tantrums and Behavior Management by Amanda Mazerall M.S. OTR/L Temper tantrums are ‘behaviors’ that I see on a daily basis. Although Kids Place is an extremely fun and exciting place, it is common for children to get upset while present for therapy. There are a variety of reasons for these upset behaviors: Seeking a…
Your Child’s Progressions in Handwriting by Jenna Zellner, OTS Kids Place Student Occupational Therapist Handwriting acquisition is a crucial learning process necessary to get children prepared for school and adult life. Similar to a child’s physical development, handwriting skills follow a sequential progression. First children develop precursor readiness skills which consist of drawing simple shapes.…
Upper Body Weight Bearing By Jessica Tallent, OTR/L Kids Place Pediatric Occupational Therapist Occupational therapists assist in developing fine motor coordination and grasping skills needed for children to carry out everyday tasks. These tasks include playing with different sized, picking up pieces of food, learning to use utensils such as spoons and markers, tying shoes,…
The 8th Sense by DeNell Dykstra, OTS Kids Place West Student Occupational Therapist Most of us are aware of the five main senses – sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Some of us have also heard of the two ‘hidden’ senses – proprioception and vestibular. Proprioception is the ability to sense joints and muscles. The…
Tools to Manage Your Child’s Challenging Behaviors by Kristen Henderson, M.S., OTR/L Kids Place West Pediatric Occupational Therapist Children misbehaving or testing the limits is a normal part of childhood development. Most challenging behaviors emerge between the ages of 3—6 when the child is developing a sense of autonomy. However, these behaviors can reach a…
Ask The Therapist – What is Visual Motor Integration? by Amanda Mazerall, OTR/L Kids Place Central Pediatric Occupational Therapist Visual Motor Integration, or ‘VMI,’ is a form of coordination that allows us to accurately control our hand movements based off of vision. Poor VMI skills may impact a child’s ability to write their name, catch…
