The Proprioceptive Sense Most of us are familiar with our five senses – touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. We were taught in school that it’s our senses that teach us about the world. It’s how we learn. All of that is true, however, we also have an additional two
Dyspraxia and apraxia both deal with the concept of motor planning. Apraxia is the ability to plan and execute an unfamiliar motor task, movement, or sequence. To effectively motor plan, the person must first have an idea (think mental picture) of what needs to happen to complete the movement or movements.
Many of the students I have previously worked with have hypotonia (a state of low muscle tone) which means the muscles may seem loose or floppy. When relaxed, those with hypotonia can easily move their limbs and are very flexible. While it does seem like an advantage to be more
Using shaving cream as a sensory activity is great for a number of reasons. First of all it’s very inexpensive and can be found almost anywhere. Second, it’s a sensory activity that’s easy to set up and easy to clean up, which many of us need to take into consideration
The concept of art therapy is a relatively new one. Teachers and therapists use it for a variety of reasons, but primarily to give students a nonverbal outlet for their feelings, assist students in improving upon skills such as calming and organizing, increase body awareness as well as improve fine
We all could use a savasana every day…I could probably use a couple! Savasana is Sanskrit and literally means “corpse pose”. While it may sound a little creepy when translated that way, savasana is simply a small period of time to rest your mind, body and spirit. Lying in corpse pose
Yoga and the Special Child by Sande Rutstein, OTR Last year, I began to see a seven-year-old girl, whom I will call Lisa. She had been diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) several years earlier. Lisa was a kind and anxious child who moved constantly. She was receiving occupational
Yoga seems to be the “in” thing as of late. While that might be true, there are proven scientific benefits to doing yoga. We already know it helps adults focus, relax, alleviate stress, become more physically fit and flexible, but most people don’t know it can also help children –
Straw cups are a better choice than sippy cups for two main reasons – tooth decay and potential speech problems. Sippy cups are good “starter cups” for little ones who are just beginning to leave the bottle behind. The cups often have handles, they are spill-proof, and usually have some
What is occupational therapy (OT) and how does it relate to children? Christy Dalton, OTR/L, pediatric occupational therapist for Fayette County Schools in Lexington, KY took some time out to give us the basics on occupational therapy and how it helps people of all ages. What is occupational therapy? “A