Category Archives: Sensory

School-Based Practitioners Summit

August 14, 2018Education, Events, Handwriting, SensoryTherapro

The inaugural School-Based Practitioners Summit took place on August 6th and 7th in Columbus Ohio. It attracted almost 600 invigorated attendees and 20 exhibitors, including Therapro. Refreshed from a summer hiatus, therapists and educators launched head first into a diverse selection of workshops presented by a distinguished group of presenters.

Workshops featured vital topics including: sensory regulation, team collaboration, the impact of visual skills on learning, integrating primitive reflexes to improve school function, handwriting success, survival guide for the school therapist, and much, much more!

The Therapro exhibit was constantly buzzing with attendees searching for the best tools for their school-based practice. Ginger MacDonald, OTR/L, co-author of Self Care with Flair, and I enjoyed greeting the therapists and educators who stopped by to grab a new catalog, discuss products, and say “hello.” It was fun to introduce attendees to games like Letter Treasure Hunt, Novenops, and Right Turn Left Turn. They loved trying out our fidgets including Loopeez, Wristful Fidget, Stretchy String, Tangles and What’Zit Animals. Active movement products like Zoom Ball, Peanut Ball, Thumballs, and the new CanDo Wobble Ball attracted visitors to “try it” and have fun. We couldn’t keep fine motor materials including Self Opening Scissors, Wacky Web, Twist N Write, Progressive Grip Kit, Butter Grip, and Handi-Writer on the shelves. Books that flew off the shelves included: Answers to Questions Teachers Ask about Sensory Integration, Sentence Tracking, Symbol/Letter Tracking, and When Your Child Struggles. Attendees provided great feedback on Therapro products they had used and loved. There was something for everyone!

Yoga products were wildly popular. Yoga Bingo and Relaxation Station Photo Booklet were two new products that drew attention because of the beautiful photographs of elementary age students. Yoga & Me Come Be a Tree, by Therapro author Tere Bowen-Irish, OTR/L was a favorite because it depicts yoga poses by an able bodied child and one in a wheelchair, side-by-side.

The SBP Summit was a successful endeavor chaired by Mike Collins, Executive Director of OSHS (Ohio School Health Services Association), and executed by his enthusiastic, dedicated team! They presented new and seasoned school-based practitioners with a 2-day conference that offered a well-planned selection of intensive sessions. As an exhibitor, our goal was to offer an array of materials for attendees to examine and try out that will help therapists and teachers meet the goals they set for their students for the coming school year.

We enjoyed our fast-paced two days in Columbus. We hope to see you next year!

Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L
August 14, 2018

What Helps Special Needs Kids Tolerate Grooming and Hygiene?

April 4, 2018SensoryGuest Blogger

by Cathy Collyer

Occupational therapists are the “ADL specialists” on a treatment team. Building independence in self-care isn’t always the problem we are addressing. For younger kids or multiply challenged children of any age, simply tolerating experiences like nail cutting, haircuts and face washing can be the hardest part of the day. Helping children and their families to make grooming and hygiene less of an issue can improve children’s sense of safety and control. It can even build the relationship between caregivers and children.

When evaluating a child’s aversion to ADL’s, look to the comprehensive OT evaluation. While the Sensory Profile or the SPM will highlight specific challenges in oral or tactile domains, looking at a child’s level of motor, visual-perceptual and behavioral functioning provides a more complete picture of the child. Postural issues, issues with endurance, attention, or identifying unique behavioral/emotional expression of frustration will suggest potential treatment pathways or complications.

Prior to Grooming And Hygiene Activities:

Directly address sensory-based issues in a comprehensive manner. Use of the Wilbarger Protocol, creation of a sensory diet and selecting tools to desensitize aversive response can support even the most agitated child. Brief activity on a Therapy Ball can increase postural activation while modulating arousal prior to ADL’s. Other children benefit from a NUK Brush or other oral/facial input before tooth brushing or having their face washed.

During ADL’s:

The use of sensory and behavioral activities can help increase and lengthen tolerance. Some children benefit from sitting in a Beanbag Chair during grooming to provide calming input and postural stabilization. A visual timer supports a child to understand that the activity will end and provides an objective measurement. This could reduce the child’s use of whining or aggression directed at the caregiver. A Weighted Lap Pad can be helpful calming input to an agitated child. Children with sensory seeking as well as sensory sensitivity often prefer a weighted object with texture.

When the ADL Task is Completed:

Aversive responses can continue long after a child demonstrates minimal or no observable aversive response in a treatment session. Why? Because children are more than a stimulus-response cycle. They develop a sense of anticipatory anxiety and have habitual reactions that can be triggered even without sensory input.

Replacing old behaviors with more functional new habits may require slowly adapting ADL routines to decouple sequences that elicit aversion. An example of this would be allowing a child who is agitated during feeding to briefly play with washable items after a meal but before cleaning his hands. Any residual agitation from distressing feeding experiences could dissipate partially or totally before the caregiver uses deep pressure input to wipe the child’s hands.

Supporting children for ADL tolerance and eventual independence requires us to use our task analysis and evaluation skills in creative and complex ways. Building tolerance and independence is our initial goal, but successfully navigating daily ADL experiences will have wide-ranging effects. Improving grooming and hygiene experiences helps families feel calmer around ADL’s in general, improves communication, and deepens trust between caregivers and children.

Cathy Collyer, OTR, LMT, PLLC

Cathy Collyer, OTR, LMT has treated children with neurological, orthopedic and sensory processing disorders for over 20 years. She is the author of The Practical Guide To Toilet Training Your Child With Low Muscle Tone. Learn more about her work at tranquilbabies.com.

Move Mindfully Card Deck and Sensory Systems

February 7, 2018Body Awareness, SensoryGuest Blogger

by Stephanie Kennelly

Therapro is excited to offer the Move Mindfully Card Deck, available at our store. This product helps integrate physical fitness, mindfulness and social emotional skills into practice. The deck not only offers individual poses, but also routines to address a variety of common needs, such as “accident prone” and “lethargic”.

As a Blog Bonus, we are offering a free download of three poses from the card deck to get you started with a simple routine. Read on to learn more about each pose and how it relates to your Occupational Therapy goals.

Belly Breathing

Belly Breathing

Getting into the Pose:
Belly Breathing is often taught with the Hoberman Sphere. The brightly colored, collapsible tool offers a visual tracking point to feel the diaphragm expand and contract. However, hands can simply be placed at heart and belly when teaching belly breathing as well. To start, we recommend a seated position in a chair, for back support. As a modification, this pose can also be completed laying on the floor. In this position, try a small object or toy placed on the belly for extra visualization of the up and down movement.

Therapy Resource:
Belly breathing is a great way to work on postural stability while maintaining an upright position without a collapsed trunk or slouched shoulders. This pose also taps into interoception and body awareness as breathing is tracked.

More Info on Belly Breathing

Tree Pose

Tree Pose

Getting Into the Pose:
Tree Pose is an introductory balancing pose that all body abilities can enjoy. We start by cueing the heel to touch the ankle. As balancing progresses, the foot can be placed on the calf or thigh. However, make sure to avoid any pressure on the knee joint. The hands press together at midline, palm to palm, providing additional input.

Therapy Resource:
Like belly breathing, this pose works postural stability through core activation in a static hold. It also works on bilateral coordination as hands and feet press towards midline while maintaining balance and focus. The stacking of joints over the anchored foot (ankles, hips, wrists) taps into theproprioceptive system. If you need additional proprioceptive input in this pose, try stamping feet before attempting to hold static. Activate the vestibular system by experimenting with the foot and hand placement.. Also, try small movement, such as swaying, within the pose. Work on vision by providing various focal points experimenting with gaze up, out, down and even eyes closed. If you see the MORO Reflex in this pose, return to Belly Breathing.

More info on Tree Pose

Child’s Pose

Child's Pose

Getting Into the Pose:
Child’s pose is often used at the beginning or the end of a session. However, it can be used whenever there is a need to decrease overstimulation. It can be completed on the floor or at a table.

Therapy Resource:
As you cue stacked fists, you are working on bilateral coordination and proprioception as joints are stacked together at midline. On the floor, there is the additional tactile input from the legs and arms on the Earth. Seekers may need to rock, or add extra movement to the pose, while avoiders may have to stay more upright. Offer a vestibular system modification of seating in a chair, hands stacked on forehead and chin slightly tucked.

More Info on Child’s Pose

About Us-

This blog post is a collaborative effort of Sweet Inside Yoga and 1000 Petals.

Sweet Inside Yoga is a company providing resources for occupational therapy, physical therapy, mental health practitioners, classroom teachers, yoga teachers, professionals, parents, and others in the community to use with individuals who can be found seeking and/or avoiding yoga activities.

1000 Petals is a well-being training and consulting company based on the science and practice of mindfulness and movement. They provide integrative mindfulness and movement solutions in workshops, events, retreats and self-care classes. Subscribe to their newsletter to receive weekly tips and resources on integrating mindful movement into your therapy.