What comes first – difficulties with sensory modulation, anxiety or ritual behaviors? In children, it can be very hard to determine how the three are all inter-connected if at all. The Journal of Physical and Occupational Therapy published research investigating the relationships between sensory responsiveness, anxiety, and ritual behaviors in 48 boys (ages 5-9) with […]
After reading a thought provoking blog post from Christopher Alterio,OTR, on Deconstructing the myth of clothing sensitivity as a ‘sensory processing disorder’, it really made me think about how we talk to parents as pediatric therapists. Not just about clothing sensitivity or other sensory sensitivities but about any concern that a parent comes to discuss with […]
These two figure ground and spatial reasoning activities are free from the Crocodiles, Flamingos and Monkeys Visual Perceptual packet. Can you count how many crocodiles are in the picture? This figure ground activity can be printed to provide your students with a visual perceptual challenge. Can you use spatial reasoning and visual motor skills to […]
Perceptual and Motor Skills published research on visual motor integration skills in children with speech sound disorders (SSD). A SSD is defined as a “persistent difficulty with speech sound production that interferes with speech intelligibility or prevents verbal communication of messages”. Visual motor integration (VMI) is defined as the coordination of visual and motor functioning, which is closely related […]
The January 2017 Digital Magazine for Pediatric OTs and PTs has been published. It is jam packed with information on recent research, activity ideas, tips and more. View the Table of Contents for the Your Therapy Source Digital Magazine January 2017: 5 WAYS TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY NECK AND TRUNK EXERCISES HELP WITH HAND FUNCTION AND VISUAL PERCEPTUAL […]
Winter Challenge is a fun, NO PREP, Winter themed activity to encourage fine motor, gross motor and visual motor skills. Just print the black and white page and complete each of the Winter themed challenges. Can you trace the ski tracks, draw snowflakes, walk backwards, pretend to ice skate, hold snow tube pose and finish […]
The ability to determine spatial relationships is important in everyday tasks. You need to interpret what it means to “stand first in a line”, “sit in front of Johnny” or “put the pencil on top of the paper”. If a child has difficulty perceiving spatial relationships it can affect motor skills, body awareness, problem solving, activities of daily living […]
Educational Psychology Review published a research review on handwriting instruction. A meta-analysis was completed on experimental intervention studies with K-12 students to determine if teaching handwriting enhanced legibility and fluency and resulted in better writing performance. The results indicated the following: when compared to no instruction or non-handwriting instructional conditions, teaching handwriting resulted in statistically […]
Here is a penguin activity that includes scissor skills, sequencing, motor planning, visual motor skills and following directions! All on one piece of paper (translation: NO PREP activity). This penguin activity is from the Cut, Sequence, Paste and Draw – Arctic Animals. Print out this activity and the child can cut, sequence, paste and […]
I always find it interesting to go back and see what were the top 10 Your Therapy Source blog posts from the previous year. So hopefully you will enjoy seeing what everyone else is reading. Here you go….the TOP 10 YOUR THERAPY SOURCE BLOG POSTS FROM 2016: 10. Five Gross Motor Activities for Small Spaces 9. […]