A Fidget-Free Classroom? Discover an OT’s 10 Tips.

A Fidget-Free Classroom? Discover an OT’s 10 Tips.

A Fidget-Free Classroom? My 10 tips offer ideas on how to help students who fidget achieve their best focus, state of calm, and active listening. Do we really want fidget-free kids? Fidgets such as rocking back and forth, tapping fingers, and shaking legs are cues...

Building Connections through Speech Therapy

Building Connections through Speech Therapy

I love connecting with people, ALL people. It is that connection that fills my happy tank. It is what has made a dream career of my over 25 years as a practicing speech-language pathologist. The connections that I have made along the way have made my life so full and...

Potty Training 101

Potty Training 101

Potty Training 101 Toilet Training or Potty Training is such a huge step for both children and parents! This can also be a very confusing time for parents. Trying to determine exactly when your child is ready for this big step can be tricky. It is often easy to just...

Oh My! Toddler Biting Concerns

Oh My! Toddler Biting Concerns

Biting? Oh my! Toddlers bite for many different reasons. Toddlers who bite are not bad children. Developmentally, toddlers are at a common age for biting. Some of the reasons toddlers may bite include: Communication Oral sensory seeking Anxiety/nervousness/feeling...

Building Our Mom Resumé

Building Our Mom Resumé

OT Kelly Yates pens a heartfelt thank you letter to Moms on Mother’s Day Dear Moms, Over the past couple months our role as MOM has changed in ways we never conceived possible. Our ‘Mom resumé’ has unexpectedly grown in a short period of time to include titles such...

10 TeleTherapy Tips for Parents

10 TeleTherapy Tips for Parents

There is a learning curve in supporting your child's TeleTherapy sessions at home.   Challenges of one sort or another are inevitable. As a guide, here are our top ten tips for parents new to TeleTherapy. 1. Put TeleTherapy on your child's schedule Kids, like adults,...

Five Benefits of TeleTherapy

Five Benefits of TeleTherapy

5 Benefits of TeleTherapy By Cindy Watson, M.Ed, CCC-SLPWhile most of my professional career I have provided clinic-based and home-based care, the growing need for alternative care options has led me to explore the benefits of TeleTherapy. I’ll start by mentioning...

Sleep Rules: An OT’s Discovery of What it Takes to Rest Well

Sleep Rules: An OT’s Discovery of What it Takes to Rest Well

Concerned about your child's sleep? You're not alone! My interest in sleep research began when my own son was two. He had been a pretty good sleeper as an infant, but the transition from crib to toddler bed, transitioning away from a pacifier, AND a time change away...

Top Toys Kids Love in OT

Top Toys Kids Love in OT

The right toy can make learning through play easy. The challenge is the seemingly endless options that can make gift giving overwhelming! Yes, you could buy your children cheap toys that will fall apart by New Year’s Day. OR, you can check out our list of clinic...

Developmental Milestones: A Pediatric Therapist’s Perspective

Developmental Milestones: A Pediatric Therapist’s Perspective

Reaching developmental milestones is an exciting part of childhood. Every child develops in his or her own unique and beautiful way. It is perfectly normal for children to hit CDC's developmental milestones at a slightly faster or slightly slower pace than their same...

Yes! You Can Build an Economical Sensory Room

Yes! You Can Build an Economical Sensory Room

It makes me very excited and proud that so many families and community organizations are learning more about Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). I have been approached by many families, educators, faith-based groups, and community centers asking how they can set up...

An OT’s Ultimate Guide: Best Therapeutic Toys for Kids

An OT’s Ultimate Guide: Best Therapeutic Toys for Kids

  Which toys are fun for kids... and help them learn and grow? Whether shopping for the holiday season or a birthday gift, why not find a toy that may help a child reach developmental milestones and address sensory needs? As a pediatric occupational therapist, I...

Where did all the play time go? by Melissa Foster OTR/L

Where did all the play time go? by Melissa Foster OTR/L

  An overextended child can miss out on one of the most crucial components of a healthy childhood... time for play. The kids are back in school, and the new academic year is in full swing. If your family is anything like mine, this time of year also brings on a...

Teaching Kids to Tie their Shoes by OT Melissa Foster

Teaching Kids to Tie their Shoes by OT Melissa Foster

Parents often want me to work with their child on shoe tying, typically before the start of a new school year. It seems as if this is one of those milestones that parents REALLY want their pre-schooler to achieve before kindergarten. This is great! I love it when...

6 Positioning Tips for Feeding by Connie Clark

6 Positioning Tips for Feeding by Connie Clark

The following can be used to make sure that babies and children are fed in a safe position, minimizing the risk of food or drink entering their airway. 1. Don’t lay baby flat on his or her back while bottle feeding.  When bottle-feeding, it is important for the baby...

The Purpose of Play by Melissa Foster

The Purpose of Play by Melissa Foster

We pediatric therapists have, in my opinion, the coolest jobs on the planet! I mean, who gets to go to work every day in an office where trampolines, swings, ball pits, doll houses, crayons, and glitter are all standard pieces of equipment? We play with...

Make Tummy Time Great!

Make Tummy Time Great!

https://youtu.be/aqCmZt3U-yI Baby Carter and his mom Kellie Garrett model tummy time in this fun how-to video hosted by Children's Therapy TEAM OT Melissa Foster. Make Tummy Time Great! by Melissa Foster, OTR/L Kellie is one of several therapist friends of mine who...

Autism Awareness: My Superpowers by Frankie Quinn

Autism Awareness: My Superpowers by Frankie Quinn

Children's Therapy TEAM teen, Frankie Quinn, was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 4. We asked Frankie to offer a reflection for Autism Awareness Month. This is what she shared... Frankie with her Speech Therapists Amy Smith and Carmen Shumpert   Autism...

Kylee’s Voice

Kylee’s Voice

As a child nears his or her first birthday, parents begin to anxiously await their child’s first word. That first word marks the beginning of an exciting time of learning, where children learn to express their wants, needs, and ideas, and perhaps most importantly, say...

Let them Play! by Melissa Foster

Let them Play! by Melissa Foster

Dear Melissa, How important is it for me to bring my child to occupational therapy -  it seems like all he does is play. I have very mixed feelings when I hear this comment from parents. On one hand, the fact that it looks like “just play” means that the child and the...

Pin It on Pinterest