Therapeutic equipment is equipment that is used to help your child achieve a new level of development. These can include standers, walkers, compression vests and orthotics to name a few. This type of equipment should be used under the supervision of a therapist or physician. Your therapist is a great resource to help you decide which therapeutic equipment is appropriate …
Are Walkers & Exersaucers Good for Your Baby?
Walkers, Exersaucers & Jumpers: Is There an Impact on a Baby’s Development? More and more baby “exercise equipment” becomes available to parents every year and often parents ask us questions during therapy sessions and evaluations such as “Should I get a walker for my baby?” or “Will using a bouncer help strengthen my babies leg muscles?”. You will find varying …
Baby Exercise Equipment & Development
Walkers, Exersaucers & Jumpers: Is There an Impact on a Baby’s Development? More and more baby “exercise equipment” becomes available to parents every year and often parents ask us questions during therapy sessions and evaluations such as “Should I get a walker for my baby?” or “Will using a bouncer help strengthen my babies leg muscles?”. You will find varying …
How to Work on Rolling & Sitting During Diaper Changes
Looking for ways to encourage your baby to roll and sit? Typically, rolling skills develop between 4-6 months and sitting independently develops between 6-8 months of age. You can help your baby meet these motor milestones by helping them to develop strong core muscles and assisting them in these movements every day. Diaper changes are a great time to help them …
Gross Motor Skills for Infants Aged 0-12 Months
You can help support the development of your baby’s gross motor skills from the moment you bring them home. Gross motor skills involve the large muscles of the body, such as the arms and legs. – In early child development, it’s the strengthening of these muscles that enable infants to hold their head up, sit up independently, crawl, and eventually walk. Find out …
Cleft Lip, Cleft Palate & Submucous Cleft
Occurring in 1 in every 600 births, clefts are one of the most common birth defects in the US. Clefts form early on in pregnancy (between 4-8 weeks after conception) when the facial prominences (group of cells) are fusing together. Three common types of clefts are as follows: (1) Cleft Lip is when the tissues of the upper lip have …
Adaptive Devices: Chairs and Seating
Kids naturally like and need to move around to explore their environment and socialize with family and other children. Mobility is an important milestone for our children to reach and parents look forward to this stage in development. But the importance of sitting should not be overlooked. Children need to sit to initially work on their fine motor skills and …
Helpful Strategies for Apraxia of Speech or Late Talking Toddlers
In our previous article, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, we discussed some characteristics of suspected apraxia of speech in toddlers. To redefine childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), it is a motor speech disorder. A child who has CAS will have difficulty planning motor movements for speech production. So, what does this mean? A child with CAS will often know what they …
How to Help Baby Sit Up Independently
Parents are very aware of the motor milestones their baby will meet in their first year of life. Sitting independently is a big one because now your baby can sit alone on the floor and begin to use both hands to grasp and manipulate toys. They can also now sit well in a high chair for feeding, and can sit …
Sensory Strategies for the Elementary School Classroom
With summer halfway over, perhaps you’re already thinking about Back to School shopping. In addition to the exciting preparations, you may also be thinking, “How will my child behave in the classroom? Does his sensory system allow for him to focus on the teacher’s lessons, engage in classroom activities, and attend to tasks?” Children with sensory processing disorder face unique …