There is an amazing SLP, Tara Tuchel, that created a number of social stories regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. As Tara explains “As humans, we all thrive on routine. Children's (and adults) routines have been disrupted over these past several months. Stories can help ALL children understand what is going on around them.”

As a kid grows and develops, their balance grows and develops with them. In order for that to happen, the key parts of balance must develop with them. We like to think of balance as a three legged stool, with all three parts being needed in order to have a balanced stool, or child.

There was a wonderful article written by Janet Lansbury about parents constantly feeling as though they have to be the center of their child’s entertainment, constantly leading playtime. As Janet states “For the first three months of my daughter’s life, I’d been entertaining her nonstop, assuming it my duty to occupy and engage her every waking moment with my activity while she remained mostly passive (which is all I thought she could be).”

Like so many others, Therapy OPS staff have been processing all of the events this past week, starting with the death of George Floyd on May 25th, 2020. In addition to this past week’s events, we are in the midst of a global pandemic that has caused long-term changes to our daily routines that has disrupted our lives. So many of us have been left with raw emotions;

For our latest Screen Free Saturday adventure, my husband and I ventured to Osceola, WI to see and hike around the Cascade Falls. If you have never been to Osceola, it is a quiet, little town – it has a main street, mom and pop shops, and the hidden treasure that brought us there, the Cascade Falls! Not only can you see the falls, but you can feel them too!

While we have been fortunate to have nice weather to go outside for Screen – free Saturday the past two Saturdays, this past Saturday we were met with rainy weather posing “what’s fun that we can do inside without our screens?” After some thought and discussion, we decided when is a better time than to have our own mini- MasterChef bake – off competition?

Hey there, Heidi here! This past Saturday for Screen – Free Saturday my husband and I walked around Lake Harriet. It is one of our favorite places to walk! While there are famous landmarks of the band shell, downtown Minneapolis Skyline, and a Rose garden, there is a lesser known landmark – the home of the Lake Harriet Elf

Hey there, Heidi here! This past Saturday for Screen – Free Saturday my husband and I got out of the house (while maintaining social distancing) and drove to Fort Snelling Cemetery to watch planes take off and land at the airport.

Did you know each year there is a National Screen Free Week where children and adults are encouraged to turn off the tv and put down their phones and do something they wouldn’t otherwise do? Typically, Screen Free week occurs in May but given our current circumstances with distance learning and social distancing, the individuals behind Screen Free week have changed it to Screen – Free Saturdays!

April is Autism Acceptance Month, so we wanted to take a moment to write a little something. Many of you may know it as Autism Awareness Month, but over time this has been shifting to acceptance. Why acceptance? Because acceptance requires action!

The Zones of Regulation is a tool that is used in many different places and may be something you have heard of before. We see it used a lot with kiddos in the school and we use it right here at Therapy OPS! But what are the zones and what does this program help with? For the month of June, our blog posts are going to focus on the different zones and what each one means and what emotions are part of each one!

The Zones of Regulation is a tool that is used in many different places and may be something you have heard of before. We see it used a lot with kiddos in the school and we use it right here at Therapy OPS! But what are the zones and what does this program help with?

The Zones of Regulation is a tool that is used in many different places and may be something you have heard of before. We see it used a lot with kiddos in the school and we use it right here at Therapy OPS! But what are the zones and what does this program help with?

The Zones of Regulation is a tool that is used in many different places and may be something you have heard of before. We see it used a lot with kiddos in the school and we use it right here at Therapy OPS! But what are the zones and what does this program help with?

A pacifier is a way to calm babies and provide comfort through sucking. Sucking is a skill that is necessary for feeding. Premature babies often have great success with pacifiers to increase their feeding and weight gain. They can also be used in stressful situations or distinguish fussiness between meals. In addition, they are often used as a way to reduce re-flux.

May 24th is National Scavenger Hunt Day! Scavenger hunts can be a fun, adventurous way to work on following directions, attributes, location concepts, wh- questions, and/or articulation words.

May is National Posture Month and it’s a great time to consider spine health and postural habits in your growing child. Posture does matter after all, especially for kids as their spines grow and develop, as well as their postural habits.

Emotions are essential for getting our needs met, but when upset--- emotions can also cloud our judgement and make it difficult to process situations. Emotions can be hard to understand and even harder to control for kiddos. Here are a few general ideas to think about and consider to help reduce outbursts along with providing a good support system.

Breathing is for more than survival Breathing is key for survive and an involuntary action. Even if trying to hold your breath, you will eventually become unconscious when your body will attempt to breath for you.

What does sensory mean to you? As a pediatric OT, I often hear sensory associated with negative behaviors. Sensory integration is how we interpret and make meaning to every day experiences. So good news! Sensory is a good thing, we all experience it.