Up and Down and Round and Round

Rocking my 2 month old baby girl to sleep each night reminds me of how important our vestibular system is to the well-being of ourselves and our children.  Clara specifically enjoys her swing, being bounced by daddy, and rocking and swaying with mom.  While the vestibular system can be our greatest tool as parents for calming our children, daily activation is also vital for the promotion of its healthy development. 

As a child, I struggled with various activities related to vestibular functioning, including car sickness, inability to tolerate roller-coasters and enjoy amusement parks with my friends, and aversions to various playground equipment.  Use of regular, structured vestibular activation can prevent and reduce these types of difficulties that can be so limiting to a child’s scope of play.  Fun vestibular activities include:

-          Sit n’ Spins

-          Games such as “Ring around the Rosie,” “Duck, Duck, Goose,” or “Pin the Tail on the Donkey”

-          Rolling down a hill or an incline

-          Performing forward and backward rolls and other gymnastic activities

-          Various swings

-          Rocking and Jumping

-          Scooterboards

-          Teeter Totters

-           Playing “Simon Says” and having your child move their head into different positions, such as touching their toes with their head down or shaking their head from side to side or up and down. 

These activities are especially valuable because they provide the child with control, which helps to decrease overstimulation.  Providing the child with proprioceptive input through heavy work before and after these activities will also prevent the child from becoming overstimulated.  Heavy work activities involve moving one’s body against resistance and include activities such as pushing, pulling, lifting, carrying, and weight-bearing.  A few heavy work options include:  pushing the laundry basket or a wagon, wheelbarrow walking, animal walks, climbing, hanging, tug-of-war, crawling, and jumping.   Oral motor heavy work is also beneficial, including sucking, blowing, and chewing.  All of these heavy work activities can be helpful prior to activities, such as riding in a car, that you know may be difficult for your child to tolerate or after any dizziness or motion sickness has occurred. 

Children love to move and they love having that special time to play with mom or dad.  These activities can also be fun for siblings to play together or during play dates .  So, have fun with it and find a game everyone can enjoy!  

Dana Elliot, MS, OTR/L

Smile for Me!

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month!  While we all know that our children should brush their teeth two times per day, for some of our kids, getting a toothbrush even near their pearly whites is impossible!

Try some of these strategies to beat the tooth brushing battles!

·        Make it part of his daily routine.  Always do it in the same place at the same time with the same expectations.

·        Do some heavy work before going into the bathroom.  Maybe wheelbarrow walk or crab walk to the bathroom.

·        Massage the outside of his mouth and his cheeks with firm pressure prior to brushing.

·        Provide deep pressure with textured finger puppets or washcloths around his mouth and cheeks.

·        Try some heavy work with his mouth by biting on foam bath letters, refrigerator tubing, chew tubes, NUK brushes or other safe mouth toys. (Always offer these with supervision to prevent choking.)

·        Don’t feel like he has to stand at the sink.  Allow him to sit in a chair, lie on his stomach, or even do it in the bath if that is a fun time for him!

·        Have him wear a weighted vest or a compression vest while brushing. If you don’t have one of those, fill a long sock with rice or beans, tie the end up and drape it around his shoulders while he brushes.

·        As always, give him a sense of control by choosing which tooth brush or which tooth paste he would like to use that day.

·        Try a vibrating tooth brush.  He’ll either love it or want nothing to do with it.

·        Consider trying different bristles- soft, medium or firm.

·        If a toothbrush is impossible try a thin, wet washcloth, NUK brush, or infant gum massager, then work towards the toothbrush.

·        Characters do count!  Distract him with fun characters on the toothbrush or toothpaste. 

·        Give a time frame expectation:  the length of a song or until the timer rings.  Sand timers work well for those children with auditory hypersensitivity.

·        To ensure thoroughness, have him brush for a count of 10, then you brush his teeth for a count of 10. 

·        Sometimes the brushing sound of the toothbrush may be bothersome.  Try music or other noise to distract him.

·        Reward him with a sticker chart or other motivating tools.

 Hopefully you'll both have something to smile about!

Michelle Yoder, OTR/L

Engage with your child! It's great for both of you!

As a new mom, I have found that the most important thing in my life is now my child.  But, I also have so many other responsibilities, and often feel as if I just don’t have enough time to spend with him.  I know this is just the beginning, and this is a common feeling for the working parent and the stay at home parent.  So, whenever I am able to spend time with him, I want to make the very most of it…and I certainly don’t want to forget these times (they do grow too fast!).

While I spend time with him, I am quickly reminded that you should always get down on the child’s level when talking to him/her.  So, I do.  We lay on the floor and we play together.  We do tummy time together, we play with toys together, and we read together.  As he grows, I grow…and we continue to take steps together in this wonderful journey of life.  I challenge each of you to spend five minutes each day getting down on the level of your child.  We call on them all day to step up, and follow us; but, we need to stop and take a lesson from them.  They have so much to teach us…laughter, humility, peace, compassion, love, and the list goes on…

Amy Bumgarner, MS, OTR/L

The Power of Touch!

As I complete our bath time routine with my children, I think about how much we enjoy this time together.  Following their baths we spread out their towels and they each get a massage prior to dressing.  This is the time when my 5 year old son and I talk about his day. It’s also the time my 21 month old daughter tells me all the new words she knows.  This is daddy’s time to bond and have the kid’s full attention.

Infant/child massage is a great way to increase bonding for Mom or Dad.  It is very simple to incorporate into your nightly routine and has lots of benefits.

Benefits of massage:

·         Relaxing/ calming

·         Improve sleep

·         Hydrates skin (especially this time of year)

·         Attachment/Bonding time for parent and child

·         Increase their blood flow and lymphatic circulation

·         Enhance child’s body awareness through visual, tactile, and proprioceptive input.

What you need:

·         Oil- Think edible.  Smaller children tend to suck on their fingers and toes.  We don’t want to introduce chemicals we wouldn’t want them to have.

Ex. Olive oil, sunflower oil, or vegetable oils.  Also non scented is important to aide in the bonding process and to not trigger any allergies.

·         Towel or blanket both to protect the floor and keep your child warm if needed.

·         Your child.  There is no set amount of time that you should massage.  Listen to your child and watch for cues they are enjoying the massage.  Go with the flow and have fun with your child.

Where to start:

·         Legs and feet

·         Stomach

·         Arms

·         Back

Find what works for you and your children.  They don’t stay this small for very long so enjoy every minute!

If you are interested in a free infant massage class, please contact us!  Classes will be held Tuesday evenings at 6:00 p.m.

Brandon Scott, COTA/L, LMBT

Make it Count!

After reading Peter Gorman's article in The Charlotte Observer about the crisis that Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools is facing, it is clear that more than ever before, our children's education is largely our responsibility.  And, like he said, what happens now directly affects our children far beyond 2011.  So, how do we make the most of our homework time?   

Well, the first thing that comes to my mind is that the child has to be at an optimal state of arousal to sit down and do homework.  This means he can't be too excitable or full of energy, nor too tired.  As well, kids need to move! So, before beginning homework, spend 10-15 minutes doing a large muscle activity such as push-ups, animal crawls, yoga poses, etc.  Allow him to chew bubble gum and take frequent movement breaks throughout homework, as well.  To foster learning and retention, incorporate movement into the lesson.  For instance, if he is learning to write numbers, have him draw them out on the sidewalk with chalk or form them in the air.  Then, have him write them on the homework page.  If your child is learning basic math facts, have him say them out loud while soldier marching or performing jumping jacks.

The other factor is that we cannot fill our children's schedules too full. While having well-rounded children is important, we have to leave time for good old fashioned play and homework completion.

And,as always, limit screen time!

Michelle Yoder, OTR/L

Attention Santa's Elves!

Every year I have parents that ask me what they should get their children for Christmas that will foster developmental skills and be fun and the same time. Before you begin your Holiday Shopping take a look at some of my favorite toys that will foster sensory integration, gross motor, bilateral integration, motor planning, fine motor and visual motor skills.

There are toys that span many age groups, as well as across many developmental categories. I have tried to limit them to two categories, although some would fit in every category! Also, shop around as I’ve noticed that prices vary considerably.

Sensory:

·        Crocodile Rocker

·        Hungry Pelican

·        Fropper

·        What’s in Ned’s Head?

·        Moon Shoes

·        Hoberman Sphere

·        Yogateers

·        Belly Bump Ball

·        Bubblin’ Glitterbug

·        Insta-Snow

·        Double Light Show

·        Pin Art

·        Glow Light Jar

·        Hop Ball

·        GBOP

·        Wheel Roller

·        Young Artist’s Toolbox (Toys to Grow On)

·        What’s Inside?  Soft Feely Box

·        Pop Up Tent

·        Inflatable Ball Pit

·        Mini-Trampoline

Gross Motor:

·        Fropper

·        Moon Shoes

·        EzyRoller

·        GBOP

·        Mini Trampline

Bilateral Integration:

·        Flying Turtle

·        Hoberman Sphere

·        EzyRoller

·        Wheel Roller

·        Ball Blaster Arcade Game

Motor Planning:

·        Flying Turtle

·        OGO Sport Disc

·        Rectangle Puzzle/Circles Puzzle

·        Yogateers

·        Color Magic Sticker Book

·        Hop Ball

·        Creative Mosaic Puzzle

·        Imaginets

·        Magnetic Mosaico

·        Rainbow Mosaic Pattern Puzzles

·        Box of Castle Blocks

·        Bristle Blocks

·        Pop Fly

Fine Motor:

·        Mighty Magnets

·        Blokus and Blokus Trigon

·        Hungry Pelican

·        Alex’s My Giant Busy Box

·        Mr. Mouth Game

·        Glide Game

·        Imaginets

·        Magnetic Mosaico

·        Avalanche Fruit Salad Game

·        Rainbow Mosaic Pattern Puzzles

·        Bristle Blocks

·        Box of Castle Blocks

·        Young Artist’s Toolbox

·        What’s Inside?  Soft Feely Box

Visual Motor/Visual Perceptual:

·        Blokus and Blokus Trigon

·        Alex’s My Giant Busy Box

·        Mr. Mouth Game

·        I Spy Eagle Eye Game

·        Rectangle Puzzle/Circles Puzzle

·        OGO Sport Disc

·        Find It

·        Color Magic Sticker Book

·        Hearth Song’s Three-In-One Doorway Target Game

·        Pin Art

·        Creative Mosaic Puzzle

·        Glide Game

·        Imaginets

·        Rainbow Mosaic Pattern Puzzles

·        LIFE Spot the Differences Puzzles

·        LIFE Picture Puzzles

·        Highlights My First Hidden Pictures Books

·        Pop Fly

·        Ball Blaster Arcade Game

If you would like us to help you identify something special for your child, just let us know!

Happy Holidays!

Michelle Yoder, OTR/L

Holiday Travel

A friend of mine posted a message on Facebook asking if anyone had a portable DVD player she could borrow for her son for an upcoming plane ride.  While that is a great idea to occupy the little movers, I found that Wikki Stix can be a lifesaver, too!  They stick to the airplane tray so that you’re not constantly bending over to pick them up and you can do so much with them!  It will take some of your engagement so that you can suggest some different things to do with them:  wrap them around a finger or pencil, make jewelry, twist two of them together and shape them into a candy cane, form shapes, letters or a picture, etc.  Also, anything magnetic is good so that you have some control of all of the pieces.  Watch for Fundanoodle’s Magna Stix (www.fundanoodle.com)!  Enjoy your upcoming holiday travel!

Michelle Yoder, OTR/L