March is Brain Injury Awareness Month

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March is Brain Injury Awareness Month so let's take some time to empower those who have been impacted by a brain injury. Brain injuries can be atraumatic or traumatic which can range from mild concussions to life threatening situations. According to the Brain Injury Association of America, about 5.3 million people in America have suffered from a brain injury. The leading cause of brain injuries is falls which puts young children and elderly at an increased risk for brain injury. One way you can show your support is to wear blue to honor all brain injuries and wear green to honor traumatic brain injuries!

Expected Behaviors for 5 to 8 YO

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Expected Behaviors for 5 to 8 YO

You see your child acting out a questionable behavior and you think to yourself, is this typical or is this a learning opportunity? If this ever happens to you, you are not alone. The line between acceptable and unacceptable behaviors is a very blurry one so we asked occupational therapists Jenna and Meagan to talk a bit about this topic. Your kiddo tired, irritated, imitation and copying of peers, trying to be more independent, having big feelings of the unknown or even attempting to take someone else's perspective? Come find out what is expected at this age and what isn't!

TOPS Tips Video on Typical Behaviors in 5 to 8 YO

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W-Sitting with Anna and Hailey

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W-Sitting with Anna and Hailey

Do you have a kiddo likes to sit on their bottom with their knees on the ground and their legs out to the side? Ever think to yourself that looks like only hockey goalies and acrobats should be doing that? Well, unless you have the future netminder of the Wild playing on your floors, chances are they shouldn’t be sitting like that. To find out why you should be correcting your child out of the W-sitting position and offer alternative positions to sit in, check out the video below.

TOPS Tips on How to Address W-sitting in Kiddos

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Preparing for the Holidays - Part 3

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Preparing for the Holidays - Part 3

So you got your kiddo the COOLEST paw patrol toy that you have been waiting to give them. They open it, you are expecting their eyes to go wide, mouth to drop open. Instead, they look at it, shove it to the side and keep opening presents. Or they are with great grandpa and open their hand knitted sweater with a cute cat on it, in response “I hate cats” and asks what’s next? Sometimes the social pressure of opening gifts mixed with expectations and a new/busy environment can cause tantrums or unexpected behaviors when opening gifts. You are now mortified. Here are some tips to help a kiddo express themselves in a…different…way.

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Preparing for the Holidays - Part 2

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Preparing for the Holidays - Part 2

Okay, the time is here! We have prepared our child as much as we can for the upcoming events for the holidays. But, now that we are here, what can we do if it is not going as planned?! Don’t stress, we are here to help with these tips! And remember, kiddos can feel and read how we are feeling. The calmer we remain in these situations, the calmer they will be!

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Preparing for the Holidays - Part 1

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Preparing for the Holidays - Part 1

The holidays, magical they say. A time to relax and enjoy time with family, decorate the home, play with cousins, open gifts. Oh…and also, tolerate lights everywhere, new people/crowds, busy environments, changes in routines, food changes, changes in sleep schedules. While holidays can be a very exciting time, for many families, holidays also come with challenges. Here are some tips to help!

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Gross Motor Milestones

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Gross Motor Milestones

Tummy time can never be stressed enough! It is something that can be very hard to work on, especially when your child doesn’t tolerate it. If your child doesn’t tolerate lying on the floor try using a Boppy pillow on their chest, laying with your child on your chest, or even flying in your arms like Superman! Tummy time allows your infant to strengthen muscles that are important for rolling, sitting, crawling, and even walking. Infants typically cry during this time because it is HARD and can be uncomfortable, but don’t stop trying!  It is also important to note that the order at which your child develops motor milestones matters as each one builds on the skill prior. Each skill is important for developing specific muscles and movement strategies and each milestone should be met before moving on to the next skill (please don’t skip crawling!!!). If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s gross motor development, don’t hesitate to reach out to us! We’re here to help you.

Gross Motor Milestones Video

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Coordination

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Coordination

People are often told that children will grow out of clumsiness. However, this is typically not the case. Decreased coordination is unlikely to improve without being treated. So what are some ideas for improving coordination? Jumping skills, ball skills, animal walks, sports, and multi-tasking are all great ways to challenge coordination. Try breaking up tasks into smaller steps (e.g., with jumping jacks only starting with the feet or hands). Give your child room to fail and learn to correct themselves. Remember, this can be very frustrating for both you and your child to work on, so make sure to make practice fun and engaging for everyone! The videos show more ideas on how to challenge coordination.

Coordination Video

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Strength and Endurance

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Strength and Endurance

Decreased strength in muscles is a common cause of musculoskeletal pain and can lead to different compensations during movement (in-toeing, w-sitting, out-toeing, poor posture, etc.). Strength also takes time to develop, so be patient and consistent! Endurance is important for your child to be able to keep up with their peers, especially during recess and gym. It is also important for good heart health and encourages healthy habits into adulthood. Some ways to challenge strength and endurance at home include jumping, animal walks, squatting to pick up toys, pushing heavy laundry baskets, lunges, and rolling. Try and allow your child at least 60 minutes per day of physical activity! See the videos for ways we have used to focus on strength and endurance.

Strength and Endurance Video

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Balance

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Balance

Balance is something that is super important to keep your kids safe. There are 3 different systems involved in balance: vision (see), somatosensory/proprioception (feel), and vestibular (hear). Because of this, balance becomes harder when we stand on uneven surfaces, close our eyes, and move our heads. Some ideas to challenge balance at home are standing with one foot on a step stool, walking across or standing on couch cushions, standing on one leg, standing with one foot in front of the other, playing soccer, and walking on curbs. The videos show other activities we’ve used in the clinic.

Balance Video

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Tummy Time and Flat Spots on the Head

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Tummy Time and Flat Spots on the Head

Did you know that infants can develop flats spots on the back and sides of their heads if they don’t do enough tummy time each day? Yes, it true and it’s recommended that infants work up to 80 minutes of tummy time each day. To find out more on how to prevent flats spots on the head of an infant, what to do if your infant has developed flat spots and how flat spots can affect the eyes and ears, please check out this 3-minute video by physical therapists Ann and Hailey.

TOPS Tips video on Tummy Time and Flat Spots

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How Kids Learn New Words

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How Kids Learn New Words

Did you know that a preschool-aged kid needs to hear a word 500 times before they will begin to use it? Whoa, that's, like, a lot of times. So, how can we help our kiddo's learn all of these words? In this video, speech therapists Kaitlin and Eva demonstrate a couple of techniques called modeling and recast & expand. They will show you how you can use these techniques at home.

TOPS Tips video on how kids learn new words

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Language Development Using Books pt 2

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Language Development Using Books pt 2

In a follow-up to an earlier blog about using books as a tool to developing language in a young kiddo, Speech Therapist Rachel and her lovely assistant demonstrate how fill-in-the-blank books such as "Do Cows Meow?" help with language development. If your child is just starting out, books that require animal sounds are great because kiddo's generally learn animal sounds before they learn words. It's important that as you read the books that whether your child makes the correct sound or not, you repeat the sound so that they can hear it. Repetition is key to aiding in language. You can also use simple word books as well. Simply read the sentence but don't say the last word and let your child say it instead. Let us know how you do!

TOPS Tips video on how to use fill-in-the-blank books to develop language

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Managing Emotions

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Managing Emotions

Managing emotions can be a challenging concept for families. Everyone is different so the first step is to start by first discussing what emotions are and teaching them what they mean. This can be done through pictures, videos clips or even acting them out once you and your child are calm. It's only when there is a base understanding of what emotions are that you can then move forward on learning how to manage them. The second part of the video covers the tips and suggestions for helping you and your family manage emotions. Remember, you may need to take these ideas and tweak them until you find what works for your family. And feel free to share those ideas with us as well!

TOPS Tips video on how to manage emotions

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Prepping Children for Returning to School

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Prepping Children for Returning to School

The return of the school year can be a time of excitement and anxiousness. Thankfully we have occupational therapists Celia and Chelsey here with a few tips on how to help your kiddo's (and maybe even their parents) prepare for the return of the school year. Adjusting sleep schedules now, revising your morning routines and attaching fidgets to backpacks are just a few examples of some actions that you can take to help the child in your life ease back into their school!

TOPS Tips video on how to prepare your kids for returning to school

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Language Development Using Books

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Language Development Using Books

In this video speech therapist Rachel demonstrates how using books to read with a young child can be used to help develop language skills. Mimicking a child and then adding on to what they say so that they mimic you is a great way to teach new words and expand vocabulary. As shown, Rachel is describing what's on the page of the book and they her daughter is repeating what she says. It's another little twist that can help with learning and can even make bed time a bit easier by changing up the routine!

TOPS Tips video on how to use books to develop language

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Help Me Help My Kiddo Sleep Please!

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Help Me Help My Kiddo Sleep Please!

In this video, occupational therapists Chelsey and Michaela give us a lot of tips to help our kids go to sleep. While there is no magic formula for it, there are many different things we can do to help them fall into dreamland (spoiler alert, one of them is no screens before bed). So, please take 2 minutes and check this video out, it may just make sleep better for you and your kiddos!

TOPS Tips video on how to help your children sleep!

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