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A child struggling with transitions can respond with undesired behaviors. In some cases, it might be clear what is triggering the behaviors but in many situations, it won’t be obvious. There are many behaviors that can be manifested due to a challenge with transitions, some of the main ones can include:

• Tantrums and meltdowns
• Crying and yelling
• Resistance
• Frustration
• Confusion
• Avoiding the situation or task at all cost

OT is able to assist in many situations, especially when a child is exhibiting behaviors outlined above when transitioning. Treatment with occupational therapy can make a dramatic difference in your child’s symptoms.  

For more information on how OT may be able to help your child, please feel free to reach out to us by calling (919) 448-6018, contact us through our web form or start a chat with us in the bottom right of the website.

We have a free report, “5 Transition Strategies to Help Avoid Meltdowns and Increase Cooperation”, that you can download here.

Transition Strategies for Children Case Study

Our pediatric occupational therapists travel to your child to provide services in their natural environment or perform services over teletherapy. In this case study, read one example of how we were able to help a child through the use of transition strategies.

A little boy (22 months old) that Courtney (an All About Therapy OT) recently worked with was going through a significant transition in his life. His mom was pregnant with his baby sister and he lacked the communication skills to adequately express his needs. This often resulted in extreme tantrums. He would arch and throw himself around the room, unable to be soothed by Mom. 

Courtney decided that the DIR Floortime approach would work best. This approach involved meeting Thomas where he was, coming to his level and doing what interested him. For the first few sessions, Courtney’s primary goal was to gain his trust. They would spend most of their time playing with magna-tiles as this was a preferred activity for Thomas. After gaining his trust, Courtney was able to begin working on creating smoother transitions. 

The following are some examples of the techniques that Courtney and his parents used to help with easing his fear of transitions:

• Provide a verbal warning before beginning the transition. For example, “In 5 minutes, we are going inside to prepare for lunch”.
• Allow him to choose between two non-preferred activities when it is time to end a preferred activity. “Thomas, it is time to be all done with magna-tiles. Would you like to paint a picture or read a book?”.
• Use a transition object. Allow Thomas to take a special toy from home in the car on the way to daycare.
• Sing a song. The cleanup song works well to transition kids away from a preferred activity.
• Be consistent. We used a variety of techniques to ease transitions, but we always used at least one technique.

Once Thomas knew what to expect during transitions, he became less fearful and more compliant. His tantrums reduced dramatically. Mom would carry over techniques and strategies on the days when Courtney was not there and then report back to Courtney during the next session on successes and failures. This was an integral part of Thomas’ therapy, and why he progressed so quickly. 

After about 5 months of treatment, the family moved away but felt confident in carrying out their new strategies on their own and did not feel as though they would need to seek out occupational therapy services once they moved.

Mom provided this feedback from her time with Courtney and All About Therapy:

“It is not an exaggeration to say that All About Therapy, specifically Courtney, changed our child’s life! I highly recommend Courtney. She is extremely passionate and knowledgeable. She went above and beyond for us several times, always answering my questions and providing tips and tricks for our specific situation. It was clear to me that our child was receiving personalized, well-thought-out therapies. It’s no surprise that our toddler made incredible strides very quickly. This meant increased calm and happiness for the whole family, but more important, our child is a happier and more confident toddler now.

On the administrative side, everyone I spoke with at All About Therapy made scheduling, billing, etc., smooth and seamless. This means a lot when you are a parent juggling multiple therapies, appointments, bills, etc.”

Could transition strategies for children help you to avoid meltdowns and increase cooperation with your child?  Click here for 5 Transition Strategies to Help Avoid Meltdowns Increase Cooperation.

Get more tips, interact with our OT’s and connect with other parents by joining our Facebook Group Here.

The post Transition Strategies for Children appeared first on All About Therapy, PLLC.

When a child is struggling with attention, it can be seen through the symptoms below: 

• misplacing or forgetting items, especially items needed for an activity
• makes careless mistakes
• easily distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds 
• rarely follows instructions correctly or completely
• jumps from one uncompleted activity to the next 
• Appears not to listen when spoken to
• Has difficulty remembering things
• Has trouble staying organized and planning ahead

Signs of hyperactivity and impulsivity are:

• blurts out answers
• has difficulty waiting for their turn
• acts without thinking
• guessing, rather than taking time to solve a problem
• being overly fidgety and squirmy
• often interrupts others
• blurts out answers in class without waiting to be called on or hearing the whole question
• difficulty playing quietly or relaxing
• frequently moves around, often running or climbing inappropriately
• talks excessively
• has a quick temper or short fuse
• unable to sit still or be calm for an activity
• unable to keep powerful emotions in check, resulting in angry outbursts or temper tantrums.

OT is able to assist in many situations, especially when a child is struggling with attention,  hyperactivity and/or impulsivity.  Treatment can make a dramatic difference in your child’s symptoms.  

For more information on how OT may be able to help your child, please feel free to reach out to us by calling (919) 448-6018, contact us through our web form or start a chat with us in the bottom right of the website.

We have a free report, “10 Ways To Help Your Child Pay Attention”, that you can download here.

Attention Case Study

Our pediatric occupational therapists travel to your child to provide services in their natural environment or perform services over telethearpy.  In this case study, read one example of how we were able to help a child with attention related challenges.

Courtney (an All About Therapy OT) began working with Tyler when he was 27 months old. 

Tyler had been diagnosed with Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia (PCH), which results in atrophy, or shrinking, of parts of the brain. Tyler presented with hearing loss and delayed development across all areas. 

Mom’s goals were to address communication difficulties and work on improving developmental skills. She also wanted Tyler to improve his attention span. He attended for about 2 minutes at a time on preferred activities.

Some strategies Courtney used to increase Tyler’s attention span included:

• Offering him breaks in between activities
• Breaking his tasks into smaller tasks that could be easily completed rather than a big task that can be overwhelming
• Engaged him in activities she knew he would enjoy

Children do best when given many small tasks, instead of one big task.   Courtney worked with Tyler using various toys that had a defined end, such as a puzzle with 8 pieces. This allowed Tyler to identify how much of the task was left before he would receive a break.

As Tyler’s attention span grew, Courtney provided him with tasks that would take a longer amount of time. To Tyler, he was still only completing one task, which is what he was accustomed to,  however, because the task took more time, he was improving his attention span.  

Children often lose track of time when playing with a preferred toy. Tyler’s preferred toy was his tractor. He would push it around on the floor and he engaged with Courtney by pushing it back and forth with her.  

At the beginning of his treatment, Tyler engaged in reciprocal, or back and forth, play for 3-5 turns. Towards the end of his treatment, he was engaging in back and forth play for upwards of 20 minutes, usually with no breaks. 

Another activity that Tyler greatly improved on was a 10 piece shape sorter.  At the beginning of his treatment he could only do one shape independently, requiring moderate assistance for 5 others, and abandoning after 6 total shapes. At the end of his treatment, he was completing all 10 pieces with minimal assistance, requiring no cues for attention. He made huge strides towards increasing his attention span during his OT sessions.

Courtney worked with Tyler for 8 months before he turned 3 and started attending preschool. He would continue to receive OT services at school. Mom was happy with the progress he had made and provided this feedback:

“I highly recommend Courtney for OT! In the 8 months she worked with my son, he made amazing progress on his fine motor skills. I also noticed a huge improvement in his ability to focus on tasks, his determination to complete a task, and even increased communication (sign language). We will miss working with her!”
~Megan B.

Would improved attention and less hyperactivity be helpful for your child? Click here for: 10 Steps to Help Your Child Pay Attention

Get more tips, interact with our OT’s and connect with other parents by joining our Facebook Group Here.

The post Improve your Child’s Attention and Decrease Hyperactivity appeared first on All About Therapy, PLLC.

All About Therapy Services

Some of the most common issues we specialize in include:

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• Developmental delays and disorders.
• Handwriting difficulties.
• Motor delays/disorders.
• Handwriting difficulties.
• Sensory processing disorders (SPD).
• Feeding/oral motor difficulties.
• Cognitive disorders.
• Down syndrome.
• Cerebral palsy.
• Genetic syndromes.

Here is a closer look at the services that we provide.

Pediatric Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy helps people participate in everyday activities while focusing on development and function. At All About Therapy, pediatric occupational therapists focus on promoting function and engagement of infants and toddlers and their families in everyday life. Therapists incorporate play, education, eating, and dressing into therapy since they are critical elements of life.

Early Intervention Services

Early intervention services are dedicated to children with special needs that hinder the development of their skills. The services are intended to aid children so they can reach their potential. We often see delays that are caused by premature birth, feeding concerns, or sensory issues. We also work with children who have been diagnosed with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, and other issues. Our early intervention services can be provided in the child’s natural environment, so the therapy is not disruptive to a daily schedule. We work carefully with families to determine when and where to schedule therapy.

Developmental Milestones

Developmental milestones are skills children learn during certain time frames of their lives. Our therapists make sure that our clients are reaching these milestones at the appropriate age and are not falling behind.

Contact All Us Today!

If you are interested in therapy for your child, click here to contact us, or give us a call at 919-448-6018. Due to COVID-19, we are now offering occupational teletherapy! We can help your child progress, reach new goals, and develop new skills. We look forward to working with you.

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Some parents may ask, “How much drooling is normal?” The answer is that it depends on your child’s age and what activity they’re doing! Control of drooling happens gradually during the first two years of your baby’s life. It depends on the position your child is in, the activity they are engaging in, and the oral-motor control that your child has. It also depends on whether or not your child is teething!

Believe it or not, infants produce very little saliva during the first three months of their lives. This may be because infants at this age are being fed formula or breast milk which does not require a lot of saliva to manage. Because of this their body produces the minimum amount of saliva needed. A little saliva is needed help keep the mouth moist. When an infant who is zero to three months old is laying on their back, it is unlikely that they will drool. However, when they are required to keep their head up in supported sitting (a new motor skill), they may drool a little.

By six months most infants are learning to sit up on their own and will not drool in this position. Most are also comfortable in tummy time and do not drool in this position either. Drooling may be seen during the new tasks of reaching for and manipulating objects, especially if they are really concentrating! Around six months an infant may get their first tastes of baby food, which requires more saliva to manage. Babies at this age may salivate before, during, or after eating pureed baby foods. You may also see a six month old drool as they learn to babble! At six months of age teething may start, which will cause drooling. Babies usually first get the bottom two incisor teeth on the bottom gum, and then the top two incisor teeth on the top gum.

Nine month old babies can roll from side to side, sit unsupported, and “army” crawl with no drooling unless they are teething. They may drool when eating but they don’t drool as much as six-month-old babies before or after their meal.

Typically, fifteen months old babies do not drool during newly acquired gross motor activities such as walking. However, they may still drool when attempting new fine motor tasks until about eighteen months of age, and will still drool when teething

By the time toddlers reach twenty four months they no longer drool with advanced fine motor tasks or when speaking. If they are still teething, they may still drool when new teeth are coming in. At this age they have fully developed the ability to move their body in advanced ways all while keeping all of their saliva in their mouth!

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