Disruptive behaviors are actions that we'd prefer to decrease, eliminate, or change in some way. Though unwanted or disruptive behaviors are a normal part of childhood, parents often seek strategies to prevent bad behavior from getting out of control. Changing behaviors requires ...
With summer upon us, what better time to encourage your child to play outside? Playing outdoors is a great opportunity for children to learn imaginative play, fulfill sensory needs, and get fresh air. Being stuck inside and having access to screen time may make it difficult for ...
Picture this: It’s time to wash your child’s hands. You bring him into the bathroom and direct him through each step of the hand-washing process until his hands are nice and clean. Later that day, your child is visiting Grandma's house, and she asks him to wash his hands. He ...
All behaviors occur for a reason. To understand the purpose for a child's behaviors, as well as to encourage positive actions and discourage problem habits, we first must understand the four functions of behavior. In this post, we overview each of the four functions of ...
Fall is my favorite season for many reasons: the weather gets cooler, the holidays are approaching, and there are so many speech and language skills that can be incorporated into fall activities. Parents will often ask me what games they can buy to work on their child’s speech ...
Now more than ever, children need structure throughout their day. Establishing a daily routine can help your child increase independence and provide consistency during the day. Here are a few tips that might help establish a routine with your child.
As occupational therapists, we are taught to analyze every task and creatively target a variety of skills with the simplest tools. Therefore, when planning (especially for virtual therapy sessions) and looking for some new creative ways to engage the children I treat, I turned ...
Pairing is an important part of the Sunshine Center philosophy and is used by our therapists in order to build rapport. Read on to learn some pairing pointers, including why we use it and how you can implement it at home.
Instructional control is another important method used in various therapies at Sunshine Center. During and after pairing, your child’s therapist will work to establish instructional control—but what does that mean? Instructional control can sound somewhat intimidating, but what ...
Are you running out of low-prep, fun, and functional activities that interest your child, strengthen their muscles, spark creativity, and engage their minds? Here are five fun ways to reinvent the common children’s toy, Play-Doh.