 With the holidays quickly approaching, the therapists at Reaching New Heights put their minds together to compile a list of toy recommendations for our kiddos! The toys and activities below will be great to enrich the home environment with activities that will benefit them long-term. If you would like recommendations specific to your child, feel free to talk to their therapist(s) about it! Pre-Academic Skills Letters + Number Matching: This activity set includes matching, numbers, letters, sequencing, and pre-writing skills all in one! https://bit.ly/3HO78tp Alphabet Dough Mats: This is a great hands-on way to get familiar with forming letters. It combines literacy and fine motor skills! https://bit.ly/32gMqlB Comparing Sizes: This activity set helps children learn comparisons and problem solving, while building the skills needed to learn to read. https://bit.ly/3DO57ei What Goes Together? Activity Box: Children can learn to categorize and identify associations. The cheese goes with the mouse, the banana goes with the monkey, and so on! https://bit.ly/3l2PxEx Language Early Language Activity Boxes: This set can address so many areas! It comes with boxes for categorizing, associations, and comparing. https://bit.ly/30NHSmF Cootie game: This game is great for learning body parts and requesting different colors/parts. Games are also a great way to practice turn taking. https://amzn.to/3nI84Yo Pretend Play Oven: There are so many skills you can work on, especially requesting (open, close, take out, put in, etc.), pretend play, counting, and following directions! https://amzn.to/3l2Qk8u Melissa and Doug Garage With Keys: This small toy is great for requesting help/open/close and labeling colors/vehicles/numbers etc. https://amzn.to/30Z3dt7 Melissa and Doug Latches Activity Board: This board is great for requesting help/open/close, as well as working on fine motor skills with various closures. https://amzn.to/3E1FpDv Fine Motor Tweezers – Find the Letter: Children have to dig through and find the letter, then pick it up with tweezers. This activity is great for literacy and fine motor skills! https://bit.ly/3FKCTl8 Squirrel Tweezer game It helps develop age-appropriate grasp patterns and grip strength. It also helps to develop turn taking skills and color recognition. https://amzn.to/3nKRuqT Magnetic tiles Helps to develop bilateral coordination and supports imaginative play! https://amzn.to/3l36gY4 Squigz Helps to develop grip strength and supports color recognition. https://amzn.to/3FIFSdW Pop the Pig: This game is great for fine motor, but there are so many opportunities for language! For example, the child may need to ask the game partner for a piece (“I want the yellow burger”). The game also requires counting which is a great opportunity to practice numbers in a fun way. https://bit.ly/3cHqPEZ Design and Drill Activity Set: This set is fantastic for so many things! You can use it for fine motor skills of course, but it is also helpful for visual perception and learning to match to a sample. https://amzn.to/30VBR7h LiteBrite: great for working on visual motor and visual perception skills https://amzn.to/3HR2Npe Play doh: almost everyone loves this. Great for sensory play, imitation, bilateral coordination, fine motor skills… the list is endless. https://amzn.to/3FyPs38 Legos/blocks: smaller for older kids, larger ones for younger kids (like mega blocks). Great fine motor and bilateral coordination activity. Also can work on visual motor and executive function skills if copying a design. https://amzn.to/3l5O0NN https://amzn.to/30UdRAV Crayons/markers/paint/coloring book/art set: Most kids enjoy this and it encourages creativity! Stacking Stones: A fun twist on your regular stacking blocks! https://amzn.to/3r263YW Buddha Board: Very calming, and encourages creativity without making a huge mess! https://amzn.to/32xFPnf Gross Motor Jumparoo: Multifunctional piece that can be used to target gross motor play and sensory input. https://bit.ly/3cJGcww Nugget Couch This item encourages kids to use their imagination to build various structures. It also doubles as a couch, alternative seating, and a crash pad if need be! https://nuggetcomfort.com/ Teeter Popper: https://bit.ly/3l3Q6O5 Sensory Kinetic Sand: An awesome way to encourage messy play while limiting the mess! https://amzn.to/3FFygZN Sensory Steppers: Great for kids who seek sensory input, especially through their feet. https://amzn.to/3nItowT Social Skills / Social Emotional Learning What Should Danny Do? This book assists young readers with making expected/unexpected choices and shows how our choices have the ability to impact our day. This is a great way to open up a family discussion about helpful/positive choices and actions. https://amzn.to/3DM3JJ7 Board Games Zingo https://amzn.to/3xiJ9gY Headbanz https://amzn.to/3CGQdFj If you have any questions, feel free to contact us! Have a wonderful, safe, and healthy holiday season with your beautiful families. AuthorLaina Matuch (Culley) is a BCBA at Reaching New Heights. She collaborated with other therapists to compile this awesome list. laina@reachingnewhts.com
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“Isn’t physical therapy just for athletes and adults in recovery?” Nope! Sometimes, children need physical therapy, too. You might not give a second thought to walking up the stairs or picking up a drink. But for a child with an injury or delay in development, those simple tasks can be very challenging. Seeing your child try their best with their peers and still struggle to keep up can be difficult as a parent to watch. You do everything in your power to help but feel like you could be doing more. Do not worry, you are not alone! I am here to help your child achieve the movement milestones they need in order to keep up in a fast-paced world. Welcome to the world of pediatric physical therapy!
In short, as a pediatric physical therapist, it is my main job to assist your child in meeting their age-related norms so that they are able to keep up with their peers on the playground. I assist your child with being able to develop balance skills in order to kick a ball, develop the coordination it takes to catch and throw a ball, develop strength in order to be able to go up and down the stairs reciprocally, and to use all three components in order to learn to complete gross motor activities such as riding a bike. It is also important for me to note that all of these are all very specific examples. You may want to think of it in more basic terms…I can assist your child in learning how to crawl, walk, run, jump, and even skip! As a Doctor of Physical Therapy, I have been trained to break tasks down in to smaller components, find a weak spot in the task development, and meet your child where they are to cultivate specific, personalized goals. Now, you may be thinking, “Why is it important or even functional for my child to throw or catch a ball, and who cares about skipping?” I can sense where your hesitation comes in…especially because those are not typical daily activity in adulthood. Aside from the important core strength, coordination, and muscle strength that is required to complete those activities, it allows your child to be able to keep up with their peers in everyday life. I am a firm believer that children learn best and have those most growth during play. Not only from a physical therapy stand point, but also from a social, emotional, and cognitive stand point. There are so many aspects of growth that are taking place during these pivotal young years in your child’s life, and I promise to do my best to give your child the tools they need to lead a life of prosperity and success. The next thing you may be wondering, is “What would a typical treatment session look like?” It may be easy to assume that you treat each diagnosis or impairment following a specific, laid out “rule book”. However, the exact opposite is true! It is my moral responsibility to treat each patient individually, based on areas of need noted during my thorough examination, rather than from a diagnosis listed on a piece of paper. As to no surprise, I like to make my treatment sessions full of play! Through repetition and guided movements, I do my best to make therapy productive and fun. If you are feeling that you child could use additional gross motor training, backed by science, to keep up with their peers day to day, or if you feel like you consistently seeing them fall during play, or struggle to climb on the jungle gym, please feel free to reach out to me directly at Elise@reachingnewhts.com and I would love to set up an appointment and have you join the world of pediatric physical therapy!  As I reflect on 2020, it is with mixed emotions. The obvious overwhelming dark cloud that is Covid is hard to ignore when looking for bright spots. So much loss of life occurred from this pandemic. RNH suffered the loss of one of our own, Karen Schroedel, to cancer. I also suffered a personal loss in the tragic death of my dear nephew. I know many, many people who lost beloved family members and friends this year. This year started out bright with my middle daughter, Nora marrying the love of her life, Joe, on February 29 in a dramatic, lavish wedding that would be the last big party of 2020 for most of our family and friends. So glad to have seen most of the people I love in one room that day! It was heartbreaking to close RNH on March 12, 2020 after the governor closed the schools and issued a stay-at-home order. This shut down occurred just weeks before the 4-year anniversary of the ribbon cutting for the first RNH brick and mortar office. We tried tele-therapy, and it worked for some kiddos, but certainly not all. On June 1 we reopened with precautions and protocols. The kids flourished and we knew this was the right decision We moved to our stunning new location on August 1 and we finally felt like we were home. The benefits of having all three disciplines together is evident in the progress our kiddos are making. Our team has grown. As of January 4, we will have 19 therapists providing services to our families and one office person. From 1 employee to 20 in less than 5 years. The team we have now is so strong, devoted, and united. It is staggering to me to see these incredible women change lives daily. I rarely “toot my own horn”, but every time a parent tells me I have changed their lives, I have given their child a voice, I gave them hope when they were hopeless, or as one cherished Mom says they often say “Thank God for Donna”, I am humbled. It simply takes my breath away. As I say goodbye to 2020, I suggest we all be kind, give grace, and leap. If you believe and you do what’s right, the net will surely appear. AuthorDonna Rowan Culley is the founder/owner of Reaching New Heights and is an experienced Speech Language Pathologist with a specialty in Autism. She is passionate about helping nonverbal children find their voice.
Feeling like the holiday season crept on you this year? Don’t worry. It did for me too. And if you’re anything like me, you’re still looking to finish up your shopping. Here are some great ideas for gifts for children of any age that will encourage sensory play and exploration, as well as important developmental skills. Plus, all of these toy ideas are screen free! I’ve linked an Amazon list at the bottom of this blog post which includes some of the toys listed below for easy shopping and even more ideas.
Babies - Ball ramp or ball popper - Ring stacker - Play table - Play cubes - Sit to stand walkers - Poppin’ Pals - Push and spin toys Toddlers - Shape sorters - Mega blocks - Mr. Potato Head - Stack and Sort boards - SpinAgain stacker - Laugh and Learn Piggy Bank Preschoolers - Inset puzzles with knobs - Art supplies & easel (paints, markers, crayons, dry erase, etc.) - Pretend play sets (kitchen, tool bench, doll house, dressup,) - Games! There are so many, but here are a few examples o Chutes and Ladders, Ants in the Pants, Candy Land, Let’s Go Fishin’, Zingo - Play Doh - Duplo blocks - Magna-Tiles Elementary - Lego’s - Game Suggestions: o Any games listed in the preschoolers category, Kerplunk, Guess Who, Don’t Break the Ice, Uno, Blink, Twister, Trouble, Sorry, Perfection, Connect 4, Perfection, Spot It All Ages - Play tunnel - Mini trampoline - Floam - Slime kits - Kinetic Sand (turn this into a super fun sensory bin!) - Books Amazon Link: http://a.co/0alA2Ez Happy holidays and happy shopping!
Last Tuesday, I took my son to Pre-K Orientation. It was great – we met his teachers, became acquainted with his new school building, saw the playground, spent time in his new classroom, and met some of his new friends. On the way out, we practiced saying “goodbye” at the door I’d drop him at the following morning, and he was all smiles. He was so excited for school!
That night, we talked about his teachers, how excited he was for the reading corner and the blocks center and explained to his dad and brother about how he’d be dropped off and wave goodbye with a smile. We placed the bright magenta parent ID tag in my car, looked at the calendar with the next day’s events, and read a social story about going to school (child of a BCBA and Special Education teacher – what can I say?). Before bed, we re-read the social story, and ended with “The Kissing Hand” – a great story about a baby raccoon’s first day at school. He was still so excited for school. Then came Wednesday morning. We woke up, had his favorite breakfast, and took his annual back-to-school photos by the front porch. His grandma arrived to watch his little brother, and we hopped in the car to drive to school. When we arrived, he started getting a little nervous. He said the school seemed too big. I assured him he’d met his teachers and seen the classroom – it was just one short hallway to get there – no worries. But then the bell rang and the teachers came out to get the students. He panicked. He clung to me and began to cry. He wouldn’t leave my side. I went through the schedule – reminded him that I’d be back to get him in just a couple hours. I used all the tricks I have up my sleeve to make transitions more seamless. Nothing worked – he clung tighter and cried harder. His teachers offered that I could come to the classroom, but I didn’t want to reinforce the negative behavior (again – kid of a BCBA…), so instead, I walked into the building with him. He still clung tight and said “Don’t leave me!” through tears. It was terrible. Finally, when the last parents had left, I looked pleadingly through tear-filled eyes at his teacher and said, “you can take him”. I gave him one last kiss and a big squeeze, and said, “have a great day! I’ll see you soon!” with as much excitement as I could muster. As she pried his sweet fingers off me, she said, “I’ll text you” and I hoped that I’d hear soon that he was smiling and enjoying school. I held myself together on my way back to the car, and somehow made it safely to the McDonald’s parking lot before crumbling. It was awful. But – he was fine. I got a text from his teacher within 15 minutes that included a picture of my smiling boy saying he was having a great morning. When I picked him up, he told me he “loved school”, but that he just felt a little sad at first. The next morning, and every morning since, he’s kissed me goodbye at the door and run up the stairs excitedly and completely on his own. As our kids go back to school, it’s important to remember to give them all the tools we have to help them transition – things like talking about changes, using calendars and agendas, reading social stories, and having special little traditions to look forward to at pick-up time. But, even when all those tricks are in place, it’s still not always easy...and that’s okay. Hold strong for your kiddo – let them see you as a strong front who is confident that they’ll love school and have so much fun. Remember that each day is a new day. Keep in close touch with your child’s teacher and show your child that they are a safe person. Talk to us and let us help develop interventions to assist with transitions (and reinforcers for great days at school). And if all else fails – text us from the McDonald’s parking lot…we’ve been there, too.
Occupational therapy…”hmm, yeah, I have heard of it”..”but, umm...what is it that you do again?”
“You help people get jobs right?”... “Wait...you’re a pediatric occupational therapist? "Well….why would children need jobs?” If I had a nickel for every time I have heard a similar conversation I would be RICH! SO...what is occupational therapy and what do we do when it comes to a population of children? First off, we don’t help your child get a job, however, we can help provide skills that one needs for a job in the future. Instead, we enjoy being called the specialists that are going to teach your child how to use their brain and hands together while sitting upright in a chair. Let’s begin with what our brain and hands are doing. Think about how much you do with your hands throughout a day. We button up our shirt, we feed ourselves with a spoon, we grab our seat belt to lock in place, we hold a cup to drink our large coffee out, we write to-do lists with a pen, we pick up the small M & Ms as a midday snack, we tie our tennis shoes to walk our dog...okay, you see where I am going with this. Everything we do with our hands begins with a plan in our head and is then executed with movements of our body, this is called motor planning. This motor planning allows us to accomplish everything we do in a day...which explains the brain part. But now our hands, too?? I promise I will make it simple. Our arms and hands make all of these activities possible through how we move, grasp, and manipulate items in our everyday life. Period. So as occupational therapists, we help to coordinate what our brain and hands are doing and provide the tools needed for your child to be able to control their upper body movements and manipulate objects to complete necessary activities across their environments. “Okay...but upright in a chair?” “What?!” Well, that takes us to the “foreign language” part of occupational therapy... What do I mean by saying upright in a chair? We do focus a lot on what our arms and hands are doing, but we can’t even begin to observe that if we aren’t sitting upright in a chair, or sitting pleasantly on the ground, or having enough balance to stand up tall, right? This is where the sensory approach comes in. I know when we think about sensory we think about our five main senses we learned in elementary school: touch, taste, smell, sight, hear...but did you know there are actually 8 sensory systems in our bodies? The last three that we don’t learn about are vestibular (knowing where our body is in space), proprioceptive (movement of our muscles and joints in relation with the rest of our body), and interoception (what our internal organs are feeling) systems. All of these systems work together in order for us to sit in a chair, stay in a chair, and attend in a chair. “Okay...so what? We have 8 sensory systems...what does that have to do with occupational therapy?” Well, I will tell you. Occupational therapists are magical masters in finding how your child processes sensory input coming in from all directions, then we provide fun activities that helps the child process that input better (without them even knowing it, WHAT?!), and then the child learns how to attend to their teacher or you, control their emotions, sleep better, or EVEN SIT UPRIGHT IN A CHAIR without falling or causing disruptions. We all have sensory needs and we all process these systems differently. A lot of the time, for adults, we learn how to regulate without help...such as tapping a pencil or a foot in a meeting, chewing gum, doing a midday stretch, etc. We have just naturally learned what is going to help us stay awake or attend to someone or something. “So...how do I know if my child may need occupational therapy?” Great Question! Some things to look for: ● Trouble holding items (such as spoon/fork, writing utensil, etc) ● Maintaining a grasp on such items ● Uninterested or avoid activities with small manipulatives (beads, cutting, writing) ● Does not use both hands/sides of body ● Trouble finding objects in a background ● Handwriting difficulties ● Picky eating ● Avoids messy play ● Avoids movement (climbing, swinging, etc) ● Seeks movement constantly ● Seeks tight hugs, consistently pushing/falling into you ● Requires specific clothing and clothing materials ● Seems to require their name to be called a few times before noticing ● Enjoys chewing/biting objects ● Avoids loud/ busy places ● Loses balance easily I know...you’re thinking “maybe some of these things happen but I am just not sure if it is normal or if it means anything more than just being a kid.” Well, GREAT NEWS. Here, at Reaching New Heights, we offer FREE, yes…..I said FREE, screenings to assess if your child might need more help from the brain and hand specialists, the magical sensory masters. Feel free to contact me with any questions/concerns or comments at bmoran@reachingnewhts.com
My kid won’t talk, what do I do now?! The answer may be PECS!
Here is why I am SO EXCITED about PECS at Reaching New Heights, and why you may be just as excited as I am! The introduction of PECS has been a game changer for several of the children I work with. The main reason that PECS WORKS is because it decreases the neurological demand on the child (they are able to just focus on removing/exchanging an icon to communicate). It also works because it teaches the child that COMMUNICATION IS POWER! They typically learn very quickly that by requesting items, they are able to get what they want much faster. The third amazing thing is that it does not inhibit verbal communication, it promotes it, mainly because they learn that communication is power and by talking, they can achieve even more! One child that comes to mind came to Reaching New Heights with no verbal communication. I wanted to introduce a tool that would encourage him to communicate, but would also act as a resource for him to request his wants/needs in different contexts! PECS seemed like the perfect tool! I started using this with him and within 2 weeks he was independently removing the icon(s) and exchanging them for desired items (e.g., he would exchange a “car” icon for a toy car). I brought his caregiver in to observe a session and trained her on PECS so that they could start to use this amazing resource at home! (Did I mention that I made him his own PECS to utilize at home, that is personalized and catered to his specific needs?! We can do this for any child that comes to Reaching New Heights and excels with PECS!!) Now he is able to seek out his PECS in the therapy room and bring icon(s) to the SLP to request desired objects. It was so exciting to see his progression with PECS and to see him gain functional communication! One of the greatest things about Reaching New Heights is our ability to collaborate with other fields/professions. As a team, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and ABA discussed PECS and the benefits it could have for this child if we all use it. Now he is able to use his own PECS in all of his therapy sessions to tell others the things he needs! PECS can be such an amazing tool for so many different children. Communication is so important, and PECS is an amazing resource that can help children begin to use their voice and learn all the wonderful things they can accomplish with communication! Come see us at Reaching New Heights to see all the amazing things your child can accomplish with PECS!!
ABA is sort of the new kid on the block when it comes to services for children with autism, and the other kids on the block sometimes aren’t welcoming us with open arms. Personally, I find that very confusing.
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