Note: This is the summary of an article by Kelly Dorfman, M.S., L.D.N. Nutritionsish and Cofounder DDR In last month’s issue we featured an article detailing the importance of nutrition services in Early Intervention and under what circumstances children can benefit from nutrition therapy services. Nutritionist Kelly Dorfman states that although “neurologists often attribute low muscle tone to imbalances in …
Low Tone vs. High Tone — What Does It Mean For Your Child?
Has someone ever told you that your child has low tone? Or high tone? Have they explained exactly what that means and how it can affect your child’s development? What is Muscle Tone? The word “tone” is commonly used to describe how much muscle definition a person has. The medical definition of tone is different and describes tone as the …
The Vestibular Sense: How It Affects Child Development & Movement
The vestibular system is involved in balance, coordinating movements and the development of muscle tone. It is also important in maintaining a stable visual image, maintaining attention, and some parts of language development through its interaction with our senses of sight and sound.
Baby Drooling: When Will It Stop?
As a mother of three girls I can certainly remember the days of going through several shirts and bibs per day when my kids were teething. With each child, the drooling lasted for different lengths of time. When should drooling subside in a child’s development? Hopefully this article will help you decide if it is still OK for your child …
Positioning for Premature Baby Development
Infants born prematurely are met with a difficult situation. They try to grow and develop as they would have if they were still in the womb, however, they are doing so outside the womb. Proper positioning of preemie babies throughout their day can help them to achieve their goals for development and help ease the harshness of the world they …
Children’s Orthotics for Flat Feet
As a physical therapist, I receive questions surrounding orthotics quite frequently. Parents and caregivers may have heard from other parents about his or her child wearing orthotics for “flat feet.” Some physicians might recommend orthotics, while others believe the child will “grow out of it.” Consider the following questions and discuss them with your physical therapist prior to pursuing any …
Turning Oral Motor Activities into Play
Parents and their children are actually participating in oral motor activities and modeling oral motor skills during their daily routines without even being aware of it. Here are some fun ways to target oral motor skills during play and daily routines with your child that provide multiple opportunities to practice each skill and are fun for everyone!
Q&A: One Year Old Not Bearing Weight & Not Standing
My daughter is 13 1/2 months old. She was born full term. She is not bearing any weight on her feet. When we try to make her stand, she bends her knees. She never crawled, never moved. Her mind is sharp, and our family physician says everything with her is fine. I am extremely worried if everything is fine, how …
When Should Your Baby Start Walking? Baby Walking Guidelines
When Your Baby Learns to Walk: What’s Typical and What’s Not All parents await their baby’s first steps. This magical moment is usually reported to occur somewhere around a child’s first birthday, and when it doesn’t, many parents worry that something may be wrong with their child. While it is true that 12 months may be the average age for …
Trunk Support for Children: What Are They & How They Help
Trunk Supports Benik is a form-fitted trunk support garment made out of light neoprene. Its goals are to: Provide biomechanical stability by exerting forces to manage tone, muscle pull, and deformity Provide deep pressure for better body awareness SPIO (Stabilizing Pressure Input Orthosis) is a garment that is form fitted to be like a second skin. It is made out …