Fall into fun with arts and crafts projects for the whole family!

It’s easy to get swept up in the many school and sports activities that come along with the change in seasons.  So, when you need a break from your hectic fall schedule, try an activity for the whole family that is fun and creative.  There are plenty of projects your family can do to get you in the mood for all the colors, tastes and textures of autumn.

Vanessa Breth, COTA of Amber Hill Pediatric Therapy Services likes arts and crafts projects for kids that need a break from homework.  According to Vanessa, arts and crafts are great for all ages because they provide practice in so many skills like fine motor skills, sequencing and planning, tactile input, hand and finger strength, and much more.   Scheduling an arts and crafts project for a play date can also help kids with their socialization skills.  Kids have so much fun creating; they don’t realize that they are working on so many skills at once.

For great ideas on family crafts, check your local craft store or look online.  One of Vanessa’s favorite sites for projects is http://familyfun.go.com/ which is sponsored by The Disney Corporation.

Plan Ahead for Happy Feet in High Heels

Moms who are fond of high heels for work and social occasions often find themselves with foot, knee and back trouble. With a few precautions, however, many of those problems can be avoided, says Donald J. Novak, P.T., D.P.T., an experienced physical therapist and owner of Amber Hill Physical Therapy.

Women make up the majority of the 43 million people per year who suffer from foot pain, according to the American Physical Therapy Association. That and other studies on the impact on the body of both the width and height of shoe heels show that there are some steps you can take to keep your feet healthy.

A study conducted by researchers at Harvard University showed that both heel width and height contribute to torque and stress placed on the knees and back. A lower, wider heel puts less stress on the body than a higher, thinner heel such as a stiletto.

A similar study at Iowa State University found that amount of the time spent in high-heels, as well as the size of a person’s steps, also contribute to the amount of stress placed on your feet, knees and back. According to the study, wearing heels for a long day may cause problems for several days and years of wear increases the likelihood of osteoarthritis in the knees and joint degeneration, the study concluded.

Athletic Moms
Moms who run or participate in other sports should also beware of the short-term stress that wearing high-heels could put on their muscles and joints – which puts them at risk for injury on the sports field. Additionally, frequently switching from high heels to running shoes or flats can put your feet at risk for plantar fasciitis. This condition is caused by inflammation of the connective tissue that forms the arch of the foot, and causes heel and arch pain.

Pregnant Moms
Pregnant women should favor low heels or flats because the body’s center of balance changes as they gain weight. In addition, flats are more comfortable for the swelling and water weight that are common in many pregnancies.

Here are some additional “shoe-smart” tips from Dr. Novak:
Shoe Shopping:
• Look for shoes with straps; they increase the body’s stability.
• Wear insoles, not only for cushioning but to spread out the pressure on the foot.
• Make sure the shoes have leather lining to prevent the foot from slipping in the shoe.
• Stay away from pointed toes if you choose high heels. As a rule, the higher the heels, the more square the toe should be.
• Avoid a heel height of more than two inches.

Stepping Out
• Before donning those high heels, do some calf stretches and lower back stretches
• If you have a long day or evening ahead of you, take along a pair of flat shoes for later in the day or evening, or for walking long distances.
• Take smaller steps to avoid injury when wearing heels.
Give Them a Rest!
• Stretch as soon as possible after you kick off those shoes!
• If your legs or feet are sore, ice the sore area twice a day for 10 minutes and refrain from joint stressing activities until the pain dissipates.
• If the pain continues for more than a day or two, visit a physical therapist. They can provide you with special exercises to stabilize your legs and back. Don’t “tough it out” as you may injure yourself further.

Advice for Parents From Frederick County Schools’ OT/PT Expert

Parents of children with developmental challenges who come to Amber Hill often have many questions about the services provided for their children by local schools.  At Amber Hill, we have a close working relationship with school OT/PT providers, so we invited Steve Buckley, M.S., OTR/L, the supervisor of Occupational Therapy/Physical Therapy in Frederick County’s Public School (FCPS) System, to come to our January Parent Night to “de-mystify” the programs.

Student Service Teams

FCPS’s five physical therapists and 10 occupational therapists participate in Student Service Teams (SST), a school-based group of teachers and administrators who are assigned to intervene when a child is having difficulty. The school’s special education teacher is the “driver” and the occupational or physical therapists on the team are “along for the ride”, he said, by being part of the team that plans the students’ program or by providing therapy.

• Worksheets with questions/answers are used to assess whether a child qualifies as having a disability.
• Once a child is assigned a disability code, they become part of the special education program, and may receive OT/PT as part of their learning process.

Success in the Classroom

The school system’s approach is to “adapt the environment to make the child successful in the educational setting,” he said.  An example could be a physical education class, where a child having difficulty doing pushups might be provided with alternative knee- or elbow- pushups. “”We always prefer to work with the students directly in the classroom, because that’s where they’re having the problems,” he said. “It keeps the child in the education setting so they’re not missing class time.”

Some schools have a very experienced special education team with a broad knowledge of OT/PT that will be planned into the students’ educational needs. Other schools may need to call in someone from the OT/PT team to guide the students, he said.

Parental Involvement

Steve advised parents to take an active role in the SST meetings and IEP (Individual Education Plans) for their children, and some parents were surprised to hear that they can request mid-year “update” meetings if they see a need for a re-evaluation for their child’s progress.

The progress of students in school is improved when the school teams have a good working relationship and dialogue with a child’s private OTs and PTs, such as Amber Hill’s team, because it gives them knowledge of what the student is learning outside the school setting. The good relationship in the schools with Amber Hill is due largely to the outreach of Allison Cooley, who supervises the Amber Hill team. “Allison goes to the schools to observe and be aware of what we are doing,”  so that the child grows even more with the integration of Amber Hill’s therapy and what the child is learning in school, he said.

 

Don’t Do It For Her—Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem!

Your child is easily frustrated by what may be simple activities to the rest of the family, and it can be so tempting to save time and just do the task for her.

Don’t do it!! Empowering your child is a much more effective way to encourage learning and build self-esteem, which is so valuable to your youngster’s ability and desire to take on more challenging tasks in the future. Empowering a child tells them, “I trust you, I trust your skills.” This fuels their self-esteem tenfold and makes them an accepted contributor to your family or their classroom.
Here are some techniques for teaching your whole family to EMPOWER your child for even more growth:

Celebrate!!
Children respond to and remember negative comments more easily than positive ones, yet they are hungry for positive feedback and approval. When your child achieves even small steps along the way to success, celebrate by whatever motivates him!

This could be a physical reward (a prize from a reward box, small trinket, or earning a sticker chart that needs to be filled before earning a reward). Verbal praise is also a good. And a tactile reward (a hug or high-five) can also be good.

Don’t Rush Things
Yes, ours is a rushed society that thinks everything needs to be done right away. Yet, disabled kids are capable of doing a lot of things if they just have the time!

Parents often say they aren’t keeping up with a home therapy program due to lack of time. Consider the time you spend allowing your child to participate and complete an activity as an investment in self-esteem and overall function. It will have a snowball effect on the child’s overall growth and development.

Grade the Task
One reason we are tempted to do things for our children is that we know they don’t readily have the skills to completely finish a task on their own. Try “grading” the task so that they can at least do a part of it. Amber Hill therapists can help you to choose some of your child’s most frustrating tasks and break them down to find a level at which your child can successfully participate.

The key goal is to find a way to get the child involved, even if it means that all they are doing is holding the instructions or the toolbox.

A final thought: Be aware of how much you are helping! It is so easy to take over and help too much, but if you and your child’s therapist work together to find “just the right challenge”, the value to your child’s self-esteem will be endless.

How To Help Your Child With Autism Stay “In the Zone”

All of us – especially our children – learn to cope with new or challenging behaviors most effectively when we are in our comfort zone—a state of mind when we are adaptable and open to learning, allowing us to explore frustrations and try out new tasks in a positive way.

Autistic children have a challenge to overcome what others take for granted: their “zone” is much narrower, due to their sensitivity to stimuli. “Children with Autism are generally much more sensitive that any interruption or incoming stimuli is so powerful, they have a difficult time adapting to the changes,” said Allison Cooley, an occupational therapist at Amber Hill Physical Therapy’s pediatric clinic.

It is the job of occupational therapists like the trained staff members at Amber Hill to communicate with your child to understand the ideal way to keep him or her in the zone, so that you as parents and teachers can effectively teach and coach your child.

When children are in their zone, they can face challenges without being pushed into maladaptive behaviors, such as hitting oneself on the head, rocking, and vocalizing. Any new task or difficulty can quickly cause the anxiety that pushes your child outside the zone, where these behaviors occur.

Actually, most children with autism spend much of their time simply trying to move into, or remain in the zone. This causes children with autism to “spin wheels” as they are caught in a cycle of self-stimulatory behaviors. This is because pre-occupation with finding their comfort zone takes time and energy away from the tasks they are trying to learn and perform, such as shoe-tying and tooth-brushing.

Work with your occupational therapist to find and nurture your child’s zone. On Amber Hill’s website, you can find out more about the pediatric OT program at http://www.amberhillpt.com/documents/PediatricsFlyerAll2010.pdf.

With expert observation and behavior repetitions, you and your child’s therapist can find that “sweet spot” that allows your child to focus on growing and learning!

Teach Your Child the Words to Get Along

It’s human nature; toddlers snatch, two-year-olds push. Our kids need social skills, even at these young ages, as they learn to interact with others.

Social interaction may be second nature to us, but our children are still exploring the right ways to play, make friends and communicate with others. Scenarios involving cooperation are your chance to teach your child the language skills to successfully interact with others.

Here are some fun activities you can do to help your kids practice playing with and talking to others.

Taking turns and following rules:

• Play active games like passing a ball back and forth and blowing bubbles for each other to pop.

• Encourage play with peers.  Before playtime, remind your child how to take turns and use words to ask for toys.

Listening to others

• Make a game of whispering to each other instead of using normal voices.

• Go on a“sound hunt.” Take a walk and see how many sounds your child can find (e.g., siren, bird, lawnmower, etc.)

• Give each other silly directions to follow, like “Touch your nose then clap your hands three times!”

Practice “ask, not demand”

• Be a good model. If your child is playing and you want to join in, ask “Can I play with you?”

• Do some role-playing and pretend play. Set up situations where the characters have to join an activity. For example: Your son is using his dump truck to build a sand castle, so you push the bulldozer over to him and ask if it can help out. You see your daughter having a tea party with one of her princess dolls, so you bring another doll over and ask if she can have some tea, too.

Find more about pediatric issues and speech therapy by visiting Amber Hill’s experts.

Now Forming Social Skills Groups

Amber Hills Physical Therapy’s Pediatric Center is now forming Social Skills Groups for preschool and elementary school aged children.  Led by a pediatric speech-language pathologist, groups meet for 30 minutes/ week for eight weeks on either Monday or Wednesday evenings. 

Group sessions focus on improving social and communication skills with peers in a fun setting.  Join us as we learn to make new friends, take turns and share, join in play, listen to others, initiate and maintain conversations, and express and understand feelings.  Additional topics will be customized to fit participants’ ages and needs.  Contact Allison Cooley at 301-663-1157 for more information.

Therapeutic Listening: Can Your Child Benefit?

By: Ursula Stello OTR/L

Do any of these situations sound familiar?

• Your child has difficulty with attention, arousal, self-regulation or motor planning
• He struggles with fine or gross motor skills, handwriting or coordination
• She has trouble maintaining a consistent sleep schedule or toilet training
• He has difficulty with communication and social skills with his peers

 If so, your child may benefit from The Therapeutic Listening Program, a sound-based intervention developed by Sheila M. Frick, OTR and Sally R. Young, Ph.D., of Vital Links.

 Listening Plays a Crucial Role in Sensory Integration

The auditory system is a powerful sensory system because our ears never “close.”  Since the auditory system is neurologically connected to all levels of brain function, it has a large influence on our overall processing of sensory information. 

 Listening can have a positive effect on basic arousal, sensory modulation, motor planning, attention and availability to learn. Therapeutic Listening is commonly used within an overall sensory integration program, and can bring about improvements in sensory modulation, posture and movement, attention, motor planning, communication and an overall awareness of the world around them.

 An Individualized Approach

Therapeutic Listening is individualized for each child, and with the guidance of a trained professional, such as an occupational therapist, it can be easily followed through in a variety of settings by parents and other caregivers.

 As with any treatment program, it is important to carefully evaluate each child to document their current level of functioning, and to assess areas of need. An accurate baseline is important to develop the best treatment plan, make the appropriate music selections and monitor progress.  

 The Therapeutic Listening Program is not a linear treatment progression, and it can’t be mapped out at the start of therapy. Rather, it is more like a fluid dialogue between the therapist and the child. The therapist constantly observes and analyzes how the child responds to the music CDs, and uses her clinical expertise to determine the appropriate selection of CDs.

 Within Therapeutic Listening, there are a wide variety of musical styles and four different programs:

•  The Modulated Series
• The Fine Tuning Series
• The Spatial Enhancement Series
• The Gearshifters Series

 The CDs for each series have detailed specifications for when to use them, and specific clinical guidelines for when they are appropriate. The therapist and the unique needs of the child determine the program used. It is important to note that the treatment protocol may include CDs from more than one series.

 A treatment program frequently starts with the Modulated series, because it provides the framework for all aspects of listening, orienting, engaging, interacting and discriminating. 

 How Therapeutic Listening Works

A child listens to the modulated CDs for 30 minutes per session, twice a day, with a minimum of three hours between listening times. This can be done while going about every day activities, with the exception of watching TV or playing video games.  The music is set at 45-55 Hz, which is the level of a normal conversation, and a child should be able to hear conversation and background noise over the modulated music.

 The music provides distinctive and specifically controlled sensory information. It is electronically modified (alternating high-pass/low-pass filter) to highlight different parts of the sound spectrum. The high-pass filter enables only the higher frequencies (over 1,000Hz) to pass through. Since these higher sounds are best perceived up close, they emphasize the auditory foreground and support focused attention.

 The low-pass filter enables only the lower frequencies (under 1,000 Hz) to be heard. This accentuates the auditory background, or the space in which it is generated.  The alternating sounds provide a significant contrast between foreground and background to naturally trigger attention and activate body movement.  

 The natural organized rhythmical sound patterns in music, along with the electronical modifications, trigger the self-organizing capacities of the nervous system.  Consequently, Therapeutic Listening sets up the body and central nervous system to optimally develop emerging skills. Research and clinical experience prove that Therapeutic Listening speeds the rate of improvement and increases the effectiveness of the treatment. 

Equipment Required 

• Headphones (no ear buds) with frequency range of 20Hz-23,000 Hz, impedance of 150 Ohms, open ear system, circumaural 
• Modulated CDs from Vital Links
• Portable CD player/carrying case 
• Cost:  Purchase of headphone $145 or Rental Rate from Amber Hill PT $50/month, Modulated CD rental $10/2 week period 

 Frick, S. M., & Young, S. R. (2009). Listening With the Whole Body: Clinical Concepts and Treatment Guidelines for Therapeutic Listening. Madison, WI: Vital Links.

 About the author:  Ursula Stello, OTR/L, SIPT Certified, is an occupational therapist in the Pediatric Program at Amber Hill Physical Therapy in Frederick, MD and is trained in Therapeutic Listening.

For more information call 301.663.8322.

We Offer a Welcoming Environment for Pediatric Occupational & Physical Therapy

Amber Hill Physical Therapy’s Pediatric Clinic offers a full range of Pediatric Occupational and Physical Therapy services in a welcoming setting.

•      Autism Spectrum Disorder
•      Developmental Delays
•      Sensory Processing Disorder
•      Orthopedic Conditions
•      Therapeutic Listening

Developmental disabilities, autism, attention & sensory disorders & more may be helped with Therapeutic Yoga.  Call for more information, 301-663-8322. MOT, OTR/L & certified YogaFit instructor.