When asked to participate in this blog hop with a recommendation for a favorite summer time activity, I knew what my answer was right away. Sidewalk chalk is my absolute favorite. Depending upon how you use it, sidewalk chalk can encourage physical activity, fine motor, gross motor and visual perceptual skills. Now of course […]
Pediatrics has published a large study linking reduced sleep and childhood obesity. The children who consistently received less than the recommended hours of sleep during infancy and early childhood had increases in both obesity and in adiposity or overall body fat at age 7. Insufficient sleep was defined as less than 12 hours per day from […]
Print this motivational wall art to hang up in the occupational or physical therapy room. You can download it from Your Therapy Source at https://www.yourtherapysource.com/freebicyclequote [subscribe2]
Recently, the Journal of Intellectual Disabilities published research comparing responses to verbal versus tactile requests in children with congenital blindness, intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). For trial one, requests were given verbally. For trial 2, tactile requests were given. The results indicated the following: 1. All students perceived tactile symbols to be explicit […]
A group of researchers at the CanChild Centre in Canada completed research comparing child focused therapy and context focused therapy for children with cerebral palsy. The participants included 128 children with cerebral palsy who received one sessions of therapy per week by an OT or PT of either child focused therapy or context focused therapy. […]
For awhile now I have been trying to figure out how to make some chalkboard items. I have tried the chalkboard spray paint which does work well on wood. I tried it on fabric and cardboard and did not have good results. The other day I received an email with a daily deal on repositionable […]
Dr. Alisha Ohl, a practicing pediatric occupational therapist and professor at SUNY Downstate Medical Centers occupational therapy program, worked with a group of students in the creation of an educational video that focuses on improving administration and scoring of the Beery Buktenica Visual Motor Integration Assessment. The video consists of video clips demonstrating the administration of […]
Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly has published research on motor skill deficiencies and the severity of symptoms in 159 young children (110 with autism diagnosis) ages 12 – 33 months. The researcher, Megan MacDonald, from Oregon State University, found the following: 1. children with autism were nearly a year behind their typical peers in […]
Ever wonder what else you could do with loom bands? Here are 5 suggestions that encourage fine motor skills, visual motor skills and hand strengthening (and none of them are bracelets)! Get all the directions at https://www.yourtherapysource.com/freeloombands.html [subscribe2]
Psychological Science has published research on 9 month old infants reaction to tactile input. The parents sat the infant on their lap while the experimenter stroked the back of the infant’s arm with a paintbrush. The experimenter varied the rate of the brushstrokes among three defined velocities: slow, medium and fast (0.3, 3, or 30 […]