Blog | Hogg Therapy

Easter-Themed Feeding Activity: Create, Explore, Enjoy!

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:06:16 GMT

By Mallory Goettl, MS OTR/L

Looking for a fun (and edible!) Easter activity to try at home? This hands-on treat is not only festive, but also a great way to support sensory exploration and feeding skills.

Give these Rice Krispy Eggs a try!

What You’ll Need:

Rice Krispy cereal (or any similar cereal)
Marshmallows (any kind)
Freeze-dried fruit (strawberries, blueberries, etc.)
Craisins or raisins

Instructions:

Microwave 1–2 marshmallows until they puff up and double in size.
Stir in about ¼ cup of cereal using a spoon—or hands if your child is comfortable getting messy!
Mix and shape into an egg.
Crush freeze-dried fruit into a powder and roll the egg to create a colorful “dye” effect.
Add craisins or raisins for fun decorations.
Eat and enjoy your creation!

Why we love this activity:

This activity is packed with sensory opportunities! Kids get to explore a variety of textures—dry, sticky, crunchy, soft, smooth, and bumpy—all in one playful experience. It’s a great way to gently encourage tactile exploration and support feeding development in a low-pressure, fun environment.

Afterward, consider adding some “heavy work” activities like animal walks, jumping, or pushing/pulling games to help support sensory regulation and integration.

Have fun creating (and tasting) your Easter eggs!

Looking for more support?

If your child has difficulty with feeding, trying new foods, or exploring different textures, support is available! At Hogg Therapy Pediatrics , our feeding therapy services are designed to help children build confidence with eating in a positive, play-based environment.

Our therapists focus on creating individualized plans that support sensory integration, oral motor skills, and mealtime success for the whole family. Whether your child is a picky eater or has more complex feeding challenges, we’re here to help every step of the way.

Reach out to learn more about how feeding therapy at Hogg Therapy Pediatrics can support your child’s growth and development. Call 859-353-3666 to get started!

Still Adjusting to Daylight Saving Time? Sleep Tips for Kids

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:06:00 GMT

By Gracie Donahue, OTD, OTR/L

At Hogg Therapy Pediatrics, we know how important sleep is for a child’s development, regulation, and overall well-being. When children sleep well, they’re better able to learn, play, and participate in daily activities.

But every spring, many families notice bedtime suddenly becoming a challenge. The shift to Daylight Saving Time means brighter evenings and a change to our internal clocks and it can take time for the body to adjust. Research suggests it can take about a week or more for adults to fully adjust to the time change. For children, especially those who already struggle with falling asleep or staying asleep, it may take even longer.

If your child is still having trouble settling into their bedtime routine, these strategies can help support healthy sleep habits and make the transition smoother.

1. Get Plenty of Daytime Sunlight

Natural light plays an important role in regulating the body’s circadian rhythm, which controls sleep and wake cycles. Try to ensure your child gets plenty of sunlight each day. This could include:

Playing outside after school
Going for a walk
Opening blinds or windows during indoor play

Exposure to daylight helps signal to the body when it’s time to be awake, making it easier to wind down at night.

2. Maintain a Consistent Sleep Schedule

Consistency is one of the most important factors for healthy sleep. Aim to keep your child’s bedtime and wake time consistent throughout the week, even on weekends when possible. Predictable routines help children anticipate when it’s time to sleep and ensure they get the age-appropriate amount of rest they need.

3. Limit Screen Time Before Bed

Screens emit blue light, which can interfere with the body’s natural sleep signals. Try turning off screens at least 1–2 hours before bedtime and replacing them with calming activities such as:

Reading books together
Playing quiet board games
Engaging in unstructured play
Sensory or creative play before bath time

These activities help children transition into a calmer state before bed.

4. Create a Visual Bedtime Routine

Many children benefit from having a clear, predictable routine. A visual bedtime schedule can help children understand what to expect and feel more prepared for bedtime. You can create one by drawing or taking photos of steps in your child’s routine, such as:

Eating dinner
Brushing teeth
Putting on pajamas
Reading a book
Getting into bed

Allow your child to check off each step as they complete it to encourage independence and participation.

5. Create a Calming Sleep Environment

A calming bedroom environment can help children transition from the busy day to restful sleep. Consider incorporating calming sensory strategies like:

Dim lighting in the evening
White noise or calming music
Gentle stretches before bed
Light massage or cuddling

These sensory inputs can help signal to the body that it’s time to relax and sleep.

6. Encourage Movement During the Day

Physical activity helps children regulate their bodies and burn off extra energy that can make it harder to fall asleep. Encourage 20–30 minutes of movement each day, such as:

Playing outside
Riding bikes or scooters
Dancing or active play indoors

Movement helps reduce stress and supports the body’s natural sleep rhythm.

Supporting Healthy Sleep Habits

Even weeks after the time change, it’s normal for children (and adults!) to still be adjusting. With consistent routines, plenty of daylight, and calming bedtime habits, most families will gradually find their rhythm again.

At Hogg Therapy Pediatrics, our occupational therapists often support families with routines, sensory regulation, and strategies that help children succeed in everyday activities—including sleep. If you have concerns about your child’s sleep, regulation, or daily routines, our team is here to help. Give us a call at 859-353-3666 to connect with our OT team, schedule an evaluation, or learn more about the services we offer.

Why Silly Books Build Serious Skills

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:00:37 GMT

By Shannon Smith, Learning Specialist

At first glance, the wonderfully weird world of Dr. Seuss seems like pure fun—foxes in socks, cats in hats, and green eggs served in a tree. But beneath the giggles lies something powerful: carefully crafted language patterns that build foundational reading skills.

Silly books work because they are deliberately structured. Rhythm is one of their greatest strengths. The steady beat of a rhyming text creates predictability, helping children anticipate sounds before they even decode the words. This supports phonological awareness—the ability to hear and manipulate sounds in language—which is one of the strongest predictors of reading success.

Repetition plays an equally important role. When a phrase or sentence pattern appears again and again, it strengthens neural pathways. Children begin to recognize word patterns automatically. Instead of laboring over every sound, they gain fluency. In structured dyslexia programs, like the one offered at Hogg Therapy’s Learning Center, this same principle is applied intentionally: repeated exposure to sound-symbol relationships builds mastery and confidence.

Engagement might be the most underestimated ingredient. Absurd characters and playful language reduce stress and increase attention. For children who struggle with reading—especially those with dyslexia—lowering anxiety is essential. When a story feels like play instead of work, the brain becomes more receptive to learning.

The magic of silly books isn’t accidental. Their rhyme, repetition, and joyful tone align closely with evidence-based reading instruction. While they may look lighthearted, they are doing serious cognitive work behind the scenes. In our Learning Center, we use playful books and activities along with research supported tools like the Interactive Metronome for rhythm, building foundational reading skills while also having fun!

So the next time a child bursts into laughter over a tongue-twisting tale, remember: those silly sounds are building serious skills—one rhyme at a time.

Curious whether your child could benefit from structured literacy support? Contact the Hogg Therapy Learning Center at (859) 353-3666, ext. 105 , or reach our Learning Center team directly by call or text at (859) 205-6494 to explore our programs or schedule an appointment with a Learning Specialist.

Introducing Allergens to Your Baby: A Parent’s Guide to Safe, Early Food Introduction

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 17:35:09 GMT

By: Whitlie Rose-Stephens, OTR/L, CLC

Introducing allergens to your baby can feel intimidating, especially if there is a family history of food allergies. The good news is that current research provides clear guidance. This guide explains when to introduce allergens, which foods to start with, and how to do it safely using evidence-based practices.

Why Early Allergen Introduction Matters

Current research strongly supports early allergen introduction as a way to help reduce the risk of developing food allergies. Studies have shown that introducing allergenic foods around the time babies start solids and continuing to offer them regularly may help build tolerance over time. Rather than delaying exposure, healthcare professionals now recommend introducing common allergens once your baby is developmentally ready for solid foods, as long as there are no medical reasons to wait.

The FDA’s “Big Nine” Food Allergens

The FDA identifies the “Big Nine” as the most common food allergens responsible for allergic reactions in both children and adults. These allergens are required to be clearly labeled on packaged foods.

The Big Nine food allergens include:

Milk
Eggs
Fish
Shellfish (such as shrimp, crab, and lobster)
Tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews)
Peanuts
Wheat
Soybeans
Sesame

When Can Babies Start Eating Allergens?

Most babies are ready to begin solids and allergen introduction around 6 months of age .

Signs Your Baby Is Ready for Solids

Your baby may be ready if they can:

Hold their head up with good control
Sit mostly unassisted
Bring objects to their mouth independently
Show interest in food others are eating

If these milestones are present, allergen introduction can begin alongside other solid foods.

Is It Safe to Introduce Allergens to Babies?

For most babies, yes—with proper preparation and guidance.

Important Disclaimer

Always check with your pediatrician before making any changes to your baby’s diet, especially if there is a family history of allergies. Make sure all foods are prepared and served safely according to your pediatrician or feeding therapist’s guidance. Use age-appropriate textures to reduce the risk of choking.

How to Introduce Allergens to Your Baby Safely

Introducing allergens doesn’t have to be complicated. Following a simple, consistent approach can help parents feel confident.

General Rules for Introducing Allergenic Foods:

Introduce one allergen at a time
Avoid offering other new foods so reactions are easier to identify.
Offer allergens earlier in the day
This allows time to monitor for any reactions.
Offer the allergen for three consecutive days
Day 1: Start with a very small amount (about ¼ teaspoon)
Days 2–3: Gradually increase the amount
Some allergic reactions require more than one exposure.
Maintain regular exposure
Once tolerated, continue offering the allergen a few times per week to help maintain tolerance.

What to Do After Your Baby Tolerates an Allergen

If your baby shows no signs of an allergic reaction, consistency is key. Continued exposure helps build familiarity and may support long-term tolerance. Allergens don’t need to be offered daily—but they should remain a regular part of your baby’s diet.

We're Here to help!

Starting solids and introducing allergens can raise questions and challenges. If your baby is struggling with textures , transitions , or feeding skills , professional support can help. Hogg Therapy’s Feeding Team provides pediatric feeding therapy and parent guidance to support families through every stage of feeding development, from first bites to confident eaters. Call 859-353-3666 to contact our Feeding Team, schedule a consultation, or learn more about our services.

Snow Day Sensory Support

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:50:20 GMT

By: Gracie Donahue, OTD, OTR/L

Snow days are exciting — but they can also throw off routines and leave kids feeling a little dysregulated. When school is canceled and schedules change, children may need extra support to feel calm, organized, and ready to engage. That’s where cozy regulation activities come in.

Cozy activities provide deep pressure, warmth, and predictability, which help the nervous system slow down and reset. These simple ideas are easy to do at home and support skills occupational therapists focus on every day.

Try these OT-approved cozy activities on a snow day:

Blanket burritos: Wrap your child snugly in a blanket and gently apply pressure. This deep pressure input can be very calming.

Warm drinks or snacks: Holding a warm mug or bowl provides comforting sensory input and encourages slow, intentional movements.

Calm breathing games: Practice slow breathing using bubbles, pinwheels, or pretending to “fog up a window.”

Quiet corners: Create a cozy spot with pillows, stuffed animals, or soft lighting where kids can rest and recharge.

Slow movement breaks: Gentle stretches, yoga poses, or rocking in a chair help promote body awareness and regulation

Snow days don’t have to feel chaotic. A few cozy moments throughout the day can help kids feel grounded, calm, and ready for play or learning — even when routines change!

Support Beyond Snow Days

Snow days and other routine changes can bring extra regulation challenges. If these moments often feel overwhelming for your child, professional support can help. Hogg Therapy’s Occupational Therapy Team works with families to build sensory and regulation strategies that fit naturally into everyday life — at home, at school, and everywhere in between. Give us a call at 859-353-3666 to connect with our OT Team, schedule an evaluation, or learn more about our services.

Walking Toward Confidence: A Family’s Story With Pediatric Orthotics

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 14:30:02 GMT

By: Jacob Roberts, DPT

Orthotics, commonly known as braces, are often recommended by pediatric therapists to help support and position a child’s joints so they can move more effectively and confidently. Even with the many benefits, hearing that your child may need orthotics can feel overwhelming for parents. It is natural to wonder why they are necessary and how they might impact your child’s daily life.

To offer some insight, we sat down with the parents of one of our Hogg Therapy Pediatrics clients who used two different types of orthotics during his therapy journey. Through consistent use, therapy, and hard work, he recently graduated from needing foot and ankle support. Below is our conversation, shared in hopes that it provides clarity and encouragement for other families navigating similar recommendations.

How long did your child use orthotics, and what types did he have?

Parent: “He used orthotics for just under two years. We started with SMOs and later added AFOs to use alongside them.”

How did you feel when your therapist first recommended orthotics?

Father: “Hopeful that there was a solution to help my son walk.”
Mother: “I felt nervous about getting used to a new routine, and hesitantly excited about the progress we would make.”

What changes did you notice once he began using the orthotics?

Father: “Over time his steps became straighter and he could move around easier.”
Mother: “I immediately noticed that the braces provided the stability and structure he had been missing. He was much more confident and ready to make big moves once we added them.”

Now that he has graduated from his orthotics, what differences do you see?

Father: “My son’s feet no longer pronate like they used to, and he is walking much better.”
Mother: “He can move around more independently and with much more stability, and as a mom, I feel much more at ease regarding his safety and falls.”

After going through the process, what are your feelings about orthotics now?

Father: “They are a great tool to help people walk and gain more independence.”
Mother: “They might feel a little intimidating at first, but they are a life-changing tool that I will always be grateful we had the opportunity to utilize.”

What would you tell another parent hearing an orthotic recommendation for the first time?

Father: “It takes a little extra work to adjust routines and find the right shoes, but in the long run, they work. I would do it again if needed.”

Orthotics can feel like a big step for families, but stories like this remind us just how much confidence, stability, and progress they can bring. Every child grows at their own pace, and tools like orthotics are simply one way we help them move, play, and participate more fully in their world. At Hogg Therapy Pediatrics , we are here to support you through each recommendation with guidance, reassurance, and a team that truly cares. If your child has recently been recommended for orthotics or you’re wondering if they might benefit, we’re always here to answer questions and walk through the process together.

Inclusive Holiday Moments: Helping Kids Shine with AAC

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:08:54 GMT

By: Taylor Maggard, M.A. ccc-SLP

The holiday season is a wonderful time for connection, traditions, and joy. Whether your family celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Winter Solstice, or simply enjoys cozy winter days together, it’s a perfect opportunity for children to use their AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) systems to participate and express themselves.

Holiday Favorites Page

One way to support communication is by creating a “holiday favorites” page on your child’s AAC device. Include words related to decorations, foods, music, and family—like lights, candles, gifts, celebrate, or favorite treats. This allows children to share preferences, ask questions, and comment on what they enjoy most about the season.

Take a look at this holiday AAC Core Board , filled with words and phrases that can help your child express themselves during this festive season!

Merry & Bright Words

Cooking, baking, and decorating together are natural ways to encourage AAC use. While mixing ingredients, lighting candles, or making crafts, model words such as:

help
more
done
pretty
happy
together

Encourage your child to request items, describe what they see or smell, and share feelings about the activity. High tech devices can be placed inside of a plastic zip bag to protect them during messy activities, and still be activated by touch!

Unwrapping Holiday Words

Gift giving and quiet moments are also opportunities to practice communication. Let your child use AAC to help choose gifts, say thank you, or comment on cozy traditions like drinking cocoa or listening to music.

When visiting or hosting gatherings, help others communicate with your child by introducing the device early with either a preprogrammed message used by the child, or with caregivers explaining how their child communicates with AAC. Gentle reminders to others that AAC communicators may need extra wait time to communicate their full message may also be helpful!

By incorporating AAC into holiday traditions, children build confidence, strengthen connections, and fully share in the season’s joy. At Hogg Therapy Pediatrics , we wish all families a warm, inclusive, and communicative holiday season filled with laughter and love!

Crunch Into Fall with This Fun Apple Nacho Activity!

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 14:38:19 GMT

By: Brittany Hogg, DPT

There’s something about Fall that invites cozy moments — the scent of apples, crunchy leaves underfoot, and a little extra time spent together indoors. If you’re looking for a seasonal activity that’s easy, engaging, and secretly skill-building, Apple Nachos are a perfect pick.

This simple snack combines healthy ingredients, hands-on prep, and a sprinkle of creativity. It’s a great way to connect with your child while supporting their development through movement, sensory play, and communication — all disguised as fun!

What You’ll Need

1–2 apples (sliced into thin rounds or wedges)
A drizzle of your choice — caramel, peanut butter, or yogurt
Toppings: granola, mini chocolate chips, raisins, pretzels, or sprinkles
A plate or tray for layering

How to Make Them

Wash and slice your apples (grown-ups can help with this part).
Spread the apple slices flat on a plate like little “chips.”
Drizzle your sauce back and forth across the apples.
Sprinkle your toppings — get creative with colors and textures!
Show off your creation, then dig in and enjoy your healthy fall treat together!

Make It Functional for Therapy

Physical Therapy (PT)

Turn snack prep into movement play! Try having your child stand on a pillow to challenge balance or set ingredients across the kitchen so they have to walk, reach, and bend safely. These small actions help strengthen the core, improve coordination, and build confidence in body control — all while keeping things playful and purposeful.

Skills supported:

Core strength, balance, and coordination
Motor planning and safe body awareness

Occupational Therapy (OT)

Apple Nachos are a fine motor feast! Squeezing drizzle bottles, sprinkling toppings, and layering apple slices work on hand strength and bilateral coordination (using both hands together). Plus, the variety of textures — sticky caramel, crunchy granola, smooth yogurt — makes it a fun sensory experience that encourages exploration and tolerance.

Skills supported:

Sequencing (first drizzle, then sprinkle!)
Sensory exploration with sticky, crunchy, and smooth textures

Speech Therapy (SLP)

Snack time is the perfect time to practice language skills! Encourage your child to use sequencing words like “first,” “next,” and “last,” or describe what they feel and taste — “sweet,” “crunchy,” “sticky.” You can even practice turn-taking and making polite requests: “May I have the chocolate chips, please?” These natural interactions help build vocabulary, conversation skills, and confidence in communication.

Skills supported:

Sequencing, expressive language, and social communication

Therapy Tip

Let your child take the lead! When kids have the freedom to make choices, follow steps, and proudly show off their creations, they build confidence, independence, and self-esteem. These moments of success — even in simple tasks — lay the foundation for bigger achievements later on.

Apple Nachos aren’t just a tasty fall treat — they’re a fun, hands-on way to blend family time with meaningful skill-building. Every drizzle, sprinkle, and slice offers a new opportunity to grow — from strengthening little muscles to expanding language and confidence.

At Hogg Therapy , we believe that playing hard is working hard . Through playful, purposeful activities like this one, children build the skills they need to conquer their world — and families get to be a part of that progress every step of the way.

Want more simple, therapy-based ideas to try at home? Follow along with us for creative activities, expert tips, and inspiration to keep your child learning and growing through play!

How to Foster a Love of Reading in Children with Dyslexia

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 15:54:13 GMT

By: Shannon Smith, Learning Center Specialist

Having a child with dyslexia is very worrying for a parent and can lead to feelings of helplessness. All parents want their children to succeed but what can they do to help?

Finding a dyslexia specific learning program or working with a specialist is important. But parents can also play an important role in building confidence and fostering an interest in reading!

Tips for Parents

Read to Younger Children! Especially grade level books about subjects they enjoy. Children can develop comprehension, vocabulary and critical thinking skills without the stress of decoding words.

Ask questions about the story and the characters. Can they relate to the character(s)? What would they do instead? How is the story going to end?
Define any words they don’t know. Ask them to think of other words with the same meaning.
Compare what happens in the book to something that’s happened to you in real life or make up a new ending for the story together!

While audiobooks are also useful, reading to your child for even just a few minutes every day gives you the chance to target important reading skills.

Focus on their strengths and interests! Think about what your child enjoys or activities they are good at and make them a part of reading.

Do they love to draw or paint? Have them illustrate what happens in the story or draw pictures of the characters.
Using toys or legos, ask them to create a scene or a setting from the book.
Let them make up a song, dance or play to tell the story. Older kids may be inspired to write or create their own version of events. Dyslexic people are often great storytellers and are especially creative.

Associating reading with their interests gives them a “win” instead of always feeling like they are failing.

Encourage All Types of Books! You may worry if your child gravitates towards comic books or graphic novels because they are seen as less beneficial. But they can help struggling readers!

Illustrations provide context clues to help readers understand what is happening when they cannot decode all the words, which lessens frustration. Graphic novels and comics pair potentially unfamiliar words with a picture that’s easier to understand and remember so this can help develop vocabulary!
Smaller paneled sections of words are much less overwhelming than long, uninterrupted walls of text, which prevents cognitive overload.
Sequences of events are easier to follow in comic books and graphic novels. Kids learn the structure of storytelling which makes them more likely to read traditional books because they’ve developed better comprehension skills.

As a parent, your most important role is giving loving support and celebrating your child’s successes. But you can also provide ways for your child to find reading they enjoy!

Not sure where to start? Here's a list of 10 great books for Kids With Dyslexia!

Mixed Up (Middle School)
Fish in a Tree (Ages 9-12)
Thank you, Mr. Falker (Ages 5-9)
Hank Zipzer Series (Ages 7-10)
The Alphabet War: A Story About Dyslexia (Ages 5-8)
It's Called Dyslexia: An Educational and Empowering Book for Children About Being Dyslexic (Live and Learn) (Ages 6-9)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Ages 10-14)
Dyslexia is My Superpower (Most of the Time) (Ages 8-12)
Ghosts (Ages 8-12)
A Walk in the Woods (Ages 6-9)

Making Therapy Work at Home: The Benefits of Telehealth

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 13:06:36 GMT

By: Ellen Morris MOT, OTR/L, CIMC

Many families wonder if telehealth therapy sessions are the right fit. The truth is, there are several benefits that can make telehealth a convenient and effective option for you and your child.

Convenience Without Leaving Home

One of the biggest perks of telehealth is that you don’t have to leave the house. This is a huge relief if you’re short on time before a session, if a sibling isn’t feeling well, or if the weather isn’t cooperating. Whatever the reason, your therapist is flexible and will work with you to make telehealth fit into your day.

A Simple Way to Make Up Sessions

Life gets busy, and sometimes it’s hard to keep every appointment. Telehealth makes it easier to stay on track. Even a 15-minute check-in with your therapist (as long as your child is at home with you) counts as a session! Since the goal is 80% attendance to help your child meet his or her goals, telehealth is a convenient way to keep progress moving forward.

Support in Your Child’s Natural Environment

Another great benefit of telehealth is that your therapist gets to see your child in their home environment. This can be especially helpful for occupational and physical therapy. For example:

Practicing self-care skills in the bathroom
Working on mobility with stairs
Following a recipe or practicing feeding skills right in your own kitchen

By observing your child at home, therapists can better tailor sessions and create goals that truly fit your family’s daily life.

Common Questions about Telehealth

Q: I’m not sure my child will be successful with telehealth.
A: That’s okay! Your therapist will go over your child’s goals and plan of care with you. Telehealth is also a great time to ask questions you may not always have time to ask during an in-clinic session. Just like in the clinic, your therapist will observe your child, give feedback, and coach you through activities that support their goals.

Q: What if my child struggles to pay attention during telehealth?
A: Don’t sweat it! Therapists are used to meeting children where they are. They’ll provide strategies to improve focus and attention and will coach you through adjusting activities as needed.

Q: What tools do I need for telehealth, and what if I don’t have them?
A: Ideally, you’ll want a space with minimal distractions and a device that supports video calls. If specific items are needed, your therapist will let you know ahead of time—but they’re also flexible and creative if you don’t have everything on hand. If telehealth becomes a regular option, your therapist will plan with you to make sure your child has what they need to succeed.

Q: Will a phone screen work for telehealth?
A: Yes! A phone works just fine. Often, the most helpful approach is for you to model activities your therapist is demonstrating, which also makes it easier for your child to practice at home.

Q: I’ve never done telehealth before. What should I expect?
A: No problem at all! Just let your therapist know it’s your first time. The main step is downloading Google Meet on your chosen device. During the session, your therapist will guide you through, ask for updates, and suggest a few household items to use in activities.

Q: I have other kids at home and can’t leave them unsupervised.
A: That’s a valid concern! You can stay in the same room as your other children, and if they’re old enough, they can even participate in the activities. In busy situations, you and your therapist can also choose to do a quick check-in to review or modify your child’s home program.

Telehealth makes therapy flexible, family-friendly, and just as effective as in-clinic sessions. Whether it’s for convenience, make-up sessions, or working on skills right at home, telehealth is designed to support your child’s progress in a way that works for your family.

Want to see if telehealth is the right fit for your child? Talk to your therapist today about giving it a try—you may be surprised at how easy and effective it can be!

The Truth Behind Common AAC Misconceptions

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 17:43:15 GMT

By: Taylor Maggard, M.A. CCC-SLP

AAC, or augmentative and alternative communication, is a term that includes a variety of tools and supports to help children communicate when spoken language is impaired or not able to meet their needs. This can include low tech options like a picture exchange system or gestures, and high tech options like a speech generating device. When AAC is introduced to a new user and family, there can be many questions and misconceptions about this method of communication. Let’s talk about it!

AAC use will replace and stop development of spoken language.

While caregivers may sometimes worry that using an AAC device will stop or replace the development of spoken language, AAC users often demonstrate exactly the opposite! AAC systems are designed to support the functional use and development of language, and recent studies show a strong correlation between use of AAC and gains in spoken language.

AAC is only for non-speaking people

AAC is used for a wide variety of communicators. While we most commonly may think of AAC being used by individuals with limited or no verbal communication, it can also aid with unreliable or unintelligible spoken language. For some children, AAC is their primary form of communication. For others, it may be a secondary form of communication to be used as a support to clarify messages, engage with unfamiliar listeners, and a communication method to fall back on when having difficulty accessing and efficiently using spoken language.

My child is not ready to begin using an AAC device.

There are NO prerequisite skills needed for a child to begin using an AAC device! There is no specific age or skill level needed before a child has access to use of aided language. Early introduction of AAC device serves as a foundation for establishing intentional communication and for language development. AAC is sometimes seen as a last resort when all else fails, resulting in later introduction to AAC, or later introduction to a high tech robust device. Research from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association argues that the earlier AAC is introduced, the greater potential is for improving communication outcomes.

AAC is only for requesting

When parents, and sometimes even therapists, are working with a child towards functional communication using an AAC device, it is easy to get stuck modeling only how to make requests. While a child having the ability to make their wants and needs known is crucial, we all communicate for a much larger variety of reasons! AAC users should have access to these communication intents too, including commenting, engaging socially, telling stories, expressing feelings and frustrations, offering information, and asking questions. This can be achieved by not only adding appropriate vocabulary, but modeling these different types of communication as well.

Using an AAC device in sessions 1-2x a week is enough.

It is important for new AAC users to receive skilled speech and language therapy to foster functional use of an AAC device, targeting skills including operation of device, navigation and modification of vocabulary, and making selections to request, comment, deny, and label. However, using an AAC device 1-2x a week is not enough for a child to become proficient in independently using a device. This is where an HEP (home education program) comes in! By using strategies provided by your therapist to model at home, school, and in the community the use of an AAC device, you can help your children to learn what the words and symbols on their device mean, similar to the way typically developing children need exposure to spoken language before beginning to talk. Model, model, model to provide your child with exposure to new vocabulary, different sentence structures, and various communication contexts.

“If AAC learners only see symbols modeled for communication twice weekly for 20-30 minutes, it will take 84 YEARS for them to have the same exposure to aided language as an 18-month old has to spoken language.” Korsten, J. (n.d.). AAC Language Learning and Exposure Estimate. Retrieved from professional presentations and AAC training materials.

How Hogg Therapy Can Help

Introducing a new method of communication for your child can feel complicated, and we are here to help! If you feel your child could benefit from using AAC, Call (859) 353-3666 , or fill out our Patient Inquiry Form to get started. We can work together to help your child access communication and engage with their world!

"Baby Talk": Helpful or Harmful for Language Development?

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 18:18:52 GMT

By: Georgia Means, M.A., CCC-SLP

Whether you’re a new parent, a caregiver, or just someone who’s spent time around little ones, chances are you’ve used or heard “baby talk.” It might be a high-pitched sing-song voice or a silly word like “wittle” instead of “little". But what many people don’t realize is that how we speak to babies can actually influence how they learn to speak themselves. So what’s the deal—is baby talk a cute bonding moment or something that could affect speech development down the line? Let’s break it down.

What is "baby talk"?

“Baby talk” has a variety of meanings in the eyes of different people. While some people consider simply raising the pitch of your voice to be “baby talk,” others may completely change the way they produce certain words. This can look like an adult telling a child they “wuv” them rather than pronouncing it as “love,” the way they typically would.

Why "baby talk" Can Be Negative

When speech sounds are changed or distorted to sound cute for a child, what we are really doing is providing an inaccurate model of language. During development, the majority of speech is learned through direct observation and models. So, when the model that is provided to the child is incorrect, there are sure to be speech errors in the child’s speech as they develop language. While no adult is knowingly trying to impair their child’s speech when they alter their language to be more entertaining or fun, it may be doing more harm than good!

Why "Baby Talk" Can Be Positive

An aspect of baby talk that is proven to be beneficial for language development is raising your pitch, referred to as “parentese.” Studies show that when infants are exposed to daily doses of it throughout their first year of life, they develop more robust vocabularies than other children (Witman, 2021). The distinct sound of “parentese” grabs the attention of infants more than typical speech, allowing for the child to take in and absorb more. This leads to a larger vocabulary and more use of language than peers who were not exposed to the same models.

Not all "baby talk" is created equal. While playful speech and affectionate tones are an important part of bonding, it is helpful to be mindful of the language models we are providing. Using clear pronunciation and speaking in a melodic, high-pitched tone that naturally captures an infant’s attention, known as parentese, can give your child a strong foundation for learning to speak. Choosing the right kind of "baby talk" supports your child in reaching typical speech and language milestones and helps set them up for confident communication as they grow. Enjoy those sweet moments with your little one, and remember that the way you talk to your baby can have a lasting impact on their development.

How Speech Therapy can help

If you're concerned about your child’s speech or language development, speech therapy can provide support, guidance, and personalized strategies to help them thrive. A licensed speech-language pathologist can assess your child’s communication skills, identify any delays or difficulties, and work with you to build strong language foundations through fun, engaging activities! Check out our Developmental Screening Tool to see if your child is on track and identify potential areas for improvement, or call us at (859) 353-3666 to get started.

Preventing the Summer Slide: What to Know

Mon, 05 May 2025 16:27:27 GMT

By: Megan Elsea, Learning Specialist

Understanding the Summer Slide and Strategies to Prevent It

“Summer Slide” is a term used to describe the loss of learning that kiddos can experience over summer break when they are no longer being engaged in schoolwork or other academic activities. This slide can be especially evident in the area of reading and spelling. While summer is definitely the time for kiddos to take a “brain break” and spend time playing and being outside, there are some easy (and fun) ways to add learning opportunities into your daily summer routine!

Strategies to Prevent the Summer Slide:

Here are simple, fun ways to sneak learning into everyday summer moments - whether you're cooking, playing outside, traveling, or winding down at bedtime.

In the Kitchen

Practice math skills like fractions through cooking and baking! Cooking and baking provides real-life practice with math skills like fractions, measurements, and time. It's hands-on, engaging, and is a great opportunity to try some new recipes this summer!

While Playing Outside

Outdoor activities that involve movement and play boost both physical and cognitive development. Games using letters and words help reinforce literacy skills in a fun, low-pressure way, while also keeping kids active and engaged. Here are some games and activities to incorperate into your summer routine!

Write the ABCs in random places using sidewalk chalk and throw a rock/bean bag at each letter, calling out the sounds as you go.
Use the above ABCs to have kiddos “jump” to the letters to spell easy words.
Create a scavenger hunt where kiddos have to find objects that start with the letter of the alphabet.
If you have a trampoline, call out a word and have kiddos “bounce” for each syllable of that word.
Find a “Little Library” near you using this site and pick out (and leave!) a book: https://littlefreelibrary.org/map/ .

During Family Game Night

Board and card games strengthen critical thinking, memory, and language skills. Here are some of our favorite games to play in the clinic !

Practice cognitive skills:
Uno
Spot it!
Last Letter
Blink!
Explore classics for spelling:
Scrabble
Bananagrams

At Bedtime

End the day with reading and conversation to build comprehension and language skills while creating a calming routine.

Read a book together and discuss the story! When discussing the story, use comprehension questions like:
Who is the main character in the story? Who are the other characters?
What problem did the main character face? Have you ever experienced something similar?
What do you think may happen next in the story?
Did you like that story? Why or why not?
Talk about your day-the good, the bad, the plan for tomorrow!

While Traveling

Traveling this summer? No problem! Trips offer a natural opportunity to practice math, reading, and observation skills.

Before leaving, make a countdown! Practice counting or basic math problems (addition and subtraction) with the days left until your trip!
In the car, make a game of finding words or pictures on signs that start with each letter of the alphabet
Listen to an audiobook and then answer some comprehension questions! Use questions from above to discuss the story!
Try and find as many different license plates as possible from the different states.
At the beach? Practice handwriting in the sand!

The summer slide may be a common concern, but with the right approach, you can help your child maintain and even strengthen their academic skills during the summer months. By incorporating daily reading, hands-on activities, and a little creativity, you can turn the summer break into a time of continued growth and exploration for your child.

How The Learning Center can help

Located in our Lexington-West Clinic, our team of Learning Specialists apply a cognitive approach to learning and offer a personalized plan for your student. From ACT/SAT prep and private tutoring to dyslexia testing and treatment, our team can help to turn summer into a time of growth, confidence-building, and joyful learning!

To learn more about our Learning Center, click here .

If your child could benefit from the Learning Center, contact us to get started! Call (859) 353-3666 extension 105.

Passing the Torch

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 16:55:59 GMT

Hogg Therapy is growing to help as many families as possible!

Providing exceptional pediatric therapy services has always been our mission, and we’re excited to expand that commitment to even more families in Lexington!

When we first opened Hogg Therapy Pediatrics in 2014, we had a simple goal: to provide compassionate, high-quality therapy to children who need it. Over the years, thanks to an incredible team, mentors, and the support of so many wonderful families, we’ve grown—expanding our services and opening multiple locations, including in Lexington.

At the beginning of 2025, Wilson Pediatric Therapy approached us with an opportunity to ensure that their patients could continue receiving the care they deserve. We are honored to step in and help this clinic continue to grow—supporting both the amazing families and dedicated employees who call it home.

On March 26, 2025, Wilson Pediatrics will officially transition to Hogg Therapy. We are so grateful for this opportunity and look forward to making this a seamless, positive experience for everyone. Our team is excited to continue providing great therapy services and welcoming even more families into the Hogg Therapy community.

Next Steps

As part of this transition,

Client Care Continuity : Our hope is for your child's therapy services to continue seamlessly under Hogg Therapy. We will honor the care plans and work to maintain the schedules you have established with Wilson Pediatric Therapy.
Familiar Faces : We are pleased to welcome most of Wilson Pediatric’s team members to Hogg Therapy. Their expertise and dedication will remain a part of your care experience.
Same Location, Same Convenience : To minimize disruptions, services will stay at the same familiar location.
Your Privacy and Trust : Rest assured, we will treat your information with the utmost care. Client records, including treatment history and plans, will be securely transferred to Hogg Therapy with your permission.

We are excited about this opportunity to serve your family and are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible!

Please visit the link below to fill out intake paperwork, and don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions!

Pediatric Foot Development

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 15:33:05 GMT

By: Jacob Roberts, PT, DPT

pediatric foot development: building a firm foundation

A person’s legs and therefore their feet have to support the weight of the body in motion for 5,000 steps per day per foot for 70 years. Therefore, our feet are very important. As pediatric therapists, we focus on overall foot development to allow for good development of standing and walking.

At full gestation, the lower leg and foot are rotated inwards, with an average foot length of 7.6 cm (2.9 inches). Gross motor skills develop linearly, following a path of sitting, crawling, standing, then walking. All of this allows for a child to develop the appropriate postural control and functional mobility that leads to skeletal maturity. Skeletal maturity allows for our feet to support our bodies for a lifetime.

Shoes also play a large role in foot development throughout infancy and childhood. To strengthen our feet, we want to be barefoot as much as possible. Standing and walking on bare feet between the ages of 10 months and 2 years, allows for all the small muscles in our feet to strengthen, allowing for appropriate toe function and creating the arches of the foot. However, we cannot be barefoot all the time. Shoes should be protective with a wide toe box, a solid yet flexible sole, and a firm top cover.

Children around the age of 1 year old present with ankle pronation; this is when the arch of the foot is absent. This is an expected position. Over several years of fine-tuning walking skills and building foot/ankle strength, the arch of the foot will develop. Research shows that the arch of the foot is fully developed around 8 years old, and that the pronated footed is possibly the norm even at five years old. Shoes also play a role in the development of the arch of the foot. Research has shown that barefoot activities facilitate arch development more compared to wearing shoes during play.

the purpose of our feet & timeline of growth

The purpose of our feet is to support the entire body, adapt to surface changes in the environment, and absorb shock while walking. Following are the growth characteristics of feet in children from ages one to five:

Under 15 months: a child’s footwear increased by half a size about every two months.
From 15 months to two years: 1/2 size increase occurred every two to three months.
From two to three years: a 1/2 size increase occurred every three to four months.
From three to five years: a 1/2 size increase occurred every four months.
Boys’ feet tended to average one size longer and one size wider than those of girls.
Width growth remained proportional to length growth throughout the study.
By 12 years, the feet are 90% of their adult size and width

how physical therapy can help

As your child’s PT, we are assessing foot mobility and strength during gross motor play and while walking and running. Since the feet are so important to development, there are times that PTs will recommend orthotics, or braces, for your child’s feet. These orthotics allow for the bones and joints of the foot to be placed in appropriate positions so the muscles around those joints can strengthen. This is giving your child a component base to allow for continued and appropriate development. Even the exercises performed during therapy and at home allow for foot and ankle strengthening to continue promoting a component foot and base of support. Be sure to talk to your child’s therapist about their foot development, and determine the best path for foot development that involves barefoot play, shoes, and braces (if needed).

If you notice that it is difficult for your child to walk, or they are presenting with frequent falls or have other balance concerns, contact us to determine if PT and braces are necessary to provide resources to promote effective gross motor development and foot development. Call (859) 353-3666 , or fill out our Patient Inquiry Form to get started.

When is Occupational Therapy Recommended?

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 15:53:18 GMT

By: Annie Wade, OTR/L

what is occupational therapy?

Occupational therapy addresses many skills for kids, such as self-care skills, fine motor skills, visual motor skills, sensory processing skills, and feeding therapy! We aim to help children seek their independence in these areas, all through play!

self-care skills

If your child has difficulty completing self-care tasks such as brushing teeth, getting dressed, brushing hair, getting haircuts, or taking baths/showers due to physical reasons or for sensory reasons, occupational therapy can help! Some indicators that occupational therapy services may be beneficial include:

Unable to do fasteners such as zippers, snaps and buttons by 5 years of age
Unable to dress/undress self by age 4
Becoming distressed during brushing teeth, brushing hair, hair cuts, or during showers/baths at any age
Becoming distressed with certain textures of clothing, tags or socks

FINE motor skills

Occupational therapy can address use of hands and fine motor skills! At any age, fine motor skills are a crucial part of development and can impact skills later in life, such as handwriting. Indicators that occupational therapy services may be beneficial include:

Holding crayon/pencil with full fist by age 4 (should be holding in fingers by this age)
Unable to snip paper with scissors by age 4
Unable to hold small objects between pointer finger and thumb by age 1
Unable to string/lace beads by age 4
Difficulty opening snack containers/water bottles/lunch boxes after age 5

Visual motor skills

Visual motor skills are using hands and eyes together to complete a task such as catching a ball, drawing, handwriting, reading and completing mazes. Indicators to seek out occupational therapy services for visual motor skills include:

Unable to copy horizontal and vertical lines by age 3
Difficulty copying/writing letters by age 6
Not reaching for toys by 4 months of age
Not able to complete simple puzzle by age 3

sensory processing skills

Sensory processing is a HUGE part of what occupational therapy services address. Sensory processing is how our bodies and brains take in sensory information, process it and respond to that information in a meaningful and purposeful way. Indicators that your child may benefit from occupational therapy services to address sensory processing difficulties include, but are not limited to:

Child constantly seeking out movement or actively avoiding movement (swings, slides, etc.)
Becomes significantly distressed with hands or clothing being dirty
Avoids places with loud noises and becomes distressed around loud noises
Constant crashing, jumping, fall to the point of becoming unsafe or affecting day to day activities
Difficulty with emotional regulation and calming down after emotional outbursts

feeding therapy

Occupational therapists address feeding therapy through a whole body and sensory processing approach. While children will have preferred and non-preferred foods and may go through periods of eating less types of foods, it is important to know when "picky eating" becomes a concern. Signs that your child may benefit from occupational therapy feeding therapy include, but are not limited to:

Child eating less than 30 food items
Child is omitting entire food categories
Child will not try new foods, even to task
Child will gag and/or run from table when asked to try new foods
Child struggles to sit during mealtimes or needs to have electronics to eat food

How We Can Help

If you think your child could benefit from occupational therapy, we are here to help! Read more about Feeding Therapy or Occupational Therapy services on our website. Give us a call at 859-353-3666 to schedule an evaluation, or use our free screening tool to learn more. We can help your child play their way to success!

Falling Too Often?

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 14:33:22 GMT

By: Abby Wrightson, PT, DPT

Is my Child Falling Too Often?

One of the most common conditions treated in physical therapy is impaired balance causing frequent falling. All kids have a tendency to fall occasionally, so it may be tricky to determine if your child is falling too often. Here are some tricks to help determine if your child is falling too much, and if they may benefit from physical therapy to improve their balance:

Has your child been walking for less than 3 months?
It is predicted that new walkers fall about 17 times per hour, and up to 100 falls per day. This is a lot of falling because these kids are still learning how to control their bodies! It takes a lot of practice to master such a complex movement such as walking, so if your little one is falling often, do not be worried and give them plenty of time to master this skill.
Does your child have frequent injuries due to falling?
If your child is constantly covered in bruises or scraps, it may be time to consider PT to help improve their balance!
Does falling impact your child’s ability to participate in daily activities?
As PTs, we want to help your child be able to participate fully in school, sports, and playing. If your child is falling so often that they are not able to interact with peers and family, PT can help provide the necessary tools to improve their ability to participate in all of their favorite activities.

Reasons for frequent falling

Here are some reasons why your child may be experiencing frequent falling:

Decreased strength, particularly in their core and legs . Having a strong core is important to controlling your body as you walk over uneven surfaces. Similarly, weakness in a child’s legs or ankles may make it difficult to run and jump, resulting in frequent falling.
Impaired coordination . Coordination is a term used to describe how your arms and legs are able to move together. Without appropriate coordination, it may be difficult for your child to move their body throughout space, resulting in falls.
Impaired vision or sensory processing . Vision and sensation throughout our body are important parts of our balance system. If you are having trouble seeing or difficulty feeling the ground, you may miss obstacles on the ground that cause tripping and slipping.
Impaired vestibular system . The vestibular system is located in the inner ear and helps the brain know where the head and neck are in space. Kids who have impaired vestibular systems may have difficulty understanding how their bodies are moving when playing, creating an increased risk of loss of balance.

How We Can Help

Frequent falling as a child can be nerve-wracking for parents, and we are here to help! If you think your child would fall into one of these categories, reach out to Hogg Therapy to schedule a physical therapy evaluation. We can work together to help your child play and move safely and efficiently! Give us a call at 859-353-3666!

Works Cited: Adolph KE, Cole WG, Komati M, et al. How do you learn to walk? Thousands of steps and dozens of falls per day. Psychol Sci. 2012;23(11):1387-1394. doi:10.1177/0956797612446346

HEP Who?!

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 19:32:24 GMT

By: Brittany McKnight, MS OTR/L

"HEP" who? get to know them!

If you ever hear your therapist say the words "HEP goal" or "HEP activities," and you’ve thought “Who or What is that?” Then this is the short read for you! In Outpatient Therapy, specifically Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Speech Therapy in this case, therapists are required to implement Home Exercise Programs, or HEPs. Before you decide that there is not enough time in the day to add exercise at home on top of all of the childcare, paid work, non-paid work, and other duties you have as a Caregiver, hear me out!

how does an hep work?

A Home Exercise Program (HEP) is built between therapists and the client/caregiver to implement strategies and techniques learned in skilled therapy sessions in the natural contexts of home and in the community. It can be something more simple, like, “practice saying words with the S sound,” to something more complex, such as, “let’s try a visual schedule to help prevent transition related anxiety.” The HEP is one of the most important aspects of your child’s therapy journey, because it ensures that your child practices and carries over the skills they learn in the clinic setting. Without use of the HEP, progress towards goals will be slower, and it will be much harder for the child to generalize the skills to the places they have the biggest barrier. The top reason the HEP is essential is because of Neuroplasticity.

more about NeuroPlasticity

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural pathways and connections throughout life ( Pathways.org ). When we learn new skills, our brain starts building new connections, and is shaped and molded based on these connections that we practice and learn. If we learn something new, but do not practice it, then the brain will eventually forget it or file it under ‘unimportant’ in your memory. The purpose of attending therapy is to progress towards goals that will benefit the client and make their life easier and better. Attendance at the therapy sessions will help initiate new learning, and completing the HEP between sessions will ensure that Neuroplasticity will grow. If the brain does not use it, it will lose it. New skills should be practiced 24-48hrs after being initially taught for optimal learning growth.

how to integrate an HEP into daily life

Now that we know who HEP is, and why they are important, Let’s get into the How. You might ask, "How can I do all of this extra teaching to my child when I have negative hours in the day to do it? My child does not listen to a word I say and hates doing homework/exercise so how is this going to work?" The answer is easy…work with your child’s therapist. As therapists, we are here to support your child on their therapy journey to meet their goals. We will work with you on integrating the HEP into your typical daily routine and will check in every session for feedback to modify it as needed. We can make it as simple or as complex as it needs to be, problem-solve which strategies work and do not work, and try to make it a comfortable fit for child and family needs.

Let this knowledge sink in, and if you are a client or caregiver, shock your therapist by asking about HEP in the next session. If you are a therapist, I hope this inspires you to work with your families closer to help your clients crush their goals.

How we can Help

If you want to learn more about HEPs, our therapists may be able to help! Give us a call at 859-353-3666!

Toe Walking

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 18:09:12 GMT

By: Audrey Hulette PT, DPT

What causes toe Walking?

Toe walking occurs when someone walks on their toes or the ball of their foot rather than making contact with their heel first. In most children, toe walking is idiopathic, which means the exact cause is unknown. Other times the child may have an underlying diagnosis such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, autism, or other neurological disorders. Some children may be "sensory seekers" and are looking for increased sensory input by walking on their toes.

When to Seek treatment

If toe walking persists beyond a child learning to walk, then physical therapy can step in to help improve range of motion, address muscle tightness, and improve their gait (walking) mechanics. This can help improve a child's ability to play with friends and participate in extracurricular activities.

Physical therapy methods that can help

Hogg Therapy is here to help! Here are a few ways our physical therapists address toe-walking:

Walking with ankle weights
Carrying weighted balls
Walking backward
Walking up or squatting on an incline
Climbing a slide
Penguin walks

play -based therapy

Our physical therapist s enjoy using creative activities, like games, when working with their patients. Below, two brothers who are working to reverse their toe walking play a game called "Hedbanz" with two PTs, with different challenges built in relating to their treatment. In one round, each player had to balance on one foot while taking their turn. We know how to make therapy fun while still working hard!

How we can Help

If your child has developed a habit of toe walking, a physical therapist may be able to help! Give us a call at 859-353-3666 to get your child scheduled for a physical therapy evaluation.

Does Your Child Have Growing Pains?

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 19:13:08 GMT

By: Morgan Kiser PT, DPT

We've all experienced "growing pains": discomfort or soreness in legs, arms, or other areas experienced predominantly during childhood. While they can be quite uncomfortable, "growing pains" are totally normal. Here are a few fun ways to help alleviate some of the aches and pains that come with growing!

STRETCHING

Stretching is a fun way to help your child understand how their muscles can move! Try doing each stretch in the illustrations below. Do them 3 times for 20-30 seconds each. Jump in and do these stretches along with your child for added fun!

YOGA

Try adding yoga poses into your child’s daily routine! There are some good examples above and below (in dark blue text) to try. Practice the poses daily at least 3 times each, maintaining 10-30 seconds. Set a timer on your phone to ensure you're achieving a deep stretch.

Massage

Massage your child's lower legs, such as the quads, calves, and hamstrings before bed. You can use your hands or a foam roller for about 20–30 seconds in each area; repeat 3x. Foam rollers can be purchased almost anywhere and are available in different sizes. Store the roller near your child's bed so you both remember to massage before they're off to sleep!

warm baths or hot packs

Applying warm or cool packs to your child's legs can help calm symptoms, too. Another tip: try adding Epsom Salt to a bath, and allow your child to soak for 15-20 minutes. Salves containing menthol can also offer relief.

How we can help

If your child is having pain that doesn't seem to go away, a physical therapist may be able to help! Give us a call at 859-353-3666 to get your child scheduled for a physical therapy evaluation.

Bike Riding Tips

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 20:15:53 GMT

By: Hayden Jinright PT, DPT

Summer is a great time to ride bikes with family and friends. But, as a parent, you might find yourself wondering: what can I do to best prepare my child to ride a bike? We've gathered some helpful timelines and resources to get your kiddo(s) ready to ride!

age appropriate equipment

Your child might show interest in riding a bike as early as two years old, but each child is unique. There are multiple equipment options you can choose from to prepare your child to make the jump to two-wheeled independence.

A balance bike can be tried when a child has reached 2-3 years old.
A bike with training wheels can be tried around 3-4 years old.
A bike without training wheels can be tried around 4-8 years old. However, some children are not ready until 10 years old.

what is needed to ride a bike?

Riding a bike is excellent exercise, both for the brain and for the body! Biking exercises all of the following muscular and neurological skills:

Core Strength
Coordination
Motor planning
Balance
Body awareness and spatial awareness
Visual tracking

activities you can do at home to prepare your child for their first ride

Training some of the muscle groups used while riding before you or your kiddo hop on a bike will be useful to avoid injury and ensure a smooth ride. Try integrating some of these simple exercises into your daily routine.

Coordination activities:
Jumping jacks
Cross crawls
Pretend pedaling while lying on their back
Strength activities:
Sit ups
Boat pose
Sitting on a yoga ball with a throwing and catching game or ring toss/bean bag toss
Balance activities:
Standing on one leg
Hopping on one leg
Walking on a balance beam

ways to help when your child is scared

Here are some tips to employ if your child feels hesitant to start pedaling when the training wheels have come off.

Practice balance : Start with practicing balance on a flat grass surface - this will provide some resistance to keep them in place as they get used to balancing without pedaling.
Be specific : Teach them to put the first foot on the higher pedal and then bring the second foot on the lower pedal AS THEY BEGIN PEDALING. This will ensure they do not topple over. Stand nearby and hold the bike for them to start.
Offer support : Hold a bike handle with one hand, and with your other hand, offer some support to your child’s back. Tell them that they need to pedal while trying not to lean too far forward to the left or to the right.
Communicate clearly : Take your hand off your child’s back first, but tell them that you are doing so. Stay close by so that they feel safe.
Encourage as you go : Throughout the entire process, help support your child’s confidence. Focus on the positives, such as turning the bike around or getting onto/off of the bike.

how we can help

If your child is having difficulty learning how to ride a bike, a physical therapist may be able to help! Check out our free developmental screening tool right here: https://hoggtherapy.developmentchecklist.com/ , or give us a call at 859-353-3666 to see if your child would be a good candidate for a physical therapy evaluation.

When is Speech Therapy Recommended?

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 17:52:02 GMT

By: Megan Hundley M.A., CCC-SLP

Speech therapy can encompass so many different skills! The big picture of what pediatric speech therapy can do is to assist kids to communicate their wants and needs in a variety of contexts and settings to the best of their ability.

Speech sound production

This is what typically comes to mind when someone mentions pediatric speech therapy-working on using the correct sounds in words! Common speech sound errors include k, g, s, z, l, and r! Speech therapists help kiddos use the correct placement, manner and voicing to accurately produce speech sounds.

Receptive/expressive language

SLPs assist with skills associated with listening, speaking, and comprehending language. Depending on your child's age and developmental milestones, services may be warranted if your child struggles with following directions, using gestures, imitating animal and environmental sounds, putting word combinations together, asking and answering questions, using grammar, vocabulary, and understanding basic concepts.

Feeding

Some signs of difficulty with feeding include difficulty with breast or bottle feeding, spitting up alot, prolonged chewing, excessive residue in mouth after eating, coughing or gagging during meals, or holding food in mouth. We have SOFFI and TOTs trained therapists who specialize in working with infants and children who are tongue and/or lip tied.

Fluency

Stuttering, the most common fluency disorder, is an interruption in the flow of speaking characterized by specific types of disfluencies, including repetitions of sounds, syllables or words, prolongations or blocks (ASHA, 2024). Children who stutter also frequently experience psychological, emotional, social, and functional consequences from their stuttering, including social anxiety, a sense of loss of control, and negative thoughts or feelings about themselves or about communication (Boyle, 2015; Craig & Tran, 2014; Iverach & Rapee, 2014). Speech services are warranted when stuttering impacts daily life in any of the consequences listed above.

Reading

Children with spoken language disorders often experience difficulties with reading as well. (Farquharson, 2020). Services might be warranted if your child is demonstrating difficulty with sound-letter correspondence, phonological awareness skills, decoding and blending words, spelling, reading fluently, or difficulty with reading comprehension.

Social Skills

SLPs often collaborate with OT’s to address social skills! Difficulty with social skills may include difficulty with maintaining a conversation, problem solving, understanding social rules, understanding humor and idioms.

How we can help

If you feel your child is demonstrating difficulty with any of the areas listed above, it’s time to reach out to your pediatrician to get a speech therapy referral. Ask for a screening or evaluation as soon as you have concerns. The earlier we can treat concerns, the better. At HTP, we are here to help! Not sure if there is a concern? We offer free screenings where you can meet with a therapist who can offer recommendations! This can occur at any of our three clinics in Richmond, Berea, and Lexington, Kentucky. Have any questions? Give our clinic a call today at 859-353-3666!

When is Physical Therapy Recommended?

Fri, 29 Mar 2024 13:31:19 GMT

By: Abby Wrightson and Taylor Adkins

The big picture of what pediatric physical therapy can do is to help kids play on the playground with their friends to the best of their ability. We are trained to work with kids who may have bone and muscle issues, sports-related injuries, or varying neurodevelopmental diagnoses. We can help improve mobility and function in kids with diagnoses including cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, arthrogryposis, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, and other genetic conditions. Our goal as physical therapists located in Richmond, Berea, and Lexington Kentucky is to help every kid do what they love. We can help through strengthening, stretching, and providing the necessary equipment needed such as orthotics or walkers.

Tailored Therapy

For older kids, we want to make sure they have the necessary muscle strength and coordination to play with their family and friends. If a child is falling often, having difficulty keeping up with friends of the same age, or having difficulty climbing up and down stairs, physical therapy can help them have fun with friends while also being safe. As physical therapists, we also treat gait abnormalities such as toe walking.

For kids with more complex conditions, our physical therapists will always individualize each treatment to address your concerns. Goals may be more centered toward balance or “big-picture” functional skills like getting out of bed or walking to the car.

Developmental Delays

A very common issue we treat is developmental delay. This is when developmental milestones are not reached for whatever reason. Here is a general guideline of when we expect little ones to be reaching their milestones:

Rolling – 6-7 months
Sitting independently – 6-7 months
Crawling – 8-10 months
Pulling to stand – 9-11 months
Cruising – 10-11 months
Walking – 12-15 months
Jumping – 24 months

Torticollis

Another common condition in infants is Torticollis. This occurs when there is a tightening of neck muscles that results in an infant tilting their head to one side and/or having difficulty turning their head to one side. Physical therapists can provide interventions to improve the flexibility of neck muscles and allow for further gross motor development.

How We can help

A good rule of thumb is if your child is 2-3 months or more delayed, it’s time to reach out to your pediatrician to get a physical therapy referral. Ask for a screening or evaluation as soon as you have concerns. The earlier we can treat concerns, the better. At HTP, we are here to help! Not sure if there is a concern? We offer free screenings where you can meet with a therapist who can offer recommendations! This can occur at any of our three clinics in Richmond, Berea, and Lexington, Kentucky. Have any questions? Give our clinic a call today at 859-353-3666!

Hoggy Holiday Tips

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 20:29:51 GMT

By: Lauren Craig, OT

The holiday season is one of the most wonderful times of year for children (and adults, too) with magic all around! Navigating family gatherings, changes in routine, and sensory needs play an important role in maintaining the holly, jolly spirit for all! Below are some helpful hints to take along as you plan for your holiday adventures!

Overestimate Timelines and Provide Visuals

If preparing for a long road trip to visit loved ones, it may be helpful to overestimate how long the drive will take. Allowing your child additional time to process how long events may take can help ease anxiety surrounding changes to routine. Provide a visual schedule or interactive timeline for your child to better understand how long an activity will take and the alternative options that are available if there is a change to the plan.

Creating a Sensory-Friendly Space

Holiday parties often consist of fun music, lots of friendly faces talking to each other, and smells of yummy food. For those with sensory needs, this input can become a little overwhelming sometimes. Creating a safe sensory space for the individual to use when in heightened sensory states can ensure that they also have a memorable holiday experience with their needs met. Having a room with dim lighting, white noise, and preferred toys/items available throughout the event can help the individual regulate and rejoin when they feel ready! Space out gift opening over the course of an entire day or even a few days to allow child time and space to regulate big emotions that come along with new toys and excitement!

Sensory Experiences Through Helping

Incorporating sensory experiences into your child’s daily routine may be easier than you think. Does your child crave big movements such as jumping off the couch and crashing onto the floor? Encourage them to help with carrying in groceries, rearranging furniture, or mixing dough to provide deep pressure (AKA proprioceptive input) while feeling included in holiday events! Engaging children in meaningful activities can provide a sense of accomplishment and pride, increasing confidence and self-regulation.

Respecting Your Child’s Boundaries

Holidays are always exciting with family/friends getting together and giving gifts. Make sure to enforce child’s boundaries when it comes to hugs, foods, toys, etc. when with other family members and friends. Provide family members with alternative methods for showing affection such as high-fives. Maintaining consistent mealtime and bedtime routines when possible can also be beneficial to allow your child a sense of predictability and comfort. Having preferred foods available throughout the day can also lessen the stress when it comes to mealtimes!

The holiday season through a child’s eyes is truly one of the most magical times! By taking some proactive steps, you can help your loved one experience the joy that comes along with the season. Get creative and enjoy this holiday season through the eyes of your child! Have any questions? Contact our office at 859-353-3666 or ask your therapist at your next session!

Adaptive Equipment: What it is and How it Can Help Your Child

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 11:39:14 GMT

By: Jacob Roberts

“What is adaptive equipment?” This is probably the first and most common question I get from parents and caregivers after I recommend or inquire about different pieces of equipment. Adaptive Equipment is anything that is used to provide extra support and assistance to your child in the areas that they need to improve their positioning or a functional skill. If your child has a stander, gait trainer, or activity chair; you are already effectively using adaptive equipment.

There are many reasons why your occupational or physical therapist may recommend your child receive a piece of adaptive equipment. Adaptive equipment is considered supplemental to the therapy that your child already does. This equipment can help your child meet their therapy goals faster. During your session, your therapist is looking at your whole child, especially at areas where support might be needed. The equipment you are recommended will primarily be used at home to promote continued development of skills worked on in your child's therapy sessions. Adaptive equipment will also allow for extended use and participation of a specific skill or activity while decreasing how much assistance you as the parent/caregiver might need to provide.

Here are examples of some adaptive equipment that your child’s therapist might recommend:

Standers

Standers are used to place a child in an upright, standing position while supported in a safe environment. Standers allow for the child to increase their ability to bear weight through their legs, gain strength, and even start to work on their balance skills.

Gait Trainers

Gait trainers are used to support a child in a standing position while also giving the child the ability to propel themselves forward while they are learning how to take independent steps.

Activity Chairs

Activity Chairs are primarily used to place a child in a safe and supported sitting position in order to allow for better focus on feeding and other fine motor activities. These chairs provide all the sensory and physical support a child might need to encourage full participation in their activity.

While the above pieces of equipment are the most common that the therapist at HTP recommend, there are several other options that your child may require. Please ask your child’s therapist about different pieces of equipment and your concerns regarding the need for them.

Birthday Party Tips: Planning for your Child With Sensory Needs

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 14:22:41 GMT

By: Abby Davis

Birthday parties and other celebrations can be overwhelming for children (and adults!) even on the best of days. If your child has sensory needs, here are a few things to consider to help make your child’s birthday party special and enjoyable.

Limit guest count

While you may feel tempted to invite everyone you know to this event to celebrate your child, limit this event to close family and friends.

Create a sensory-friendly environment

Birthday parties usually come with loud music, lots of chatter, sounds of happy children, and bright colors/lights. For a child with sensory needs, consider dimming the lights, playing light/ambient music, and having some simple games/activities such as bubbles, balloons, and/or sensory bins for children to enjoy.

Simplify your expectations

We all remember opening presents, having a crowd of people singing happy birthday, and blowing out candles on a cake as staples of a birthday party, but this can be simplified! Consider letting your child open gifts at a later time or periodically as you go through the party. If your child is easily overwhelmed, have 1-2 people sing happy birthday (mom or dad) instead of everyone at the party. Let your child lead the order of events! Allow them to open presents and eat their cake when they feel ready, rather than on a schedule.

There are many ways to think outside of the box to allow your child with sensory needs to enjoy their big day! For more suggestions, your therapist is a great resource and is happy to help with ideas!

Tethered Oral Tissue: What to Expect with Release Wound Healing

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 14:26:03 GMT

By: Amanda Dyer

Within our Hogg Feeding Clinic, we join many families on their tethered oral tissue (tongue, lip, and/or cheek tie) journey. A common question we receive is, “What will the wound created by the release process look like?” Here, we are going to give a brief overview of what to expect to see after a laser release with one of our pediatric dentistry partners.

*Please note, each release and child is different, so you may see slightly different results. Always keep in touch with your therapist as the healing process progresses.

Clotting

Inflammation

Granulation

This is when a “scab” will begin to form over the wound, between 1-4 days after the procedure. This scab is typically white or yellow, flexible, and similar in appearance to a canker sore. The yellow color may look worrisome, but don’t fear, that is just what a mouth wound looks like! We have never had any infections of wound sites created by our trusted dentistry partners. Collagen is laid down by the body during this phase to help the wound begin to close.

Remodeling

This is when a new, less tight frenum (where out lip attaches to our gums) begins to form. This typically begins about 1 week after release. The wound often begins to look healed on the surface, though there are many deep changes still occurring. This phase can last weeks to months, despite not being visible as the body heals. Because this phase can last a while, continuing wound care “stretches” and/or massage prescribed by your therapist is very important. In the picture above, you can see both granulation (the white tissue) with mild inflammation (redness around the wound site).

Contraction

During contraction, the edges of the wound move together. Wound care stretches help to prevent this from happening too quickly and becoming tight again.

Red Flags to Contact Your Release Provider, then therapist:

-Significant bleeding that does not stop

-Fever

-Loose pieces of tissue around release site

-Refusal to eat

If you have any questions about feeding or would like more information on TOTs, please contact us at 859-353-3666!

Play-Based Therapy: What it is and Why it is Important

Fri, 25 Aug 2023 17:36:04 GMT

By: Whitlie Rose-Stephens

Play IS Therapy

You walk into our clinic for the first time and look around. There are kids on swings, children giggling in the floor, a child/therapist duo playing ‘Pop the Pig’ in the corner, and two older boys are climbing the rock wall and dive bombing into a ball pit.

“I thought this was supposed to be therapy,” you think. “These kids and therapists are just playing! My daughter plays just fine. She needs help holding her pencil and zipping her jacket!”

You, my friend, are 100% correct, but there is so much more going on that meets the eye. Let me explain. It’s been heavily clear in the research since the 1980s, and especially the 1990s, that children learn and grow best through play . Their brains are hardwired to seek joy, imaginative schemes, and do what feels good. Play-based therapy is not only supported by research, but it is essential to helping families and kiddos meet their goals.

Let’s go back to the kids you saw when you walked in. Children must be regulated (feeling happy and safe) to learn, so yes, all of our kids are having fun… most of the time. Have you ever tried to make a toddler leave a super fun place? Yikes! So, of course we have meltdowns and struggles, all of which we work through, but in general this is a place of joy and fun.

The child playing ‘Pop the Pig’ is heavily working on hand strength and dexterity — both are needed for daily fine motor tasks, like zipping your jacket. The two boys climbing the rock wall and crashing are both really struggling with social skills and writing at school. Climbing a rock wall takes A LOT of hand strength and coordination, but they’re also working together to synchronize turn taking, copying each others’ ‘rad moves, bro,’ and understanding one another’s body language.

So you see, PLAY IS PEDIATRIC THERAPY . They are one in the same and cannot be separated. Don’t get me wrong, there are situations where we do have to sit down and do the hard stuff, but it will always be sandwiched between bouts of running, giggling, positive interactions, and most importantly, fun.

Our job, as therapists, is not to make your child play or engage how we want. Our job is to encourage them to play how they want and to make it therapeutic. We would love to help your child play, learn, and achieve anything they want. We can’t wait to play with you!

Grading Toys Up & Down: How to Make a Game Fit Your Child's Needs

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 16:22:02 GMT

By: Abby Gibb

How to make a game fit your child’s needs

We all have games, toys, and activities that may be too difficult or too easy for our children. At Hogg Therapy, we use games and toys to work on a large array of skills for all age levels; they are even some of our therapists' favorite tools for therapy! Need help modifying a game to fit the current skill level of your child? Keep reading for some ideas and examples!

If a game or toy is too advanced, there are many ways to grade the toy down. This means making the game simpler by taking away steps and rules. If the toy is too simple, there are often ways to grade up or incorporate the toy into more advanced play. Rules to live by: think outside of the box! Use colors, shapes, and the function of the toy to change the purpose of your play!

Examples:

Pop the Pig

To make this game harder:

Incorporate all the official rules of the game and add more if you choose.
Roll dice
Pick the correct color piece
Look at the number, feed the pig, then “pop” the pig’s head!

An extra step may be attaching gross motor movements to each color:

If you pick purple, you must spin in a circle
If you pick blue, you must sing your favorite song
If you pick red, you must crawl around like your favorite animal

To make this game easier:

Eliminate or shorten the steps. Instead of rolling the dice or looking at the numbers, practice taking turns “feeding” Mr. Pig!
Use the pieces to target color/number identification: “Find the red pieces!” “Find the number 3!”

Uno

To make this game harder:

Have your child deal the cards
Use the color cards to discuss events/feelings from the day: When you play a green card, discuss what things make you happy! When you play a red card, discuss what things make you angry! A basic use of colors to ID emotions is as follows: Green>Happy, Blue>Sad, Yellow>Silly, Red>Angry.
When a player lays down a color card, the first one to I-SPY something that's the same color gets to discard a card!

To make this game easier:

If your child cannot hold the cards in their hand effectively, lay your cards down on the table in front of you
Remove more complex cards (reverse, skip, etc.) and focus on matching colors.

There is always a way to make a toy or activity easier or harder, depending on interests and ability level of your child! Have a game that you're not sure how to grade up or down? Reach out to your child's therapist for some ideas! We love to share our knowledge and help families PLAY, LEARN, and ACHIEVE!

Movies, Music, & More: Summer Events in Richmond and Berea

hannahc@hoggtherapy.com (Hannah C) — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 11:44:30 GMT

School’s out for summer! Now what? Not sure what to do with your kiddos for the next two months? Both Richmond and Berea Parks and Recreation have filled their calendars with events that are both family-friendly and FUN! Here are just some of the options available to you!

In Richmond

4th of July Celebration:

Richmond’s annual 4th of July Celebration will be held at Lake Reba Park on Tuesday, July 4th! Here is a schedule of events for the day!

Live Music:
Tyler Hood at 5:00 PM
Allnuts4Music at 6:00 PM
Rock of Ages at 8:00 PM
Paradise Cove Free Swim: 4:00PM - 7:00PM
Free Adventure Falls Mini Golf: 4:00PM - 10:00PM
Food Trucks, Beer & Wine Vendors, and Inflatables: Open at 5:00PM
Fireworks: 10:00PM

Movies in the Park:

Movies in the Park will resume this month at Irvine McDowell Park! Movies begin at dark, and there will be vendors for snacks and beverages at each!

June 23rd, 2023: Sweet Home Alabama
July 28th, 2023: Dirty Dancing

Paradise Cove Free Swim:

Hang out and swim at Paradise Cove for FREE! Free swim lasts from 4:00PM to 7:00PM and is the perfect family outing!

June 30th, 2023
July 21st, 2023

Check out the Richmond Parks and Recreation website HERE for more information on these events plus a calendar filled with even more family fun!

In BErea

Family Swim Nights:

The Berea Swimming Pool has three remaining dates for family swim! Mark your calendars for a FREE night of fun! All dates are from 6:00PM to 8:00PM.

June 20th
July 11th
July 25th

Dive in Movies:

There is no better way to enjoy a warm summer night than swimming AND a movie! Berea Parks and Recreation is hosting free movie events at the Berea swimming pool. Check out the dates and movie choices below!

June 16th: “Super Pets”
July 21st: Movie TBD

Check out the Berea Parks and Recreation website HERE for more information on their summer calendar and pool!

Be sure to take advantage of these awesome events to beat the heat and spend some quality time with your family and friends! We can’t wait to see you there!

Playing With Your Newborn: How to Support Your Baby's Language Development

Fri, 26 May 2023 16:18:25 GMT

By: Martina Henderson

Have you ever wondered, "Is it too early to work on language skills with my infant?” If you have, I’m here to tell you that the answer is most definitely, “NO!” From a very early age in infancy, babies are taking in all kinds of information and new environmental stimuli, and they are learning all kinds of things about the world that they are now living in. This includes language that they are experiencing from family members! If you are curious as to how you can target language skills with infants, please keep reading!

Talking to your child

Okay, I know that this sounds like common sense, but this is one of the best ways that you can build foundational language skills in your little one. Speaking to them about what you are doing in daily routines (i.e., washing the dishes, doing the laundry, talking about what you are doing when playing with simple toys) is a great way for them to learn vocabulary in relation to tasks completed at home. Up until ~10 months of age, children are taking in so many different sounds that they are hearing. Even sounds that are produced in different languages! This is one of the reasons that it is so important for you to speak to your child frequently and clearly; it helps them to discern which speech sounds they are going to be using frequently. Research also shows that “parentese” can be engaging for babies as well. When using parentese language, we use a higher pitch and longer, more drawn-out sounds. We can also join gestures or signs with our words so that children begin to associate gestures/signs with communication as well!

Read books with your child

From a very early age, you can start to read books to children. Pick books that have simple, age-appropriate language and bright colors/pictures. When reading to your child, you can point to specific pictures and work on identifying objects. With a farm book, for example, you could work on identifying cow, pig, and sheep, as well as associating the animal noises with each, “moo,” “oink,” and “baaa.” You could complete the same activity with a book about transportation, and imitate different car or train noises, such as “vroom vroom” or “choo choo.” This is not only going to expose your child to language, but it can target imitative ability with different sounds as well.

Singing songs with your child

Much like reading books and using parentese for communicating, implementing music into language activities can be extremely engaging for children at young ages. Singing songs with your little one can expose them to language which is repetitive and easy to follow along with. You could sing songs such as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” or “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” These songs have repetitive language which is easier for babies to attend to and easier for older children to attempt to imitate. Not to mention, you are building great social/emotional connections with your child when you are spending quality time singing songs with them! Win-win ��

I hope that this is helpful in starting your language journey with your little one. I have provided a bulleted list below of approximate ages when you will notice different types of babbling, protowords, and true words. I hope that this information is helpful. As always, if there are questions/concerns, please feel free to contact Hogg Therapy Pediatrics at 859-353-3666. We are happy to help!

Phonation: 0-2 months
Sounds mostly in relation to feeding, digestion, and reflexive cries
Cooing: 2-4 months
“Coo” and “goo” with distinct /k/ and /g/ sounds and more vowel-like productions
Expansion: 4-6 months
Starting to experiment with their voice
Might notice blowing raspberries or making different sounds with their lips and tongue
Canonical babbling: 6-10 months
“Mamamama”
Variegated babbling: 7-11 months
“Maba pama” - sounds begin to vary within babbling
Expressive jargon: 9-14 months
Like variegated babbling above but they are starting to add intonation and prosody like they are participating in an adult conversation
Protowords: 10-18 months
Not real words but are used consistently to mean the same thing every time
Ex: “wawa” for “water” or “baba” for “bottle”
True words: ~12 months
First real words emerging here
The key here is intention! For example, the child sees dad enter the room, and says “Dada”

Rainbow Eating: An Idea for Engaging Picky Eaters

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 18:39:21 GMT

By: Abby Gibb

Do you have a picky eater at home? Make finding and eating foods fun with Rainbow Eating! Challenge your kiddo to pick out foods from your fridge or local grocery store in every color of the rainbow!

This strategy helps children become engaged with food, and practices skills such as:

Sensory Processing: Children get the chance to touch, see, smell, and interact with non-preferred foods in a stress-free way.
Visual Scanning: Children can find foods in the fridge to match each color!
Following Directions: “I spy…. A red food!”
Attention to Task/Memory: Challenge your child to find 3 foods in each color!
Color Identification: For younger children, this is a great functional way to learn how to identify basic colors in a fun and creative way.

Color Ideas

Children's Book Recommendations from a Speech Therapist

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 13:30:33 GMT

By: Charlotte Murell

Why Is Reading An Important Language Tool?
When developing language skills, it is important to consider adding reading with your child to your list of tactics. Books are great to utilize as tools to improve receptive and expressive language skills in a huge variety of ways. Not only is reading with your child a great bonding experience but it allows your child to learn new concepts and vocabulary in a novel and exciting way. Learning language should be fun as well as engaging, and there are wonderful books with brilliant pictures and easy to understand plots to help your child learn many concepts. There have even been books written that can help with teaching social skills to children who need more complex concepts broken down into more manageable chunks.

What To Look For In A Book
So now what? How can you go about finding some amazing books to help your child improve language skills? When I am in the process of finding books to utilize in therapy as an SLP there are a few things to look for.

First, I want to think about the length of the book. I want to find something that is not too short or too long. Just as Goldilocks was looking for the best fit, I want to find a book that will be easily understood by the child as well as one that will hold the child’s attention for a few minutes. If it is taking you more than 5 minutes to read a book with children 4 and under, the book might be too long to hold their attention or they might get tired of waiting for something fun to happen to the characters. For children who are within school age from 5 years old to 10, I would consider a book that takes me about 10 minutes to read. For children in upper elementary, middle, and high school you want to look for books that have more complex concepts with longer paragraphs.

Secondly, any book you want to pick out to read to your child should be engaging . If the topic of the book does not get your child’s attention and sustain that attention, you will easily lose their interest and it will be hard to recapture that focus. You can always let your child pick out a book to read from a selection of 2 or 3, so that you are providing them with some structure with the book's content and allowing them to be independent with the selection process. If your child has any special interests, use them!

Third, when looking for an appropriate book selection, I like to look for age appropriate vocabulary. For children ages 2-5, I want to find books that have early vocabulary words to learn including animals, clothing, food, feelings, and basic concepts like prepositions, big vs small, and colors. For children ages 6-10, I tend to look for stories that have more complex plots to work on answering what/where/who/when/why/how questions. For children ages 11-18, I want to find books that are easy to read but have vocabulary words that coincide with academic learning.

5 Book Collection Recommendations And Why I Love Them!

Sensory Bins: At Home Ideas to Support Your Child

hannahc@hoggtherapy.com (Hannah C) — Sun, 26 Feb 2023 18:51:01 GMT

Sensory bins are powerful and engaging tools for children to explore their environment and learn new skills. With some household materials and preparation, sensory bins are used to create an opportunity for your child to learn through play—the best kind of learning!

What is a Sensory Bin?

A sensory bin is made by placing different materials into a container. The goal is to provide your child with the opportunity to explore their five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. From there, your child gets to be in charge! They can explore the materials at their own pace using imagination and creativity. Some common materials used in sensory bins are rice, pasta, cotton balls, water, sand, and dough. Kids can dive in with their hands or you can provide them with tools such as scoops, funnels, or tongs. There are no rules for creating a sensory bin. You can use whatever materials you may already have lying around your house.

The Benefits of Sensory Bins

The best part about sensory bins is that they combine fun with development. By exploring with their hands and playing, children are able to achieve a variety of things.

Sensory Processing

By choosing a wide variety of materials, children have the opportunity to explore different textures. This can help kids with sensory-processing difficulties by providing a controlled environment for exploration.

Fine Motor Skills

Through digging, stirring, grabbing, pouring, and stacking, children are able to strengthen the muscles in their fingers and hands.

Cooperation and Language Skills

Through interacting with the world around them, children learn how to share and take turns. You can help your child in this area by playing with them! Share your thoughts aloud, ask questions about what is in their bin, and give each object a name. This will encourage your child to share their thoughts and ideas and grow their vocabulary!

Cognitive Development

Children learn through play! Place letters, numbers, shapes, and colors in their sensory bin and practice labeling and sorting each. By choosing objects and materials intentionally, you can help your child learn to say their alphabet, count, spell, sort, and more.

Emotion Regulation

Sensory bins are also great tools for emotions. When your child is feeling overwhelmed, angry, or stressed, different sensory experiences can create a calming environment and aid your child in regaining balance.

These examples are just the beginning of what sensory bins can do for your child. They also help to build confidence, encourage creativity, improve focus, and more.

Sensory Bin Ideas

Dysphonia & How Pediatric Speech Therapy Can Help

Sat, 28 Jan 2023 15:04:48 GMT

Dysphonia isn’t a word you hear very often. The term describes several difficulties speaking due to a physical condition, including those resulting from other medical conditions like nodules on the vocal cords or acid reflux. When seen in children, dysphonia tends to be present without any clear anatomical or neurological causes. Pediatric speech therapy is a preferred treatment for dysphonia, and the speech-language therapists at Hogg Therapy are here to help your child overcome their vocal obstacles and let their voice be heard.

Recognizing Pediatric Dysphonia

Dysphonia can often go undiagnosed because many parents chalk their child’s voice troubles up to being excited or yelling. Overusing the vocal cords can affect the voice temporarily, but true dysphonia continues well after the normal length of a strained voice. Be on the lookout for the following things if you suspect your child has a voice disorder:

A raspy or hoarse voice that is not the result of allergies or other illness
Pain or discomfort while speaking
Inconsistent pitch and volume of voice
Quivering or breathy voice

Treating Dysphonia with Pediatric Speech Therapy

Kids learn a lot by modeling the behavior of their peers. If dysphonia affects your child’s ability to communicate successfully with friends and classmates, it’s vital to get speech therapy underway as soon as possible. Dysphonia can negatively impact your child’s socialization and self-esteem when left untreated. Speech-language therapy will assist you and your child with adopting healthy vocal habits and practicing good voice hygiene.

Like all therapies, speech-language therapy will be the most beneficial if you work with your child between sessions. Your child’s pediatric speech therapist will use resonant voice therapy to help your child identify and use their “easy voice.” This means paying attention to the vibrations you feel when you make certain sounds, such as “m” or “v”, and allowing the words to flow freely instead of forcing speech. Tongue twisters and nursery rhymes are both great ways for your child to overcome dysphonia because you must slow down in order to complete the phrases properly.

Healthy Voice Habits

Staying hydrated is essential for overall health, especially for active kids
Avoid vocal extremes, including yelling and whispering
Use non-verbal gestures to get someone’s attention when they are not within earshot
Recognizing when your voice needs to rest
Impersonations may be entertaining, but pushing your voice out of its normal range puts unnecessary strain on your vocal cords

Continuing Speech Therapy at Home

You don’t need any special skills or training to help your child reach their goals. Your kids are more likely to participate in speech therapy exercises if they have fun. Set a timer and see who can be the quietest during that period of time. Spend a day playing voice detective; take note of the volume, tone, and speed of people speaking around you. Encourage your child to slow down when they are talking. This not only makes it easier for others to understand what is being said, it also helps to ensure your child is using proper breathing patterns.

Speech Therapy near Richmond, KY

Finding a qualified speech-language therapist doesn’t have to be difficult. The team at Hogg Therapy will work closely with you to create an empowering treatment plan for your child. Send us a message or call us at (859) 353-3666 to schedule an initial appointment.

We have locations in Richmond and Berea, KY, and are happy to serve Winchester, Irvine, McKee, Annville, Mount Vernon, Brodhead, Richmond, Berea, Livingston, and Lexington, KY.

Seeking Pediatric Therapy for Sensory Processing Disorder Near Richmond, KY

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 11:48:37 GMT

Your senses, including taste and touch, help you interpret the world around you. Think about the last time you touched a soft blanket or enjoyed the taste of fresh coffee. Think about a time when you were startled by a loud noise or accidentally set your hand in something sticky. Any sensory input can feel overwhelming for children with sensory processing disorder (SPD). The pediatric therapists at Hogg Therapy can help your child to feel more in control of their sensory experiences.

The Senses

Most people can tell you the five senses - sight, touch, taste, smell, hearing - but did you know there are three other types of senses? Familiarizing yourself with all eight sensory systems can help you to use therapeutic techniques at home.

Proprioception: The ability to sense your body’s motion and actions. It provides information about how your body is moving and occupying space.
Vestibular: Helps to maintain balance, coordination, and eye movements
Interoception: The way you feel about what’s happening in your body. Some examples include hot or cold, sick or well, hungry or full.

Sensory Integration Therapy

Sensory integration (SI) therapy helps your child build a tolerance to unpreferred sensory input through regulated exposure to various sensory experiences and learning to use their senses together. Our therapists allow your children to explore preferred and nonpreferred stimuli in a safe and fun environment. The goal is to help your child develop appropriate coping skills to handle these stimuli when they experience them in real-world situations.

Examples of SI Therapy:

Exploring sensory bins filled with different textures using hands
Drinking cold water
Eating crunchy or chewy food
Jumping on a mini trampoline

Sensory Diet

A sensory diet is a plan created by our occupational therapists that is specifically tailored to your child’s sensory needs. The goal of a sensory diet is to help prevent sensory overload in your child, but the diet can also be used as a recovery method for when your child is feeling overwhelmed. Practicing activities in a sensory diet can help your child to feel more in control of their environment which can reduce negative reactions and anxiety. A crucial component to any pediatric therapy for sensory processing disorder is consistency and routine. You may find that your child responds best to a sensory diet when the activities are performed at the same time each day. Other children succeed when they have sensory diet items available to them at all times.

Examples of sensory diet items:

Having access to fidget toys
A time each hour when your child can go for a walk
Using noise cancelling headphones

Occupational Therapy for Sensory Processing Disorder

While occupational therapists are at the center of SI therapy and a sensory diet, sometimes traditional occupational therapy is necessary to help children with sensory processing disorder. Occupational therapy can give your child the boost in skills and self-esteem they need to build fine motor skills, such as holding a pencil or zipping a jacket. Overcoming adverse reactions to specific sights, sounds, and textures can also help your child to become more independent. Learning to properly wash their hands, for example, can help a child to overcome an intolerance of wet hands or the feeling of slippery soap.

Therapy for Sensory Processing Disorder Near Richmond and Berea, KY

The therapists here at Hogg Therapy can help your family navigate their differences, including individuals on the Autism spectrum and those with Down Syndrome . Give us a call to complete a quick phone screening or check out our interactive screening tool . We have locations in Richmond and Berea, KY, and are happy to serve the areas of Winchester, Irvine, McKee, Annville, Mount Vernon, Brodhead, Richmond, Berea, Livingston, and Lexington, KY.

Purposes of Pediatric Physical Therapy near Richmond, KY

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 11:55:48 GMT

As they grow, your child wants to become more independent. How often has your child said, “I’ll do it myself!”? Likely more times than you can remember. Heightened self-esteem gives a child the confidence necessary to practice skills, and pediatric physical therapy provides the boost a child may need for this. Pediatric physical therapy is beneficial for many children. The pediatric physical therapists at Hogg Therapy focus on improving your child’s abilities and celebrating their successes during sessions.

Habilitation vs. Rehabilitation

A common misconception surrounding physical therapy for kids is that physical therapy is only for those recovering from an illness or injury. Rehabilitative PT is for those individuals. Rehabilitation assists people with regaining skills that have been lost. On the other hand, habilitation helps children attain, maintain, and improve gross motor skills necessary for daily living.

Milestones & Pediatric Physical Therapy

We often meet parents concerned because their child has not been meeting developmental milestones. We like to remind you that milestones criteria are created using the average range of ages taken from medical studies and that every child develops differently. Kids who establish milestone skills outside the average range may benefit from physical therapy for children, but it’s not necessarily a requirement. Our team of therapists performs a thorough evaluation of every child we see. We work closely with your child’s pediatrician and other service providers to ensure the plan we create is ideally suited to your child’s needs and strengths.

What Can Pediatric Physical Therapy Do for My Child?

Not every child we serve will need to improve in every area, but pediatric physical therapy can help develop several areas that are essential for daily living:

Range of motion: How far joints can bend and stretch
Strength
Balance
Posture
Muscle tone: Tone is the natural resistance of muscle tissue - increased tone results in stiffness, and decreased tone causes floppiness of muscles.

The human body works as an intertwined unit, so you may see us working on skills your child has mastered. This is because every movement of their body affects, and is affected by, the action of other areas in the body.

Working on Pediatric Physical Therapy at Home

Since children are growing while receiving pediatric PT, you need to help your child practice what they learn during our sessions at home. Growing joints and muscles are easier to manipulate, and your child will have a more positive outcome from pediatric physical therapy if activities are worked on daily.

How do you get your child to want to participate in physical therapy at home? The same way we do here at Hogg Therapy - by making it fun. Children naturally desire to move and play games and are much more likely to engage in something if it’s fun. Specialized equipment is not a requirement for helping your child at home. Here are a few things you can do right at home:

Core strengthening: Allow your child to put as many easy-to-remove stickers as they like on the bottoms of their feet. Few children will say no to that. Then, have your child sit on a balance ball facing a wall as they remove the stickers one at a time to place them on a sheet of paper on the wall. The action of bending and raising their core while maintaining balance will engage and strengthen core muscles.
Gross motor skills: Have your child blow bubbles and then chase them, trying to pop them before they hit the ground. This game improves gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination. If your child is receiving speech-language therapy , the movement of the mouth necessary to blow will help enhance skills in that area.
Improve mobility: Hop in a pool. The buoyancy of the water relieves pressure on your child’s joints while providing more resistance than air, making it an excellent way for your child to exercise and improve endurance.

Reaching Out to Hogg Therapy

Contact us today to complete a brief screening over the phone that will help us determine which services may be best for your child. You can also use the interactive screening tool on our website. We have offices in Richmond and Berea, KY, and are happy to serve the areas of Winchester, Irvine, McKee, Annville, Mount Vernon, Brodhead, Richmond, Berea, Livingston, and Lexington, KY.

Guide to Therapies for Pediatric Down Syndrome Near Richmond, KY

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 10:35:07 GMT

Many people hear “therapies” and immediately think of negative circumstances. At Hogg Therapy , we hear “activities to help children of all needs and abilities thrive.” Children with Down Syndrome are better able to thrive when they participate in various therapies tailored to their individual needs and abilities. We all want only the best for our children, and that’s why the Hogg Therapy team receives continuing education to ensure our pediatric therapists for Down Syndrome are among the best available near Lexington, KY.

What is Down Syndrome?

Whether you’re very well-versed in the details of Down Syndrome or are just learning, you can rest assured that we are here to educate and assist your entire family in navigating the world of pediatric therapies for Down Syndrome. Also known as Trisomy 21, this syndrome is caused by an extra chromosome and is one of the most common chromosomal conditions in the United States. We have more information than ever about this syndrome which makes us better equipped to help your child.

What Does Down Syndrome Look Like?

Down Syndrome looks different for everyone. While there are common characteristics amongst individuals in the community, such as decreased muscle tone and developmental delays, these are used to help identify the syndrome as quickly as possible following birth so that your child can begin receiving therapies as soon as they are necessary. However, just as some people are tall or short and have different hair and eye colors, these things are not how people are defined. They simply tell us more about a person. Statistics and research matter, but they are not the only factors we consider when creating a therapeutic plan for your child.

What Therapies Does My Child Need?

Research shows that receiving proper therapies during childhood significantly improves the long-term outcomes for children with Down Syndrome. We offer a comprehensive range of therapies for children, and we will evaluate your child’s needs regularly to ensure they continue receiving the appropriate services. Our pediatric therapy offerings include:

Physical Therapy : Pediatric PT can help your child develop and maintain muscle tone and other physical skills necessary to run and play as all children should.
Speech Language Therapy : Speech therapy provides extensive benefits for children of all abilities. Many children can understand words before they can speak, and this can cause frustration in children when they feel as though they are not being heard or understood. Our pediatric speech therapists can help your child master not only spoken language but alternative means of self-expression, such as signing, pictures, and other assistive communication devices.
Occupational Therapy : OT is a wonderful option for children with Down Syndrome as its purpose is to make everyday life more accessible for your child. This can include anything from eating with utensils and getting dressed to modifications such as writing instruments that are easier to grip. We want your child to be as independent as possible, and pediatric occupational therapy is a fantastic way to accomplish this goal.
Social Skills Training : Children with differing abilities often feel left out of social activities with peers. Our social skills groups help your child learn appropriate social behavior and how to be assertive when stating their needs and wants.

Contact Hogg Therapy Today

Reach out to our friendly, knowledgeable team today with questions about pediatric therapies for Down Syndrome. You can also use our interactive screening tool to help decide which therapies may be suitable for your child. We have two convenient locations in Richmond and Berea, KY. We are happy to serve the areas of Winchester, Irvine, McKee, Annville, Mount Vernon, Brodhead, Richmond, Berea, Livingston, and Lexington, KY.

Pediatric Therapies for Children with Autism Near Richmond, KY

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 07:07:45 GMT

Today, there is a greater understanding of child development including the differences in how children vary in social functioning, show atypical repetitive behaviors, and communicate in different ways, including nonverbal communication. Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is diagnosed and defined solely based on the presence of surface symptoms. Unlike a blood test that lets you know that your child has a peanut allergy, there is no physical means to diagnose it. So, how do you know if your child is on the Autism spectrum?

Diagnosing ASD includes a developmental screening and a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation. Your doctor will look at your child’s behavior and development before concluding. What happens after if your child receives a possible diagnosis? We at Hogg Therapy are dedicated to helping children thrive and we do this by meeting them where they’re at developmentally. Therapies for Children with Autism are some of the best ways to support your child’s goals, and our team is here to guide you along the way!

Where to Start

Diagnosing Autism hinges on observing your child’s development. This is something that you and your child’s pediatrician can do together. We recommend finding a pediatrician with a good understanding of ASD who can be a good resource and support for you and your child. We strive to do the same here at Hogg Therapy. A great resource we have developed is a Developmental Checklist to determine what recommended milestones your child should be working toward at certain ages.

Who Can Help

Of course, there are many wonderful resources at your disposal. In addition to the help of your pediatrician, physical therapy can help your child with their gross motor skills, such as balance and coordination. Occupational Therapy can help children with their fine/visual motor skills, as well as behavior/sensory/feedback needs. In addition to developing communication skills, Speech Language Therapy can help your child with communication and feeding skills.

Children with Autism may have differences in expressing or understanding verbal and/or nonverbal communication and social cues, including gestures, eye contact, tone of voice, facial expressions, and spoken language. Since communication can be different, this can result in behavioral issues as a child might have difficulty expressing how they are feeling. We will do everything we can to help your child development key communication skills. Our Speech Language Therapy is aimed at developing your child’s unique way of communicating so that their voice can be heard whether through words, sign language, or another form of communication.

When it comes to Pediatric Therapies to support individuals with autism, our friendly team of experts is here to help. Figuring out when your child should start therapy or supportive services depends on each individual. However, early diagnosis and therapy are exceptionally helpful. Since children grow rapidly, weekly therapy is often recommended so your child can keep meeting developmental milestones.

Contact Hogg Therapy Today

To learn more about Pediatric Therapies and services to support individuals with Autism, feel free to contact us online or give us a call at (859) 353-3666 . We have locations in Richmond and Berea, Kentucky. We also proudly serve the greater Richmond and Berea area including Lexington, Livingston, Winchester, Irvine, McKee, Annville, Mount Vernon, and Brodhead, Kentucky. Contact us today to get started and grow your support group for you and your child.

Pediatric Therapy for Children with ADHD near Richmond, KY

Fri, 15 Jul 2022 14:39:56 GMT

By researching pediatric therapy for children with ADHD, you are already doing a wonderful job and are taking a step in the right direction. Finding the right therapist for your child is an important step in their social and mental wellbeing. This is obvious not a step any parent takes lightly, as they want what is best for their children.

While “ADHD therapy” doesn’t exist per se, treatment often includes a combination of medication, behavioral therapy, occupational therapy for the child, and education for their family members.

We are here to help define what ADHD is, along with the typical signs and a development checklist, and where you can reach our friendly team of trained professionals if you select us for your child’s future therapy sessions . Read on to learn more.

Defining ADHD

When it comes to finding the best pediatric therapy for your child, you will first want to have a solid understanding of what ADHD is.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a one of the most diagnosed brain disorders in children, and it can last into adulthood. Individuals with ADHD typically have trouble paying attention, controlling impulses, and demonstrate excessive activity.

Children with ADHD often have difficulties with paying attention. They may also make decisions or behave impulsively, and exhibit signs of hyperactivity. Children with ADHD can demonstrate challenges with cognitive skills such as future problem-solving, planning ahead, retaining memory, and paying attention. They can also have problems with emotional regulation and may become upset when things do not go their way, which can be detrimental to social interaction.

Treating of Pediatric ADHD

ADHD is typically treated with a combination of treatment strategies including medication, behavioral therapy, and occupational therapy for the child. Behavioral therapy works through teaching the child and their families strategies to improve certain stress areas like organization, retaining focus, and practicing impulse control. Occupational Therapy teaches children strategies to how to get better at focusing, as well as study skills and social skills that leads to the ability to make friends and emotional self-regulation—strategies of this using tools to help the child as they learn how to better self-regulate.

Developmental Checklist

There is no single test for diagnosing ADHD. The diagnosis process may include reports about the child’s behavior from their parents and teachers. If your child struggles with ADHD, no matter the severity, our team of therapists can help! We even have a free developmental checklist free interactive screening to get started.

Conclusion

If you would like to learn more about pediatric therapy for children with ADHD, be sure to contact visit us today Hogg Therapy . To get started, simply give us a call at (859) 353-3666 . We will obtain some basic information about your needs. Then, our licensed professionals will call you for a consultation to further determine your needs for assessment and therapy. We serve Winchester, Irvine, McKee, Annville, Mount Vernon, Brodhead, Richmond, Berea, Livingston, and Lexington, Kentucky.

Target Deal Days: Toy Recommendations from an OT

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 15:05:13 GMT

Brittany McKnight, OT

Playing is one of the best ways for kiddos to build important skills! If you’re looking for some amazing deals on toys and activities for your children (Christmas in July?), Target is a great place to look. Target Deal Days is an online only sale that ends tomorrow, July 13th, and you definitely need to check it out! Even if you miss the sale, these are still great toys to keep in mind for birthdays and holidays.

Hogg Therapy Pediatrics does not recieve anything from Target for purchases made from this blog post. This is simply a list compiled for the benefit of parents and caregivers. :)

Deals & Skills

Wooden Cleaning Set

Sale Price: $18.74 — Retail Price: $24.99

Skills: pretend play, hand-eye coordination, life skills

Critter Clinic

Sale Price: $19.49 — Retail Price: $25.99

Skills: grasping, sequencing, color matching, empathy toward pets

Pound-a-Ball Toy

Sale Price: $11.99 — Retail Price: $15.99

Skills: bilateral coordination, cause and effect, hand-eye coordination, color matching

Marble Run Playset

Sale Price: $14.99 — Retail Price: $19.99

Marble Run for younger kids

Sale Price: $13.79 — Retail Price: $22.99

Skills: grasping, problem solving, social play

Giggly Zippies - Hank Hippo

Sale Price: $14.99 — Retail Price: $19.99

Skills: dressing skills, fine motor, sensory stimulation with vibration

Wooden Tool Box

Sale Price: $14.99 — Retail Price: $19.99

Skills: fine motor, hand-eye coordination, pretend play

Crayola Light Up Tracing Pad

Sale Price: $15.39 — Retail Price: $21.99

Skills: pencil grasp, pre-handwriting, visual motor

Don't Break The Ice Game

Sale Price: $7.19 — Retail Price: $14.39

Skills: social play, hand-eye coordination, fine motor, force regulation, impulse control

Connect 4 Blast! Game

Sale Price: $10.99 — Retail Price: $21.99

These simple and easy activities can be done daily to build OT skills.

Indoors

Outdoors

And of course, going to your appointments with your OT at Hogg Therapy is a great way to build occupational therapy skills! :)

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, our therapists would love to help! Give us a call at 859-353-3666 or visit our website .

FREE Developmental Screening Tool

Learning Letters: Differentiating Lowercase “b” and “d”

Fri, 06 May 2022 19:13:00 GMT

Megan Hundley, M.A., CCC-SLP

With lowercase letters b and d looking alike, it’s understandable that kids would have trouble with differentiation. However, this difficulty of differentiation can often lead to confusion when both learning to read and reading to learn. As a therapist who provides reading intervention, differentiation of these letters is something I find myself teaching on a weekly basis. Below are my favorite tips and tricks I have found to help!

Tip #1

This video is a fantastic introduction to b and d when working on discrimination. This video uses kinesthetic learning and provides a hands-on method for kids to remember the difference between b and d. This catchy song is sure to stick in kiddos minds! You can also trace the letters on each hand when making the “thumbs up” gesture for an extra layer of practice!

Jack Hartmann - The Difference Between b and d

Tip #2

This free poster by Inspired Elementary is a great visual cue to help master recognition. This funny poster helps remind students which way b and d go. The poster can be printed in both half and full pages to be used at school or at home when completing homework assignments.

Find the free poster here .

If you have any concerns regarding your child's reading or writing skills, we would love to help! Please give us a call at (859)-353-3666 or visit our website !

FREE Interactive Screening Tool

Potty Tips: Toileting Tricks for Number Two

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 19:33:00 GMT

Liana Bucciarelli, MS, OTR/L, CPRCS

Potty training is a big change for kiddos! Some children have difficulty with the transition from going in a diaper to going on a potty, especially with going number two. Try these tips and tricks to help your little one make the transition!

Trip to the Doctor

The first step is visiting your child’s pediatrician to rule out any physical problems that may be making it difficult for your child to go to the bathroom. They are the only person who can do this so you must start here! Plus, it helps rule out if the cause is physical, sensory, or behavior related. If it’s a physical problem, the doctor may also be able to advise or prescribe medications or supplements to help the child go to the bathroom.

Teach

Teach the child your expectations. They will not go to the bathroom on the toilet if you do not tell or show them what to do. You can verbally tell them, read a book about it, or watch a children’s video.

Try using a visual schedule and posting it in the bathroom or somewhere within access to the child. Visual schedules remind the child the steps for going to the bathroom if they forget and pictures are more easily understood by children.

Use a consistent schedule for going to the bathroom. Bring the child to the bathroom each morning, twenty minutes following meals, and before bed.

Diet & Exercise

Eating a balanced, healthy diet will naturally stimulate the urge to go. Add some high fiber foods to your child’s diet if they are still struggling to go.

Not moving during the day = not helping! Make sure the child has plenty of time to play, run, climb, and jump around. Getting enough movement during the day will help relax muscles needed to go to the bathroom. Too much sedentary time will not create the urge to go naturally.

Behavior

Never shame the child for accidents—they are learning! Encourage all attempts the child makes to try to go on the toilet. It will motivate the child and reinforce what you are trying to teach them.

Use a reward system (sticker chart, toy, activity they enjoy, trip to the store, etc) for successful attempts and stick to it.

Some children may hold in poop because it provides them with additional proprioceptive input that their sensory system may need. To reverse this, make sure they are getting plenty of exercise and stimulation from their environment so they don’t feel the need to do this behavior. If your child engages in poop smearing, discourage it immediately. Instead, allow them to read or play with something on the toilet to keep their hands busy and stimulated.

Modify the Bathroom

If the child’s inability to go on the toilet is related to their sensory needs, adjustments may need to be made to the bathroom environment itself. Make sure there is something underneath the child’s feet to support their posture which prepares them to go. Stools or Squatty Pottys are good options because they provide support to the child’s feet which makes them feel comfortable and safe while keeping them in proper positioning. Some other ideas include:

Practice Makes Perfect

Potty training will take time and will take consistent practice from both the child and parent. If you’re not consistent, you can’t expect them to be either. Understand occasional accidents will occur while your child is trying to learn. This is normal—don’t shame your child but instead remind them of expectations for next time. Don’t forget to celebrate any small victories during the process! Be sure to continue training and preparation during your child’s occupational therapy or ABA therapy sessions for carryover of learning. Once your child is comfortable going at home, it may take them time to get comfortable going at other places. Practice makes perfect!

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, our therapists would love to help! Visit our website or give us a call at 859-353-3666.

Sources:

#191 - TOILET TRAINING TIPS FOR EVERYONE WITH JESSICA, OTR/L FROM ROOTED IN ROUTINE

Potty Training Resources

FREE Interactive Screening Tool

Building Skills: Tips for Regulating Emotions & Behaviors

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 20:09:00 GMT

Rachel Dean, OTR/L

As occupational therapists, one of the many skills we work on is behavior management and a child’s ability to regulate their own emotions and behaviors. This is a skill that can be difficult for a child to conquer, so how exactly can you help your child work through their emotions and reduce behavior concerns?

Validate Feelings

When your child is having a meltdown, acknowledging their feelings helps them know what they’re feeling and feel like you are listening to them. Example: “I can see that you’re feeling upset right now, do you need a break?”

Use Neutral Tone

Trying to stay calm when your child is having behavior problems is a great way to model appropriate reactions during stressful scenarios. Using a calm, quiet voice when talking to your child will help them regulate their own emotions.

Give Limited Choices

When your child is having a meltdown, it is sometimes hard for them to make a choice on how to calm themselves. Instead of asking, “What do you want to do?”, you can ask, “Would you rather take some deep breaths or do hand squeezes?” Giving your child choices helps them feel in control, without getting overwhelmed with too many options.

Set Boundaries

Setting boundaries allows your child to express their feelings, while also understanding appropriate and expected behaviors. For example, you can say “I know that you’re upset, but hitting and yelling is not an option.” Then, giving your child limited choices of appropriate responses can allow them to choose how to handle the situation in an appropriate way.

Designate Safe Space

Making a safe space for your child to take a break is a great way to teach self-regulation. If they are having a meltdown, you can say, “It looks like you need a break. Go take a break, and when you’re ready, you come back to me.” Giving your child a safe space allows them to calm themselves and be in control of when they’re ready to come back and have a conversation with you.

Prepare Child Ahead of Time

If you know of something that may cause your child to have a meltdown, preparing them in advance will help them know what to expect. You can let them know exactly what to expect, including what activity they’ll be doing, who they’ll be with, and how you’ll help them handle the situation. For example, if your child does not like going to the doctor, you can tell them a day in advance, several hours in advance, and in the hours leading up to the event: “It’s almost time to go to the doctor. I’ll be with you the whole time, and if you need a break, you can let me know. After the doctor, we can come back home and play together!”

Use of Visual Timers/Schedules

Using a visual timer and pictures for a schedule is another great way to give your child a visual to help them understand what to expect. You can also remind them out-loud when it’s almost time for a transition or new activity.

Add Heavy Work to Daily Routine

Heavy work is a great way to give your child proprioceptive input, which is a way to calm your child’s nervous system. Proprioception is the sensation that provides feedback to your muscles and joints to know where your body is in space and coordinating their movements. Heavy work activities include wall push-ups, tug of war, bear squeezes, hand squeezes, animal walks, jumping on a pile of pillows, and pushing/pulling heavy objects. Incorporating these activities into your daily routine can provide your child with calming sensory input.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, our therapists would love to help! Visit our website or give us a call at 859-353-3666.

FREE Interactive Screening Tool

Language Learning: Is Your Child Ready to Learn Signs?

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 20:57:00 GMT

Morgan Barton CCC-SLP

Before introducing signs to young children or late talkers it is important to consider if they have the prerequisite skills in order to be successful in using signs. So what do you need to look for in your child?

Prerequisite Skills

The following list helps to show if your child is developmentally ready to learn and use sign language:

If you feel like your child does not have these prerequisite skills, it’s important to help them develop these skills in order to set them up for success in using signs to express themselves! If you have concerns about your child’s language skills, be sure to contact your child’s pediatrician in order to determine if a language evaluation would be beneficial for your child.

Do you have questions or concerns about your child’s development? Visit our website or give us a call at 859-353-3666, and our therapists would love to help!

FREE Interactive Screening Tool

From A to Z: Teaching the Alphabet with Fun Activities

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 19:32:00 GMT

Kara Hornung OTR/L

Is your kiddo having difficulty learning their ABCs? Learning the alphabet is an important first step needed for reading and writing skills. Help your child master their letters by making learning a multi-sensory and fun experience with some of these ideas. If your child is just starting the process or having a difficult time, start with a few letters at a time. Work on those letters until they are mastered and then continue through the alphabet. If your child is more advanced or just needs review, try these with the entire alphabet!

Letter Scavenger Hunt

Roll the Dice

Cover the Letter

Arts & Crafts Time

Use craft materials, toys, and other supplies you already have at home to create letters. Get creative! Use lots of repetition and ask the child to tell you what letter they are making.

Ideas:

Worksheets

Check out these sites for good printouts to work on letter recognition!

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, our therapists would love to help! Visit our website or give us a call at 859-353-3666.

FREE Interactive Screening Tool

Gravitational Insecurity: What It Is + At-Home Tips

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 19:31:00 GMT

Liana Bucciarelli, MS, OTR/L

What is gravitational insecurity? Well, it has to do with a child’s vestibular system. Wait… What in the world is a vestibular system? These are some big and confusing terms, so let’s break it down.

What is gravitational insecurity?

Gravitational insecurity is a fear or overreaction shown by children who have an altered sensory system caused by impairments in their vestibular system. Any time the child’s feet leave the ground or their head position changes it causes a fight-or-flight (or fear) reaction because it throws off their entire awareness of where their body is positioned in space. You may also see them requiring extra time to problem solve or move as they adjust to the change in position. Because all of your sensory systems work together, including the vestibular system, having an impairment in one may cause impairments with the others and with achieving developmental milestones.

What is the vestibular system?

The vestibular system is a part of your sensory system that provides information on the position of your body in space. It is responsible for controlling balance, perceiving motion, and keeping your head upright despite changes in position and posture. Impairments in the vestibular system will cause a child to lose their sense of body awareness anytime their head is moved in any direction other than upright and center, causing fear and anxiety by not knowing where their body is in space, much less how to move or coordinate it.

What causes gravitational insecurity?

A few causes of gravitational insecurity may be:

What signs should I look for in my child?

The biggest indicator is if your child has been delayed in reaching any of their developmental milestones. Some other signs to look for include:

How is it treated?

Treatment includes occupational therapy, physical therapy, and increasing movement at home. The main focus is on causing frequent changes in head position because it requires the child to adapt to the change of movement. It also requires continuous exposure to new or non-preferred activities and practice. Activity ideas include: working on various surfaces and heights (chalk board, easel, laying on floor to do work), balancing on one leg, balancing on one leg with eyes closed, walking across a balance beam, going down the slide, swinging, crawling through a tunnel, going on a scavenger hunt, rolling down a hill, running, walking backwards, trial-and-error, scootering, climbing, yoga, spinning, riding a bike, doing somersaults, pulling or riding in a wagon, and placing a stool underneath the child's feet at potty/mealtime/school for increased feeling of security.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, please visit our website or give us a call at 859-353-3666. Our therapists would love to help!

FREE Interactive Screening Tool

The Perfect Fit: Shoe Choices for Orthotics

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 19:51:00 GMT

Gentry Lewis, PT, DPT

If your child has ever worn a pair of orthotics, you KNOW the struggle of finding a good pair of shoes that fits well! Fitting orthotics, commonly referred to as “braces,” into a small opening at the top of a pair of shoes is a serious workout for parents and their kiddos. There are multiple components to look at when assessing a pair of shoes for a child wearing orthotics. This post is meant to help find a good pair of shoes for your child who is new to orthotics or ensure that your child’s shoes are fitting well over their existing pair.

What should we look for?

First, let’s take a look at some things to look for when choosing a shoe.

Pictured Left: Ankle Foot Orthosis (AFO)

Pictured Right: Supra-Malleolar Orthosis (SMO)

Shoe Options

New Balance: Multiple options available in wide or extra wide. They also offer many velcro strap options to easily increase the width of the opening. Linked below is an example of a good option for both kids and toddlers:

Hatchback Footwear: Adaptive Shoes for Kids

Billy’s Shoes: Shoes easily adapted to orthotics with a zipper that travels around the outside of the foot and towards the big toe.

Zappos: If shopping for tennis shoes that are not classified as adaptive footwear, Zappos offers measurement charts. An orthotist recommends measuring your child’s foot with the orthotics on if you already have them in your possession.

Zappos Adaptive: Zappos Adaptive has a variety of orthotic friendly shoe options, especially if your kiddo is looking to add some variety to their wardrobe.

A Final Note

If you ever have any questions about how your child’s shoes are fitting or want a second opinion, feel free to bring multiple pairs of shoes to therapy. Your physical therapist would love to discuss shoe options and provide you with some peace of mind. As always, feel free to call Hogg Therapy at (859) 353-3666 with questions or concerns!

FREE Interactive Screening Tool

Stuck Inside: Play Ideas for Indoor Fun

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 15:23:00 GMT

Rachel Dean, OTR/L

Like many other therapists, I always encourage my clients and families to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Being outside is great for developing safety awareness, motor skills, cognitive skills, and language development. However, we all know the weather can be unpredictable in the winter, and your kids may not be able to spend as much time outdoors. To help during the winter months, we’ve created a list of ideas you could complete in the safety of your warm home that will still provide your child with opportunities to develop all of these skills!

Sensory Bins

Sensory bins are great opportunities for your child to engage in sensory input as they provide tactile (touch), visual, and auditory input. Some things you could include as the base of the sensory bin are water beads, dry rice/noodles/beans, pom poms, cotton balls, or shredded paper. To make this activity more interactive, you could add tongs, cups, utensils, or strainers. Using tongs and utensils are a great way to work on fine motor skills with your child while also having fun!

Obstacle Courses

Making obstacle courses can be great for developing core strength, hand-eye coordination, hand strength, sensory input, and sequencing skills for a multi-step process. Some great things you could include in your obstacle course are couch cushions to jump on, hula hoops to jump through, painters tape on the floor as a “balance beam,” chairs to crawl under, or a laundry basket filled with clothes to push for “heavy work.” Letting your child contribute to the obstacle course is a great way to get them involved and working on their cognitive skills.

Science Experiments

Completing a science experiment is a great way to develop cognitive skills. These skills include cause-and-effect understanding, safety awareness, problem solving, answering questions, auditory/visual processing, and using reasoning skills. Not to mention, science experiments usually produce a fun and exciting outcome! Check out this list of science experiments for fun ideas. Some of my favorites on this list include making “oobleck” or a lava lamp for some additional sensory input.

Cooking

Letting your child assist with cooking is another great way to encourage engagement and participation from your child. Cooking allows your child to learn safety awareness, sequencing skills, and practice fine motor skills. Having your child assist with mixing, pouring, molding, and opening containers lets your child process simple directions, while also increasing their hand strength and dexterity. Click this link for some simple cookie recipes.

Homemade Play-Doh

As an occupational therapist, Play-Doh is one of my all time favorite therapy tools. Play-Doh is great for sensory input, working on fine motor skills, and increasing hand strength. Making your own Play-Doh allows your child to sequence steps, follow simple instructions, and use their creativity to add colors or textures to their Play-Doh. After you’re done making it, use items like utensils, tongs, cookie cutters, and other toys with the Play-Doh to make it more interactive! Find a recipe for homemade Play-Doh here .

Scavenger Hunts

Scavenger hunts are a great way to work on memory, color/number/letter recognition, processing skills, and gross motor skills when moving around the house. Have your child find something that starts with all the letters from A-Z, find objects that have certain colors or patterns, or find a certain number of objects. Click this link to find more ideas for an indoor scavenger hunt!

All of these activities are great ways to promote developmental skills for your child while also allowing them to have fun indoors. These ideas can promote increased attention, following directions, coordination, fine motor skills, cognitive skills, and language skills. We hope you give them a try!

FREE Interactive Screening Tool

Sensory Development: Why Earlier Intervention is Better

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:21:00 GMT

Janna Lopez, MS, OTR/L

Everyone processes sensory information differently. For a child with sensory processing difficulties, making sense of the things they hear, feel, see, taste, and smell can be overwhelming. Although we can help adapt their environment to be more comfortable, it is not feasible to always stay away from sensory experiences that bother them. For this reason, it is imperative to learn how to cope with all sorts of sensory experiences—the earlier the better.

Why is early intervention important?

If you have concerns about your child’s sensory development, it’s best to get help from an occupational therapist sooner rather than later. These are a few reasons why:

We highly encourage you to talk to your child’s doctor and get a referral to occupational therapy if you believe your child may need intervention for their sensory development. If you’re in the Central Kentucky area, the therapists at Hogg Therapy would love to help! Visit our website or give us a call at 859-353-3666.

Free Interactive Screening Tool

Building Skills: Learning How to Fasten Buttons

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 21:18:00 GMT

Annie Wade, OT

Around 3 years old, a child should be able to unfasten large buttons. Then around 4 years old, a child should be able to fasten large buttons. Practicing the skills and learning how to fasten buttons is important even if your 3 or 4 year old’s clothes do not have buttons. Fine motor skills, using both hands together, and hand-eye coordination are all skills used in fastening buttons. It is an important lifelong skill to learn, as clothing for older kids and adults has buttons.

Practice Makes Perfect

There are lots of activities that can help your child build the skills needed to fasten and unfasten buttons. Listed below are just a few of the skill-building activities your child can try!

Practice unfastening large buttons while seated at a table.

Practice fastening large buttons seated at a table. You can make this easier by putting the button in the hole and having the child complete the rest.

Continue to challenge their skills by decreasing the size of the buttons and having the child practice with buttons while wearing clothing.

If you have concerns about the development of your child’s fine motor skills, please contact Hogg Therapy! Our therapists are specially trained to help with a variety of developmental concerns and are passionate about serving families. Visit our website or give us a call at 859-353-3666.

Free Interactive Screening Tool

Picky Eaters: Tips to Decrease Mealtime Stress

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 16:21:00 GMT

Janna Lopez, MS, OTR/L

If you’ve ever eaten a meal with a child, you know that it can be a very stressful time. Picky eating is something that many kids struggle with, but there’s a point where it can become problem feeding. Problem feeding is persistent, and the stress response when offered a new food can be much larger.

Tips & Tricks

If mealtimes are stressful for your family, try these tips to decrease stress:

If you have concerns about your child’s eating habits or difficulties, please visit our website or give us a call at (859) 353-3666 to learn about how we can help. We have Occupational Therapists and Speech-Language Pathologists who are trained in feeding therapy and would love to help you and your family!

Free Interactive Screening Tool

Graduation Day: How to Meet Your Therapy Goals

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 20:28:00 GMT

Taylor Adkins, DPT

Graduation day is always exciting—whether it’s from high school, kindergarten, or even therapy! It’s a day to recognize you have met your goals. In the therapy world, graduation day is a little different. We don’t walk across a stage or throw hats in the air (although maybe we should). It doesn’t happen because you have been here for a set number of visits. It happens because you and your child have worked their hardest to improve their ability to interact in this world and they have finally met their goals!

What does “discharge” mean?

Another word for graduating from therapy is “discharge.” Some people may ask why discharging is a good thing. Wouldn’t that mean that the child is no longer getting help? No! What it actually means is that, at this time, your child has met all expectations for their age or goals and no longer requires help to interact with their peers and environment. Therapy is not designed to help your child maintain skills. It’s designed to teach your child and you how to learn new skills and then maintain them at home. It also does not mean that you can never come back. You are always welcome to call or email with any questions or concerns! If another evaluation is needed, as it seems your child may need extended assistance to be able to complete these new skills, then that’s okay and is perfectly typical.

How can I help my child?

Every parent wants their child to be successful and meet their goals! Here are some great tips for meeting goals and graduating from our therapy services:

Remember, every child is different! What works for one kiddo may not work for another. Try these tips, work with the therapists, and have fun with your child. Together, we can help ALL kids enjoy being kids!

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, our therapists would love to help. Please visit our website or give us a call at 859-353-3666.

Free Interactive Screening Tool

Coping Skills: Tips for Changes in Routine

Thu, 23 Dec 2021 16:56:00 GMT

Janna Lopez, MS, OTR/L

The holiday season is full of changes that can disrupt a child’s routine. As a parent, you know that change can be hard for your child. They like to have a bedtime routine and will ask you several times a day what you’re going to do. Typically, adults are able to easily cope with change because we’ve had practice. Children, however, can sometimes be very affected by sudden or unexpected changes.

Tips & Tricks

Try these tips to help your child tolerate changes in routine:

If your child continues to have difficulty with changes in routine, or if their behaviors are affecting their daily functioning, our therapists would love to help. Visit our website at hoggtherapy.com or give us a call at 859-353-3666. You can also try our FREE Interactive Screening Tool to see if your child is on track!

Free Interactive Screening Tool

Christmas Cookies: Hidden Benefits in Holiday Tradition

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 15:32:00 GMT

Abigail Hassert, MS, OTR/L

Baking cookies is an exciting and meaningful Christmas tradition among families all over the world. Baking Christmas cookies allows you and your family to not only spread Christmas cheer, prepare (and anticipate!) the holidays, but also make memories that last a lifetime. However, did you know that baking Christmas cookies can have a significant positive impact on your child’s development?

Benefits of Baking

There are so many ways that baking can benefit your child! These are just some of the ways that different aspects of baking can influence childhood development:

The next time your family decides to bake Christmas (or any time of the year) cookies, we encourage you to remember these benefits and allow your child to participate. Not only will you make precious holiday memories, but you will be contributing to the development of your kiddo!

Click here for the recipe to the delicious cookies pictured above. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from your friends at Hogg Therapy Pediatrics!

FREE Interactive Screening Tool

An Occupational Therapist’s Gift Guide

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 14:46:00 GMT

Tonya Booth, OT

As pediatric occupational therapists, we love targeting skills through play! The holiday season can be a stressful time for parents. We've made it easier for you and have made a gift guide featuring some favorite toys of occupational therapists that target a variety of skills. Kids love learning through play!

Pop the Pig

Ages: 4 years old and up

Promotes: Color/number identification, following directions, turn-taking, pincer grasp, and attention to task

Find it at Amazon , Walmart , and Target

Play-Doh

Ages: 2 years old and up

Promotes: Hand strengthening, pincer grasp, color identification, hand-eye coordination, and number/letter identification

Find it at Amazon , Walmart , and Target

Spot It!

Ages: 6 years old and up

Promotes: Attention, visual scanning, dexterity, and motor planning

Find it at Amazon , Walmart , and Target

Twister

Ages: 6 years old and up

Promotes: Balance, following directions, motor planning, crossing midline, and discrimination between left and right

Find it at Amazon , Walmart , and Target

Gumball Grab

Ages: 3 to 6 years old

Promotes: Handwriting grasp, following directions, identification of colors, and counting

Find it at Lakeshore Learning

All of these gift ideas are fun ways to promote learning and skill development in children. We hope your kiddos play, learn, and achieve! Merry Christmas from your friends at Hogg Therapy!

Repurposed Play Part 4: Broken Crayons

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Brittany McKnight, MS OTR/L

Welcome back to repurposed play where we take ordinary household items and repurpose them into meaningful developmental toys and play strategies. In this installment, we have compiled a list of fun activities that use one of the most common and widely trashed items in households with kids. Today, we will be repurposing… broken crayons!

Broken Crayon Play-Doh

This is a wonderful way to up-cycle broken crayons and engage your kids in a multi-step craft. Find this activity here .

Crayon Floam Dough

Similar to the play-doh but adding a little more of a sensory tactile component to the fun! Find it here .

Color Sorting Activity

This is more of a hands-off and cost saving approach to teach our little ones how to identify and organize colors. Click here for this activity.

Melted Crayon Dot Art

This one is my personal favorite on the list for our bigger kiddos. This activity teaches them fire safety awareness, fine motor skills, and temperature awareness, while creating really cool dot art with the crayon wax. You’ll definitely want adult supervision for this activity. Find it here .

Broken Crayon Coloring

It’s always good to remember that although the crayons are broken, they can still make beautiful art. Plus, from the perspective of an OT, using shorter crayons really addresses the pincer grasp needed to evolve into the desired handwriting grasp for the future.

We hope you enjoy these activities! As always, if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, our therapists would love to help. Visit our website at hoggtherapy.com or give us a call at 859-353-3666.

Special Senses: The 5 Senses + 3 More!

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 18:42:00 GMT

Jason Washburn, OT

Most people are familiar with the five senses: sight, touch, taste, hearing, and smell. We are able to see with our eyes, touch with our hands (and all body parts), taste with our tongues, hear with our ears, and smell with our nose. What’s less known, however, is that there are actually three more sensory systems! These are proprioception, vestibular, and interoception.

The Lesser Known Senses

In the broadest of strokes, proprioception is how we can tell if something touching us is the weight of a nickel or of a gallon of milk. Vestibular is how we know we are upside-down when riding on a roller coaster. Lastly, and the most complicated, is interoception. This is the feeling we have inside our bodies. It’s that butterfly sensation, or the upset stomach, and even how we tell if we need to potty.

Interoception

Interoception is the most confusing to understand of all the sensory systems. This is the sense of what is happening inside of our bodies. This system is going to tell you:

The part of the brain that interprets all these signals coming from the body is called the insula. This helps to take in all the information and convert it into one of two options: body state or emotional state.

The big take-away from all of this is that our body sensations promote the means in how we behave. For example:

Feeling sensations > Body state/emotion > Urge to act > Action > Outcome

The urge to act when thirsty

Dry throat/dry mouth > thirsty > urge to act > get a drink > discomfort fades

The urge to act when frustrated

Tight muscles/faster heart/tight chest/overall heat/clenched jaw > frustrated > urge to act > ask for help > discomfort fades

Not every child, or adult for that matter, understands what action to take in order to reach the desired outcome. By learning to listen to the signs within the body, we can better self-interpret what is happening and take action that will reach the desired outcome.

If your child seems to have difficulty with any of their sensory systems, please contact Hogg Therapy Associates! Our therapists are specially-trained to work with your child on sensory development. Visit our website at hoggtherapy.com or give us a call at 859-353-3666.

Source: Interoception: The Eight Sensory System by Kelly Mahler, MS, OTR/L

Happy Halloween: Trick-or-Treating Tips for Kids

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 19:00:00 GMT

M. Abigail Hassert, MS, OTR/L

Happy Halloween! Costumes and candy and kids running everywhere. Halloween can be fun for many kids, but it can also be a little overwhelming for some. Trick-or-treating involves a lot of social interactions that may make kiddos anxious. Additionally, between loud sounds, bright colors, and itchy costumes, the whole experience can be difficult for children who have sensory issues. These tips below may be helpful if you have a child who isn’t as enthusiastic as others about Halloween!

Trick-or-Treating Tips

Look over these tips before heading out to trick-or-treat to prepare both yourself and your kiddo. We hope you enjoy the experience (and the candy)!

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, the therapists at Hogg Therapy would love to help! Visit our website at hoggtherapy.com or give us call at 859-353-3666.

Building Brain Skills: What is Executive Functioning?

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 04:25:00 GMT

Abby Taylor, OT

As therapists, we love building brain skills that kids need to succeed. One of these necessary skills is executive functioning, but what exactly is that?

Executive Functioning

Executive functioning is the name for cognitive skills that we all need to participate in the things we want to do and need to do. These are skills that allow us to plan, organize, and regulate our bodies and minds so that we can participate in work, play, school, and household activities. For children, these skills grow and emerge through participating in daily routines and play activities.

As therapists, it is our job to help cultivate these skills. Your child may appear disorganized or have poor memory, resulting in frustration for both you and the child. There are many different strategies that we can set in place to help with that, such as visual charts, schedules, and different ways of communicating. Does your child have a short attention span? There are activities and strategies that we can use to help engage them and encourage them to participate in games and daily activities!

Without these skills, children may get frustrated easily, have a difficult time following instructions or a routine, they may forget instructions or household rules, and have tantrums or meltdowns when in a new place or with new people.

Examples

After answering what exactly executive functioning is, the next question is likely, “What do I need to look for in my child?” Listed below are some examples of executive functioning skills your child should demonstrate.

Attention

Memory

Organization

Planning Ahead

Impulse Control

Emotional Regulation

If you notice your child having difficulties in any of these areas, occupational therapists at Hogg Therapy are trained in evaluating and treating executive functioning deficits. Visit our website here , or give us a call at 859-353-3666 if you have any questions or concerns about your child.

Speech Disorders Simplified: Apraxia vs. Phonological Disorder

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Morgan Barton CCC-SLP

When children present with speech sound disorders, parents may start to research information to better understand the disorder. Oftentimes, parents will discover two possibilities: apraxia or a phonological disorder. Understanding the difference between apraxia and a phonological disorder can be difficult for both clinicians and parents. The following information can be useful in gaining a better understanding of the specific speech sound disorder a child may be presenting with.

Apraxia/Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Apraxia is a neurological speech disorder that impacts the ability to execute, plan, and sequence the motor movements of the mouth to produce speech. The following are characteristics that can be present in apraxia:

Phonological Disorder

A phonological disorder is difficulty with the rules or patterns of language. Children who present with a phonological disorder have difficulties understanding the patterns and rules of speech production that children their age should understand. To put it simply, a phonological disorder is a simplification of the adult model of language. Some examples include final consonant deletion (leaving off the final sound in words, ”hat” is produced as “ha”) and cluster reduction (when a consonant cluster is reduced to a single consonant, “spider” is produced as “pider”).

Children who present with a phonological disorder typically have appropriate expressive language development and use appropriate sentence lengths. However, their speech patterns are consistent with the speech errors you would hear in younger children.

While this is a simple comparison of apraxia and phonological disorders, we hope this gives you an idea of what to look for if you have concerns about your child’s speech development. If you do have questions or concerns, our speech-language pathologists at Hogg Therapy would love to help! Please give us a call at 859-353-3666, or visit our website here .

Speech Disorders Simplified: Autism Spectrum Disorder vs. Developmental Language Delays

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Morgan Barton CCC-SLP

When children demonstrate delayed language skills, caregivers may ask themselves, “Does my child have autism or is it something else?” The tricky thing is that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder can present with some of the same features that children with only a language delay present. In order to gain a better understanding of the type of delay your child may have, it’s important to pay attention to any “red flags” they may be demonstrating.

Why is this important?

Early identification leads to early intervention! Determining if your child has Autism or a language delay helps therapists to tailor their interventions to meet the child’s specific needs in order to set them up for success. Looking out for the following characteristics can help you get a better sense of if your child possibly has Autism Spectrum Disorder or if they have a developmental language delay.

What should I look for?

Pretend play red flags

The child does not demonstrate how familiar objects are used (talking on a phone, pouring from a cup, etc.) by 15 months of age and is not demonstrating pretending in play such as feeding a baby or petting a stuffed animal.

Eye contact/eye gaze red flags

The child presents with difficulty looking at and attending to faces. They can also present with difficulty using their gaze to look at items others point to.

Gesture red flags

The child has difficulty pointing to and showing items of interest after 15 months.

Responding to name red flags

The child does not consistently respond to their name by 12 months.

Imitation red flags

The child has difficulty imitating movements such as waving and clapping. They may also have difficulty with imitating sounds and words by 16-18 months.

Language development red flags

The child may have difficulties with the ability to use and understand language. Their expressive language skills may be more developed than their receptive language skills.

Non-verbal communication red flags

The child may have difficulty with the use of or understanding of gestures. They may have limited facial expressions and use of body language.

If you have questions or concerns about your child’s language development, please contact Hogg Therapy to set up an evaluation with our experienced therapists! You can also use our FREE Interactive Screening Tool to see if your child is on track with their developmental milestones. Please visit our website or call us at 859-353-3666 for more information.

Speech Disorders Simplified: Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 18:03:00 GMT

Rachel Wilson M.S. CF-SLP

If your child has been having difficulties with speech development, it can be overwhelming to search through all the information out there on speech disorders, especially when the language is so technical. When you come across disorders like Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), it can be difficult to figure out exactly what that is, which is why we’re here to help! Today, we’re simplifying CAS to make it easier to understand what it is, how it’s treated, and what you can do at home.

What is CAS?

Technically speaking, Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a motor speech sound disorder in which the precision and consistency of movements underlying speech are impaired in the absence of neuromuscular deficits. The brain pathways responsible for planning the sequence of movements involved in producing speech are impaired. Simply, a child with CAS knows what they want to say but are incapable of planning and executing the movements in order to communicate their message. Typically, children with CAS have difficulty with sequencing of sounds, syllables, and words. Some children with CAS may develop a language or phonological delay. However, CAS can vary in severity and will look different in every child. CAS can be difficult to diagnose because its characteristics look similar to characteristics of other speech sound disorders. There is currently no singular test used to diagnose CAS. Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) often use multiple assessments and acquired knowledge to identify children with CAS.

Impact on Speech and Language Development

The speech of children with CAS is often unintelligible because of their inability to plan speech sound movements. Due to this disorder initiating in early childhood CAS can often disrupt the development of reading, spelling, writing skills, social communication, and academic potential. The overall effect on speech and language development will depend on the severity of the child’s CAS. As mentioned above, this disorder will look different in every child and will have different effects. Regardless of the severity, Childhood Apraxia of Speech is NOT a disorder that a child will “outgrow.” It will likely continue into adulthood. There is no known cure for CAS, but speech therapy can help minimize the effects of the disorder and maximize the child's ability to communicate.

Cause of CAS

Childhood Apraxia of Speech can be caused by a neurological conditions such as childhood stroke, infection, trauma, and tumor, etc. CAS can also correspond to a Neurobehavioral Disorder such Autism, Epilepsy, or Genetic Syndromes. However, most of the time the cause of CAS is idiopathic, meaning there is no observable neurological abnormality, disorder, or condition present.

Common Characteristics/Signs

CAS currently has no defining characteristics or symptoms that differentiate it from other childhood speech sound disorders. Current research is being conducted to build a concrete list of symptoms. Below is a sampling of symptoms that have been reported in children diagnosed with CAS. However, these symptoms are not necessary for diagnosing CAS. As mentioned above, SLPs use a variety of tools to diagnose a child with CAS.

Reported symptoms include:

Treatment Strategies

Since CAS is a disorder children likely do not outgrow, children with CAS benefit greatly from evidence-based speech therapy services. Research suggests that effective therapy for CAS should involve repetitive practice to improve the motor skills required to produce sounds and movement patterns of speech. There is not a “one-size-fits-all” approach for treatment. CAS is a complex disorder characterized by inconsistency, so different approaches work for different children. The overall goal of treatment for CAS is to help the child produce speech more clearly. Some common treatment strategies used with children with CAS are listed below:

At-Home Activities and Tips

Treatment of CAS will take time, the most important thing parents and caregivers can do at home is provide a supportive environment to practice and grow. At home, parents can make practice fun through games and activities, but also remember to take breaks as needed. Lastly, it is important to have consistent and open communication with your child’s speech therapist.

Tips:

Set aside designated time once a day for about 30 minutes and let your child know that it’s time to practice their speech sounds. Set a timer to encourage your child to work hard during this designated time. Be consistent and repetitive with at home practice. Some ideas include:

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s speech development, we’d love to help! Contact Hogg Therapy at 859-353-3666 or visit our website here .

For more information about CAS, visit the resources below!

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Apraxia Kids

Toe Walking: Why It’s a Problem + Tips to Fix It

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 16:41:06 GMT

This is a subtitle for your new post

Taylor Adkins, DPT

Kids twirling down the sidewalk on their tippy toes and leaping into the air while dreaming of the day they become a ballerina is a sight most of us are familiar with. However, there seems to be kids who are always pretending to be a ballerina without being able to help it. When kids are walking on their toes and they don’t seem to be able to control it, physical therapy is often recommended. I often get questions about toe walking: why is it a problem, how big of a problem is it, how long does it take to fix, and will it fix itself are just a few examples.

Why It’s a Problem

Toe walking consistently is a problem for children because it can lead to changes in foot position which can cause pain later in life. It can also cause muscle tightness and problems with balance. To answer the question of how serious of an issue toe walking is—it all depends on why a child is toe walking. The three most common reasons kids toe walk are: sensory concerns, idiopathic, and tight gastrocnemius (calf) muscles.

Reasons for Toe Walking

If a child is toe walking due to sensory concerns, often they like the feeling of “locking out” their ankles or it helps them avoid textures on their heels that they don’t like. Having your child walk barefoot on different textures can be a way to help them become used to it which may decrease how much they toe walk. Idiopathic toe walking is a diagnosis for kids who toe walk just because. There’s no rhyme or reason as to why they toe walk. These kids don’t have sensory concerns and they don’t have tight leg muscles limiting their motion—it’s just a habit they have.

For both idiopathic toe walking and toe walking due to sensory concerns, it is common for some children to “grow out” of toe walking as they become older since they are now stronger and have been exposed to more things like walking in the grass. Some kids may not “grow out” of it but they have learned how to manage walking and running so they do not trip and fall down. There is conflicting research about how many kids will grow out of it or not. However, these children could start to develop tight leg muscles due to their habit of toe walking which could contribute to more toe walking.

If a child is toe walking because their gastrocnemius (calf) muscles are too tight, physical therapy is definitely recommended. When calf muscles are too tight, this limits a child’s ability to move their ankle through a full range of motion, especially into dorsiflexion. Dorsiflexion is when you move your foot upwards like in heel walking. This is the main motion used for that first step during walking as well. If a child does not have full dorsiflexion then they may trip on their toes as they are not able to lift their toes off the ground enough. This can also affect how a child gains leg strength as they are using their leg muscles in a different way than they would typically.

If a child spends too much time on their toes since their muscles are too tight to allow them to stand on flat feet, then there is often a change in how their foot bones grow to accommodate for extra pressure in their toes. Sometimes, this change in foot alignment can lead to pain later in life. In physical therapy for tight calf muscles, a stretching program will be provided as well as working on other functional skills that incorporate their dorsiflexion and leg strength, such as walking up and down stairs. If you are unable to walk up stairs with your feet flat then you are more likely to trip.

How to Fix Toe Walking

If you have questions or concerns about your child toe walking, it is best to receive a physical therapy evaluation. This would allow the PT to provide a thorough evaluation to see if a child is toe walking due to tight gastrocnemius muscles, sensory concerns, or idiopathic toe walking. It also allows the PT to make sure your child is doing everything else appropriate for their age. Please give Hogg Therapy Associates a call at 859-353-3666 to discuss a PT evaluation or screening.

While you are waiting for your evaluation, here are some tips and tricks of how to decrease how often your child is toe walking!

Give verbal clues
Often repeating phrases such as “flat feet” or “walk on your heels” is helpful to remind kids to place their heels on the ground as they walk to help break their habit.
Practice heel walking
Heel walking is where you lean back to fully weight bear on your heels and your toes are off the ground.
Deep squats
Squatting low to pick up toys or heavy items is a great way to improve weight bearing through heels which can improve a child’s tolerance to placing weight on their heels during functional movements.
Calf stretching
Stretch both gastrocnemius muscles frequently for 30-60 seconds, especially if your child toe walks constantly.
Exercise #1: Standing on a ramp with their feet straight and flat. You can even do this stretch on a step with their heels off the back of the step—just be careful they don’t lose their balance and fall.
Exercise #2: Provide a gentle but firm push against your child’s toes and ball of foot towards their head when they are laying down.
Exercise #3: Sit on a stool to lean forward for toys. When your child sits on a stool and leans forward, that pushes their ankle into dorsiflexion. When they hold that dorsiflexion position to play with their toy, then they are creating a stretch in their gastrocnemius muscle.

For more information about the services we offer, please visit our website at HoggTherapy.com or give us a call at 859-353-3666.

Therapy and Breastfeeding

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 17:16:14 GMT

Breastfeeding is a great way to provide nutrients to your baby and promote bonding between the nursing parent and infant

Amanda Dyer, M.S., OT

“How can therapy services help with breastfeeding?”

Breastfeeding is a great way to provide nutrients to your baby and promote bonding between the nursing parent and infant. Therapy services can help with breastfeeding in the following ways:

Oral motor skills

Speech therapists can assess a child’s oral motor skills and structures that may impact feeding, including sucking, swallowing, tongue movements, and jaw movements. They can provide exercises to promote strength, coordination, and endurance while eating.

Regulation

Infant massage trained therapists can promote relaxation and decrease stress during feeding times. Occupational therapists can provide sensory stimulation activities to decrease sensitivity in the mouth.

Positioning

Occupational and physical therapists can address positioning and motor skills that may be causing discomfort or instability during feeding

Torticollis

Uneven or tight muscles in the neck can cause a baby to favor nursing on one side over the other due to discomfort

Tethered Oral Tissue

Therapists can assist with pre- and post- frenectomy protocols to assist children who have had oral ties released

Red Flags that Your Child May Need Therapy to Help with Breastfeeding

Painful latch
Red, misshapen, or blistered nipples in the parent
Pushing away or refusing the breast
Coughing, gagging, or choking while nursing
Falling asleep before finishing a feeding
Unlatching and re-latching frequently during a feed
Arching back and/or crying when attempting to feed
Refusing to nurse from one side consistently.

Not Breastfeeding?

Therapy services can help with bottle feeding by assessing many of the same skills listed above, as well as adapting bottle systems to meet an infant’s needs.

School Based vs. Private Therapy What’s the Difference?

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 17:24:28 GMT

Is my child receiving adequate therapy services at school? Does my child need more resources? These are common questions for caregivers that have children in therapy at school OR feel like their child should be receiving services and are not.

Kaitlyn Losey, M.S., SLP-CCC

“Is my child receiving adequate therapy services at school?” “Does my child need more resources?” These are common questions for caregivers that have children in therapy at school OR feel like their child should be receiving services and are not. School and private/outpatient clinic therapy can both provide essential therapy services for your child. However, there are key differences between the two. Here are some highlighted areas of difference:

Individual vs. Group Therapy

In the school setting, children typically receive group therapy services or can receive push-in services in the classroom. While group therapy services can certainly be beneficial, there will be less time for an individually tailored approach and less opportunity to practice targets per child during the session. Push-in services can aid academically in the classroom but may have limits on what goals can be targeted and achieved.

Private clinics offer one-on-one services to provide intensive therapy towards your child’s goals. Individual based therapy means more time to work on goals and more communication with the caregiver, typically. Also, therapy goals can have a more wide base and won’t be solely focused on skills that impact academics.

Qualifying for Therapy

School-based services look more at how a child’s speech and language skills are impacted academically. While academic skills are important, some children that could greatly benefit from therapy may not qualify due to deficits not “impacting” academics or performance in school. For example, a child may have social communication difficulties, but the school speech-language pathologist (SLP) may not be able to qualify the child based just on that.

Private/outpatient therapy services, again, have a wider base, and often children may be able to qualify for services at these clinics when schools say they don’t qualify. If you find yourself in a scenario where the school does not qualify your child but you feel that your child needs services, it is wise to seek out a second opinion at a private therapy source.

Therapy Goals

Since school based services are often academically focused, the school therapist may be limited in the goals that can be implemented in your child’s IEP. At a private clinic, there is more freedom to target areas outside of academics/school-based performance.

Communication & Resources

Often for school therapy, communication is limited to yearly IEP meetings. With private/outpatient services, caregivers often have the opportunity to talk to their child’s therapist before or after each session and should be given things they can work on at home. This gives the caregiver the chance to bring up any new concerns or new goals they would like to be targeted. This also gives a chance to regularly hear about progress their child is making. Private therapy clinics are often able to provide different resources to the child that may be limited or restricted at the schools. For example, at our clinic, we have a therapy gym and open space to move around. Services such as feeding therapy are more likely to be offered in a clinical setting. We can also provide recommendations or advice that schools may not be able to give. School therapy services are excellent resources for children. For some children, you may find that just school services are sufficient for your child. However, in some cases, getting both school and private therapy services can greatly increase your child’s progress and give the ability to target a wider range of goals! Contact us today at 859-353-3666 to learn about what we have to offer your child! You can also check out our free developmental checklist at

hoggtherapy.developmentalchecklist.com

An OT’s guide to outdoor activities

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 17:28:18 GMT

Summer is here! It is time to take advantage of the warm weather and take skill-building outdoors. Playing outside provides excellent opportunities to explore new textures, develop social skills, and burn off some energy. Take a look at these activities to help your children further their development!

Tonya Booth, MS, OTR/L

Summer is here! Let’s soak in the warm weather and take skill-building outdoors. Playing outside provides excellent opportunities to explore new textures, develop social skills , and burn off some energy. Take a look at these activities to help your children further their development!

Backyard Scavenger Hunt

Go on an adventure in your backyard and search for creatures and plants! This activity targets a variety of skills such as visual motor (visual scanning, figure-ground), fine motor (pincer grasp), and sensory exploration. Challenge your children to create art from their plant findings OR have them draw an animal they found to work on their handwriting grasp.

Gigantic Bubbles

Make your own bubble solution to work on attention to task and sensory exploration. After making the solution, run outside and blow gigantic bubbles for your child to chase around and pop with their fingers! This activity can work on gross motor skills by adding obstacles that the child has to jump/hop/skip/run over to catch the bubbles and finger isolation to pop the bubbles.

Plan a Picnic

Start a checklist and begin planning a family picnic! Whether it’s in your backyard or at a park! Allowing children the opportunity to organize a picnic is awesome for increasing self-confidence and their ability to plan and prioritize, which are important skills to develop early in life.

Beach Luau Water Bin

Grab a water bin and fill it with water! Add your favorite luau items such as seashells, sand, lei, and coconuts. You can add bath color tablets to make the water blue like the ocean. Water bin activities are great for sensory explorations especially in the hot summer heat.

Obstacle Course

Create your own personal outdoor adventure. An obstacle course can be made to suit your child’s needs and with a variety of items found in your home. A few key items could be hula hoops, balls, slide, tape, and jump rope! Obstacle courses are a great tool to improve your child’s gross motor skills (balance, coordination, jumping, running) and to engage in heavy work to burn off some energy.

Paint with Nature

Design some fridge art by grabbing some paint, paper, and your favorite plants/flowers. Dip your flower in the paint and stamp it onto your paper. An alternative to using flowers is fruit or vegetables! If you have a picky eater, have them select non-preferred food to use as stamps to create positive experiences with the food. This activity is also awesome for sensory exploration and fine motor skills (pincer grasp, fine motor control).

Fine Motor Skills: What to Expect in Fine Motor Skills for Toddlers

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 17:53:21 GMT

As your baby grows into toddler age, you probably notice that he or she is interacting with toys and the environment in new ways all of the time! During these toddler years, a child’s fine motor skills start to become more refined!

Annie Wade- OTR/L

As your baby grows into the toddler stage, you will probably notice that he or she is interacting with toys and the environment in new ways all of the time! During these toddler years, a child’s fine motor skills start to become more refined! Listed below are some of the fine motor skills your child will start to develop during ages 1-3!

12 Months

At 12 months, child is able to pick up and release small objects using the thumb and tip of index finger together
Bang two objects together

15 Months

At 15 months, child is able to point with index finger

18 Months

At 18 months, child scribbles spontaneously on paper (without adult demonstrating) with their whole arm involved in movement of drawing

12-24 Months

At 12-24 months, child will hold writing utensils with all fingers wrapped around crayon and thumb pointing towards ceiling

24-36 Months

At 24-36 months, child can turn pages of a thick book one at a time
Child holds writing utensils with fingers wrapped around crayon and thumb towards paper
Child will then start to hold crayon with thumb, index finger, and middle finger holding crayon and pointed toward paper and 4th and 5th finger are wrapped around at top of writing utensil
Can stack 10 blocks in a tower
Begins to unbutton large buttons
Can zip jacket up and down, but needs help with joining sides of zipper together

It’s important to know these are just a few of many fine motor skills a child is developing during this time. Look for a future post about activities to develop these skills! Have questions about your child’s fine motor skills? Contact Hogg Therapy Associates today to determine if an evaluation is the right step for your child! You can call us at 859-353-3666 ext.4

Information taken from: https://www.choc.org/userfiles/file/Rehab-Developmental%20Milestones%20final.pdf

Potato Party: Incorporating Language into Playtime

Thu, 24 Jun 2021 18:10:11 GMT

Play is one of the best ways for kids to learn, which is why playtime is a great time to incorporate language learning. A common toy that works really well for language learning is a Potato Head!

Kami L. Sammetinger M.S., CF-SLP

Play is one of the best ways for kids to learn, which is why playtime is a great time to incorporate language learning. A common toy that works really well for language learning is a Potato Head!

How can you use a Potato Head?

A Potato Head is a very open-ended toy with a lot of options, which allows your kiddo to use their imagination while they play. When your child plays with a Potato Head, you have the opportunity to help them learn to label so many things, including:

sizes
colors
shapes
actions
locations
accessories
occupations
family members/animals

There are so many possibilities when it comes to this toy! This is also why it’s important to always offer options to your child when they play with this toy. Offering choices between two to three different options allows for independent expression, expressing choices, and focusing on choices.

What can we target?

From a speech-language pathologist’s point of view, we can target these areas when playing with a Potato Head:

Requesting
Examples: “More please” or “Help me”
Body Parts
This includes eyes, arms, ears, nose, etc.
Labeling Objects
Examples: glasses, hats, earrings, purses
Offering Objects
Example: “Do you want the blue hat or the purple hat?”
Following Directions
Adapt direction length to development level (2-step directions, 3-step directions, etc.)
Imaginary Play Skills
Expanding Expressions

We hope these tips help you find ways to include language learning in your child’s playtime! A Potato Head works great, but other toys that you have on hand can offer the same benefits, too. For more tips and tricks, check out our other blog posts!

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s speech development, please don’t hesitate to contact Hogg Therapy Associates! You can contact us by phone at 859-353-3666 or visit our website here .

Lateral Tongue Reflex: What is this & is it important?

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 18:14:30 GMT

What is a lateral tongue reflex? It seems like a big concept, but it’s actually pretty simple! It’s likely that you use the developed form of this reflex every day and don’t even realize it.

Jason Washburn, OT

Did you know we even have reflexes that occur inside and around our mouths? We do! There’s a reflex called the “lateral tongue reflex” or “transverse tongue reflex.” This reflex can be seen when a baby is just minutes or hours old. You can see this in a baby by touching a stimulus (bottle nipple or finger, for example) to the side of the tongue. When this happens, the baby’s tongue will go to the side of the mouth that the stimulus happened on. How cool is that?

What’s the purpose?

This reflex serves a very important purpose: preparation for eating solid foods! When this reflex gets fully integrated, it allows for what’s called “tongue-tip lateralization.” This is a big phrase, but the concept is actually pretty simple! Tongue-tip lateralization is probably the most challenging thing that your tongue can do. This is where one part of the tongue has to tighten up on the back on one side, and then tighten on the front of the other side. This is how we can use our tongues to touch our back teeth and scoop food out that gets stuck between our teeth and cheeks. Tongue-tip lateralization usually starts to show up around 7-9 months old and is typically fully active by 12-14 months.

Development of the lateral tongue reflex is important for your child to develop good feeding skills!

What if my child doesn’t do this?

When a child’s lateral tongue reflex hasn’t fully developed, the child may have issues with eating . If your child has difficulty with eating various textures of foods, contact Hogg Therapy Associates to determine if a feeding therapy evaluation is right for your child! You can contact our office at 859-353-3666, or visit our website .

Learn More:

The Seven Oral Reflexes

The lateral tongue reflex in human neonates

Developmental Milestones

Feeding Therapy—Facts and Developmental Milestones

Future Ballers: The Benefits of Playing with a Ball

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 18:50:02 GMT

Playing sports and games with a ball is very common growing up even if you don’t play on a team. Read this post to see what typical development looks like, and how can you help your child improve their skills at home.

Taylor Adkins, PT, DPT

Playing sports and games with balls is very common growing up even if you don’t play on a team. Most people have memories of kicking a ball with friends in elementary school or even playing monkey in the middle with their siblings. A lot of parents also have dreams for their children to be able to play sports on a team. There are a lot of benefits to playing sports beyond pure strength and endurance. Children learn coordination, how to work as a team, and how to work hard just to name a few benefits. Playing multiple sports is even better because children learn to work more than one group of muscles in more than one specific way. For example, the way you use your arm muscles in baseball to pitch is different than how you use your arm muscles in swimming.

Typical Development

Children actually learn how to catch, throw, and kick a ball at a very young age. Around a year old, children should be able to roll and catch a ball that’s been rolled to them. Around two years old, a child should be able to overhand and underhand toss a ball. They should also be able to kick a ball without falling down. The distance and smoothness of coordinating their throw or kick should only improve as they grow older.

Practicing at Home with Balls

If you think your child is having difficulty throwing, catching, or kicking, here are some ideas of how to practice at home:

The best way for a child to learn how to catch and throw a ball is to practice with someone. Playing games like catch or even balloon toss are great ways to practice. If a child never plays with a ball at home then they are naturally not going to be as coordinated with it as someone who plays with a ball all day.
Start by standing closer together and with a larger ball. Throwing and catching larger balls are easier than smaller balls. It is also easier to start at a shorter distance such as 5 feet compared to longer distances such as 12 feet.
Use a target for throwing so your child has a clear goal.
If your child has difficulty throwing a ball, it is often helpful to stand behind them and place your hand over theirs to go through the motion. This helps your child learn what the motion should feel like which makes it easier to copy later.

If they have difficulty underhand throwing because they “flip” the ball up, make sure that they turn their hand so their palm faces up.

If your child has a difficult time catching a ball, have them raise their hands before the ball is thrown. Saying things like “put your hands out, palm up” are helpful. If they have difficulty successfully timing the catch of the ball, try having them “hug” the ball. This often gives children enough clues to help them time it.
If your child has a hard time kicking a ball, start by placing the ball in front of them instead of rolling it towards them. This allows your child to only focus on kicking instead of having to both coordinate the timing of the movement and kick. Sometimes, children need you to tap their leg or pick it up for them to mimic kicking so they can learn what the motion feels like.

As your child gets older, watch to make sure they are stepping through on their throws with the opposite foot. This helps them to throw farther and more accurately. In the picture below, the person is throwing with their right arm and stepping forward with their left leg.

Whether your child demonstrates typical development or struggles when playing with balls, try these tips to improve their skills. Playing is the best way to learn!

For more tips and tricks, check out our other blog posts ! You can also follow us on Pinterest .

Tummy Time Tips: Improving Tummy Time with a Bag of Rice

Thu, 10 Jun 2021 18:31:17 GMT

It seems as if babies either love tummy time or hate it. If your baby hates lying on their belly during tummy time, try using a bag of rice. Wait…a bag of rice? During tummy time? Yes! Check out this post for a unique tip that could be a game changer for your infant during tummy time!

Cierra Cain, OTR/L

It seems as if babies either love tummy time or hate it. If your baby hates lying on their belly during tummy time, try using a bag of rice. Wait…a bag of rice? During tummy time? Yes! Check out this post for a unique tip that could be a game changer for your infant during tummy time!

What is tummy time?

Tummy time is a term used for placing infant children in the prone position (on belly) while awake and supervised to encourage the development of the neck and trunk muscles and prevent deformations. Typically a lot of weight is shifted toward the baby’s upper chest and head and not much weight is in the belly and pelvis, especially when babies are very young and just beginning tummy time. Some babies are fine with this and will lay with their cheek down, briefly and occasionally lifting and turning the head to the other side, but generally content for a few minutes.

However, there are babies who are less “at ease” when lying on the belly.

There are many ways to modify tummy time to make it more tolerable for some babies. One way is to shift some of that weight down the baby’s body toward the belly and pelvis so that not as much weight is resting on the upper chest and head. You can do this by gently anchoring baby’s hips/pelvis (placing both thumbs together with hands around hips and giving slight pressure). This is also a great way to encourage babies older than 3-4 weeks old who don’t lift the head during tummy time.

How can you use a bag of rice?

For many babies who struggle to find comfort in tummy time your gentle, responsive hands work best at anchoring them to shift the weight. In some cases, though, a bag of rice can be used to guide you in how much anchoring to provide. It’s as simple as placing a small bag of rice on your baby’s hips/pelvis (like in the anchoring method mentioned above). Using a bag of rice for anchoring allows you to have a few minutes in a face-to-face position with your baby, which may also make tummy time more enjoyable for your little one.

This activity is helpful for babies older than 3-4 weeks (be sure to adjust for prematurity) who aren’t yet lifting their heads regularly during tummy time or are struggling to find ease and comfort in the belly-down position.

Using a bag of rice is fine to continue until the baby starts to roll and pivot during tummy time, but the benefits are lessened as the baby learns to press into his/her arms to lift the chest. Naturally, at this point, weight shifts back to the pelvis so your help isn’t needed.

If you have questions or concerns about your baby during tummy time or otherwise, our therapists would be glad to help! To set up an evaluation, you can contact our office by phone at 859-353-3666, and you can find more information about the services we offer on our website .

Repurposed Play Part 3: Cereal Boxes

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 18:02:21 GMT

Looking for some cheap and creative at home activities? Repurpose your empty cereal boxes with these ideas and let your kiddos use their imagination!

Brittany McKnight, MS OTR/L

Welcome to the third installment of repurposed play where we take common household items and repurpose them into activities for our kiddos. Today’s activities are perfect for a rainy day when it’s too wet or cold to go outside, and the kids need something fun to do to beat the boredom (or any day when you’re looking for something new for the kids). Today’s item is… a cereal box!

We’ve compiled these six activities you can create out of cereal boxes to give you some creative inspiration! Click on the photos to link to the original articles.

King/Queen Crowns

This is a great activity to address coloring, scissor skills, and regulation with using glue. It is also easy to find decorations around the house. This can also spark creativity and pretend play skills!

Toy Car Garage

What a great way to generate those problem solving and scissor skills while simultaneously finding a low budget way to organize all those race cars!

Cereal Box Guitar

With scissors, a paper towel roll from our last repurposed play day, rubber bands, and tape you could have a musical prodigy or a family band on a rainy day.

Puppet Theater

Another way to address all of the developmental skills regarding fine motor and visual motor with cutting, decorating, and pasting, as well as speech in creating and telling a story.

Cereal Box Soccer

This might be my favorite cereal box game I found because not only does it work on those good crafting skills, but using straws to blow the cotton ball around is a great sensory activity to improve regulation by promoting deep breathing!

Cereal Box Puzzle

Another great visual motor activity and probably the one that requires the least materials. A cereal box, pencil, and a coin is all you need. Flip it over on the back and make lines, using a coin to make the rounded edges. This would be a good one to save the pieces in a bag for car rides and a waiting room activity.

For more repurposed play ideas, check out these ideas for sheet pans and paper towel rolls !

Benefits of Crawling: An Important Milestone?

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 18:36:05 GMT

Why do occupational therapists think crawling is important? Crawling is an important developmental milestone that builds a variety of foundational skills that are important for the child’s development beyond his or her infant years.

Annie Wade, OT

Why do occupational therapists think crawling is important? Crawling is an important developmental milestone that builds a variety of foundational skills that are important for the child’s development beyond his or her infant years.

What are the benefits of crawling?

Listed below are the benefits of crawling from an occupational therapist’s perspective:

Strengthens and builds stability of arms and shoulders
Pressure from putting weight on hands helps develop the two sides of the hand. This is important for half of the hand stabilizing while the other fingers hold and turn small items.

Strengthens core and back to help when sitting to complete tasks
Engages cells located in joints and muscles that help with child’s body awareness which allows the child to know where their body is in space and how to navigate obstacles in their environment
Crawling on different surfaces (grass, carpet, hardwood, etc) allows for new textures to be experienced through the child’s palms
Helps with both sides of the body working together and eyes working together to watch toys in the room as the child crawls past them--which is important in building skills needed for reading!

What if I have concerns about my baby?

Every child develops differently! However, if you have concerns about your child’s development and ability to crawl, our therapists are here to help! We would love to answer any questions, and we can even set up an evaluation with a therapist to address your concerns. You can call our office at 859-353-3666 if you would like to speak to someone about any questions you may have. You can also use our FREE Interactive Screening Tool to track and identify potential areas of improvement!

Bundles of Joy: How to Play with Your Newborn

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 18:40:32 GMT

Playing with your baby can be fun and engaging for both you and the little one! Check out this post for tips on engaging your newborn with play.

Cierra Cain, OTR/L

You may be looking at your sweet little bundle of joy and wondering...

What CAN I do for my baby?

What am I NOT doing for my baby?

The truth is playing with an infant does not come naturally to most people. Before the baby is able to sit up and hold toys, some people have a hard time thinking of ways to have fun and interact with him/her which often leads to overuse of baby holding devices (which can lead to Container Baby Syndrome ). Playing with your baby can be fun and engaging for both you and the little one!

Rub and Clap

This is a fun way to interact as early as the first week of life! During this interactive play, the child receives so much sensory input to the skin and muscles/joints. Tactile input comes from the skin and proprioceptive input from pressure and stretch to the muscles and joints, both while rubbing and clapping the child’s hands and feet.

This type of stimulation sends signals from the left and right sides of the brain which helps develop communication between the two sides of the brain. Play is great for the child to create a “mental map” of their body and the world around them which is the foundation for so many developmental milestones to come.

Tip: Don’t worry if your child is not making eye contact as a newborn because the skill of holding the head still in the center does not typically develop until around 2-3 months of age.

Head Turning Play

The first intentional movement of your baby will likely be turning their head from side to side. You can promote this skill by giving the baby lots of opportunity and incentive to turn their head. Not only does turning the head promote head control and sensory processing skills, it can also help to eliminate minor muscle imbalances from being confined in birth.

Some activities to encourage head turning include but not limited to:

Hold an object 6 to 12 inches from baby’s head on the side they are looking at and very slowly move the object an inch or two in one direction. Tip: Newborns are just learning to follow moving objects with their eyes (visual tracking), so wait for baby to find the object before moving more.
Use a rattle or the caregiver’s voice to alert baby on one side and wait for baby to search and find the sound. Switch to the opposite side!
Move the baby’s arm for them to bring awareness and curiosity to the sensation given to muscles and joints. Gently bend at the elbow and straighten again. Bend and straighten each finger. Watch as they turn their head toward the movement.

Kicking Play

During the first 4 months, using the baby’s leg to “kick” is a good way to promote play. This type of movement is best while lying on the back and unrestricted from “containers” such as swings, bouncy seats, etc. Kicking the legs will help whole body/brain development. Some benefits of this movement include:

Strengthens belly/leg muscles
Encourages chin tuck by looking toward feet
Develops awareness of body positioning
Promotes sensory awareness of proprioceptive system through pressure and stretch

Some activities might include loosely tying a balloon to the baby's ankle or setting up a pan of water at their feet and watching as they kick and play. Always remember safety first, and provide close supervision for activities.

Black & White Picture Cards

Simple black and white pictures provide high contrast to match perfectly with the baby’s visual abilities. You can incorporate black and white visuals throughout many aspects of their day. Some of these include:

Tape images next to changing station to look at
Hang around seat of the car in front of them
Use pictures as a way to encourage head rotation as noted above
Tape to back of book to keep baby busy while reading aloud to them

While your baby may not always seem interested in this type of play, consistency and repetition will help promote development.

Water Play

Have you ever thought of trying water play with your newborn? This type of play will promote many different skills and developments including but not limited to attention, sensory exploration, engagement, and movement.

Two ideas to incorporate water play are:

Kick and splash with a pan of water - perfect for babies who have not yet mastered tummy time and play with belly up.
Float a toy in a pan of water - perfect for tummy time as your baby works on head control and strengthening.

*Note: Please provide supervision during any water activity as babies can drown in shallow water.

Am I doing the right things?

Many parents wonder if they’re “doing the right things” to support development. While I provide fun ways to interact with and observe your baby, I also encourage you to bring awareness to the assumptions you have about baby milestones and development. Ask yourself the following questions:

Do you believe that your baby will need help to achieve milestones?
What do you assume your baby’s developmental trajectory will be if you do very few “enrichment” activities? If you do a lot?
When you imagine a parent who is “doing enough” to support development, what do you envision them doing? How will you know if you’re “doing enough?”

If you ever have any questions about developmental milestones for your child, please do not hesitate to call our office at 859-353-3666 and ask to speak to one of our professionals. Hogg Therapy also offers a unique developmental milestone checklist tool on our website. You can find the Interactive Screening Tool here .

Pre-Writing Skills: Developmental Milestones + Activity Ideas!

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 18:44:24 GMT

Pre-writing skills are lines and shapes children need to learn before they are able to write the alphabet. Each of these skills are developed in sequence and based on the age of the child.

Tonya Booth MS, OTR/L

Pre-writing skills are lines and shapes children need to learn before they are able to write the alphabet. These lines and shapes include the directional movements required to be successful in writing, such as horizontal lines, vertical lines, diagonal lines, and basic simple shapes. These are strokes that most letters and numbers are composed of. It is important for children to develop these skills to produce legible writing. If a child is unable to produce the pre-writing skills it may lead to frustration and resistance resulting in poor self-esteem and academic performance. Each of these skills are developed in sequence and based on the age of the child.

What are the developmental milestones for pre-writing?

Children develop on their own timelines, so your child may differ from these age ranges.

2 years old
Imitates horizontal/vertical lines (2-2.5 years old)
Imitates circle (2.5 years old)
3 years old
Copies horizontal/vertical lines (3 years old)
Copies circle (3 years old)
Imitates cross (3.5 years old)
4 years old
Copies cross (4-4.5 years old)
Imitates square (4-4.5 years old)
Imitates diagonal lines (4.5 years old)
5 years old
Copies square (5 years old)
Copies diagonal lines (5 years old)
Imitates "x" (5 years old)
Imitates triangle (5 years old)
Copies "x" (5.5 years old)
Copies triangle (5.5 years old)

What are activities to improve my child’s pre-writing skills?

Squishy Sensory Bags: You can use cotton swabs or your fingers to draw lines and shapes! Source

Sticker Line-Up: Work on pre-writing skills and fine motor skills at the same time. Trace over your lines and shapes with your favorite stickers! Source

Dry Erase Boards: Grab a dry erase board and dry erase markers and practice the lines and shapes. Make this activity more challenging by placing the dry erase board on a vertical surface to improve their pencil grasp! Source

Play-Doh: Use your child’s favorite play-doh color and roll out the different lines and shapes! This also improves your child’s hand strength. Get creative and add glass beads to trace the lines and shapes. Source

Pre-Writing Activity Pages: Print off some fun pages and use your child’s favorite markers, crayons, or colored pencils and make some art for your fridge! Source

These are all great activities to help your child practice pre-writing skills! For more tips and activity ideas, check out our other blog posts and follow us on Pinterest !

Repurposed Play Part 2: Paper Towel Rolls

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 18:55:34 GMT

Here is our next installment of repurposed play where we take typical household items and turn them into your kids next favorite toy/activity. Today we have... paper towel rolls!

Brittany McKnight, MS OTR/L

Hi friends! Here is our next installment of repurposed play where we take typical household items and turn them into your kids next favorite toy/activity. Today we have...

Cardboard paper towel rolls!

Empty paper towel rolls

Five Repurposed Play Activities

Here are five different activities you can fashion out of your leftover cardboard roll:

Pom Pom Drop

Tape the cardboard roll to the wall with gentle tape such as masking tape, and let your little one drop pom poms through the tube. You could also use other small objects or toys for this activity (just be sure to supervise little people with little objects). This can be used for younger kiddos, like in the picture above, or can be upgraded to address coloring sorting, letter matching, and learning counting for our older kiddos.

2. Sensory tubes

You can make several with different fillers including rice, dried beans, coins, etc. Cover the whole roll in duct tape and decorate it to make it more fun! These make great musical instruments that help your kiddos explore sounds.

3. Threading activity

Cut the paper towel roll in half, punch holes in it using single hole punch, and have kids thread and remove pipe cleaners or straws to address fine motor and visual motor skills.

4. Haircut game

This is a great activity to help your kiddo use their imagination. Draw faces on the rolls and have your child cut their “hair” to practice scissor skills and safety. Then your little one can use the cardboard "people" for some fun pretend play!

5. DIY building blocks

Building blocks are a beloved favorite of toddlers and young kids. This activity is a unique twist on the classic toy that your little ones will enjoy! Color or wrap the rolls in construction paper or tape, cut slits on each side, and you have endless construction play opportunities.

There are so many possibilities with a paper towel roll to encourage playing, learning, and achieving. What ideas have you tried? Let us know in the comments!

Check out our other blog posts for more fun activities!

Sources:

Talking Toddlers: Tips to Help Your Toddler Combine Words

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 18:59:49 GMT

Teaching your toddler how to talk can seem like a daunting task. It's easy to be worried that your child is falling behind but keep in mind that every child is different. We all learn at different paces! However, if you do feel like your toddler needs some assistance with their vocabulary, try these tips to help them through the learning process.

Morgan Barton, CCC-SLP

Teaching your toddler how to talk can seem like a daunting task. It's easy to be worried that your child is falling behind but keep in mind that every child is different. We all learn at different paces! However, if you do feel like your toddler needs some assistance with their vocabulary, try these tips to help them through the learning process.

Independent Vocabulary

Research shows us that children with typical language development usually have a spontaneous vocabulary of 35-50 words before they start to combine their words into phrases. Spontaneous vocabulary means they produce these words independently without hearing them from you first.

If your toddler’s independent vocabulary is lacking, it is important to increase their single word vocabulary before you work on using phrases. If you aren’t sure of how many words your child produces independently, it’s helpful to compile a list of them! Anytime you hear them produce a new word, provide them with praise and add the word to the list! If you find the vocabulary list has less than 35 words, work on increasing your child’s single word vocabulary.

Types of Words

Along with keeping track of the number of words your child produces, it’s also important to determine the types of words your child uses. Using words from different grammatical categories is necessary for your child to effectively express themselves when commenting and requesting. Toddlers with typical language skills will have early vocabularies that mostly consist of names of people and objects. These nouns are important, but toddlers need more than nouns in order to produce effective phrases. Along with nouns, toddlers also need the following:

Requesting words (such as more, all done, please)
Social words (such as hi, bye bye)
Action words/verbs (such as go, open, push, stop, drink, eat)
Preposition/location words (such as in, on, under, here, out, off)
Early pronouns (such as me, I, my, you)
Adjective and adverbs/describing words (such as hot, yucky, cold, pretty, big)

Help your child learn these different types of vocabulary by modeling them in your daily routines and encouraging them to imitate them.

Working on Phrases

Once your child’s single vocabulary increases you can begin working on using phrases. In order to imitate phrases, your child has to hear them! Frequently provide models of two-word phrases during your child’s daily routine. If they produce single words, provide an expansion of the word by adding a word to what they said.

For example if your child says “car” you can model “red car” or “push car.” Make sure to model words from different grammatical categories so your child doesn’t only hear nouns and verbs. The following are examples of different grammatical categories you can combine when modeling phrases:

Adjective and Noun: “Cold water”
Pronoun and Verb: “You run”
Verb and Noun: “Smell flower”
Pronoun and Noun: “Your bear”

As you can see, a lot of toddlers learn by example. The more your child hears you use vocabulary and phrases, the more they'll develop their own language skills. This is why reading is so important for children! It introduces them to a whole new world of vocabulary!

If you feel like your child is behind in their speech development, check out our FREE Interactive Screening Tool to see if your child is on track and identify potential areas for improvement.

For more tips and tricks, check out our other blog posts here ! You can also follow us on Pinterest !

Muscle Tone: How Can Physical Therapy Help?

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 19:04:36 GMT

Everyone has muscle tone! Muscle tone is used to describe how much tension or partial contraction muscles have at rest. How can physical therapy help with this?

Taylor Adkins, DPT

Muscle tone is a commonly used term in the physical therapy world, especially for children who have been diagnosed with Down syndrome , cerebral palsy, or Autism . You may find it as a surprise but everyone has muscle tone! Muscle tone is used to describe how much tension or partial contraction muscles have at rest. I like to say it’s how much our muscles are “turned on” at rest.

What are the types of muscle tone?

There are three types of muscle tone: normal, high, and low.

Normal muscle tone: Kids with normal muscle tone are able to easily move against gravity when they want and do not struggle with tasks like sitting up. Their muscles are also relaxed enough that they aren’t “tight” and can move with ease through any motion. I like to say that these kid’s muscles are “turned on and ready to go.”
High muscle tone: Kids with high muscle tone seem to always be “tight” as their muscles are contracted more than typical. They often have difficulty with being relaxed or sitting but can move against gravity easily. Often, standing is easier since all of their muscles are “turned on high or all the way." As babies, their high tone comes across as being stiff or that they need to be stretched.
Low muscle tone: Kids with low muscle tone always seem to be “loosey goosey” as their muscles are not contracted as much as they should be. These kids have to work harder to complete even a relaxed task such as sitting up since their muscles are “turned down low." As babies, their low tone is evident when they are picked up and they feel like they slip through the fingers.

How does PT help with muscle tone?

Physical therapy can help with both high and low muscle tone. For both types, there is an underlying muscle weakness that needs to be adjusted. When you think of kids with high tone, you may not think of muscle weakness. High muscle tone kids seem super strong since they have all of their muscles turned on at once. However, if you ask them to do skills that require less muscles they tend to have difficulty. This indicates underlying muscle weakness.

Gaining muscle strength and learning how to complete tasks when a child’s muscles are naturally stiffer or looser than others can be difficult. These kids have to work harder than others to complete the same games. They also tend to have to relearn skills or regain strength as they grow since that changes the physical length of their muscles. This is because after a growth spurt, we only have the same amount of strength as we did before the growth spurt. Another way to describe it is if we walk a mile in 30 minutes (this represents a shorter muscle length) or we walk a mile in an hour (this represents a longer muscle length after a growth spurt) then we still only walked a mile.

Physical therapy is great for targeting a child’s specific muscle weakness and turning it into a strength. In PT, each goal is very specific to each individual kid. In general terms however, I typically focus on core strength and endurance with kids who have low tone. For kids with high tone I typically focus on rotational movements and skills that require the opposite muscles of where they are “tight."

At-home activities for low & high tone kids

Some activities at home that can help “loosey goosey” low tone kids to work on core strength and endurance would be to sit on a pillow while watching TV, playing a game, or, in this world of NTI, while in class.

You can also play games where a kid reaches to their opposite side of their bodies and back. This really helps with rotational core strength. Kids can pick up puzzle pieces, Legos, or even just a stuffed animal like in the picture below.

Some activities at home that can help “tight” high tone kids to work on rotational movements can also be having them play by crossing their arms across their body like the picture above. As previously stated, using the muscles opposite of where a child is “tight” can be helpful.

Typically, most kids with high tone prefer to use their extensor muscles. These are the muscles that are on our backs that help us extend our joints to stand upright. Games such as playing “horse” where a kid is on their hands and knees to crawl or having them sit in a half kneeling position while playing a game at a table are very helpful. These games break up this tone pattern and strengthen the weaker muscles. If your child seems to be “tight” in their flexor muscles or the muscles that help us to curl up and sit, then play games that challenge them to stand up such as jumping or going for walks.

For more at-home activities for kiddos of all skill levels, check out our other blog posts here ! You can also follow us on Pinterest for more ideas.

Let's Eat! Teaching Language During Mealtimes

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 19:11:49 GMT

This is a subtitle for your new post

Kami L. Sammetinger, M.S., CF-SLP

Kaitlyn Losey, M.S., CCC-SLP

Mealtime is a great time to teach your child about language . From requesting to multisyllabic words to following directions, talking about food and eating touches on a variety of nuances in language. Read this post to learn how to use mealtime to your advantage when helping your children develop their language skills!

Language and Mealtime

Requesting: Requesting can target both wants and needs during meal time. Be sure to provide your kiddo with options to choose from. Ex. - “Do you want juice or milk?” “Do you want more or are you all done?”
Ideas: Implement simple signs and gestures!
Using verbs/action words: Narrate what you are doing by using action words to increase both receptive and expressive language! Target both your actions and your child’s to work on pronouns.
Labeling/identifying objects: This one is pretty simple; be sure to correctly label and identify objects with your child. Alongside this, implement adjectives into your descriptions! Adjectives can include color, size, shape, and texture.
Ideas: Make grocery shopping fun! Play “iSpy” at the grocery store with snacks/food items your child is familiar with.
Multisyllabic words: Increase intelligibility by increasing syllable length. Target different syllable lengths according to your child’s ability.
Ideas: Clap out syllables - example: “Ba-Na-Na!” “Wa-Ter!”
Following directions: Feel free to “upgrade” or “downgrade” your directions based on your child’s ability to follow them! Directions can be single stepor multi-step. You can also use gestures or visuals.
Ideas: Add prepositions “on, in, under” to your directions!

Graphic from Graceful Expression Speech Therapy (@gracefulexpression.slp on Instagram)

Get Into a Mealtime Routine

Getting into a routine can be very beneficial to your child's language development. Below are some tips for mealtime routines:

Set apart time without technology where the family sits together for a meal
Encourage kids to sit at the table for duration of the meal (can build up their tolerance if resistant or unable to at first)
Follow an eating schedule--including a snack schedule (grazing/snacking all day is detrimental to a child’s hunger cues)

Keep Mealtime Fun

Keeping mealtime fun encourages your child to look forward to eating, which means they look forward to these language learning opportunities!

Don’t be afraid to let kids get messy--it’s all part of the learning and sensory experiences!
Serve family style so your child has some control over what goes on their plate-- can use a teaspoon and tablespoon to serve; child has to put at least of teaspoon of every food on their plate but can use the tablespoon if they want a bigger serving of something.
Give a set out time where kids are encouraged to play and construct with food to relieve some anxiety.
Get the kids in the kitchen to promote a bond and love for food!

For more tips and ideas to help your child reach developmental milestones, check out our other blog posts here ! If you are worried your child may be behind in their language skills, try our Interactive Screening Tool to track and identify potential areas of improvement.

Repurposed Play: 6 Activities with Sheet Pans

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 20:15:32 GMT

Repurposed Play: 6 Activities with Sheet Pans

Brittany McKnight, OT

Most people think that babies and children need all of the high-tech toys that will teach them numbers, colors, shapes, songs, and also address the basic developmental skills. In all honesty, your kids can (and often prefer) to use basic household items to explore and use as toys. Pediatric occupational therapists are experts in functional and developmental play that can turn the mundane into exciting, and we want to share some of our creative knowledge on how to repurpose your typical, low-tech household items into toys and games that will check all the boxes!

Today's repurposed object is... a sheet pan!

Not just for one pan meals and cookies anymore, there are many uses for a sheet pan as a developmental toy for your little ones.

6 Repurposed Play Activities

Sensory play during tummy time. You could use any variety of toys on a sheet pan during tummy time, and little ones would love the noise the toys would make against the pan. Like in the picture below, you could add a thin layer of water and let baby explore. As always, babies should be supervised by an adult during tummy time.

2. Magnetic toy or suction cup toy tray. Be sure to double check if your sheet pan is magnetic. If so, get some large magents, like the letter magnets below, or some suction cup toys and let your little one stick them to the sheet pan.

3. Letter drawing in salt, sand, or shaving cream. This idea may be more on the messy side, but it's a great way to help your child explore different textures. Practice drawing letters, shapes, or whatever else comes to mind with your child.

4. Play-Doh tray. A sheet pan is a great surface for building with Play-Doh and keeping the mess more contained.

5. Musical instrument. Kitchen items are timeless musical instruments for all ages. Get some sheet pans, pots, and spoons and let your kiddo's musical genius run wild.

6. Travel toy in the car. If you have a magnetic sheet pan, it's perfect for coloring and worksheets on the go. Grab a magnetic clip and attach a coloring sheet to keep your little one occupied during a car ride. This activity is more suited for kiddos who can use crayons with less supervision.

What ways have you creatively repurposed a sheet pan? Leave your ideas in the comments below!

Find more tips and fun activities on our blog , and follow us on Pinterest !

Palmar Reflex: What It Is & Why It's Important

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 20:20:35 GMT

The palmar reflex is developed very early in utero and can be seen in infants born as early as 25 weeks premature. What exactly is the palmar reflex, and why is it important?

Jason Washburn, OT

The palmar reflex is developed very early in utero and can be seen in infants born as early as 25 weeks premature. What exactly is this reflex and why is it important?

What is the palmar reflex?

In infants, the reflex can be seen when they are lying comfortably on their back, and you stroke their hand with your finger or other small object. They will respond by grasping the object. You may be familiar with this reflex by them grabbing your hair and not letting go. An easy way to release the reflex is to stroke the back of the hand and they will typically let go.

This reflex typically will disappear around age 2-4 months old. At this point, the baby is learning to reach and use their hands together to find toys and other objects. At this age, they reach and close fingers at the same time. As they develop into 6-7 months of age range, they then start to understand and improve the skills needed to reach to find the toys and items they want. This skill development sets up the ability for the pincer grasp, which is essential for handwriting and other fine motor skills .

an infant exhibiting the palmar reflex

Above is an example of an infant exhibiting the palmar reflex.

What if I don't see this reflex?

If the palmar reflex is not integrated when your infant is younger than 2 months old, it can lead to these challenges as they get older:

Poor handwriting
Weak/absent pincer grasp (pinching with thumb and index finger)
Lack of visual coordination
Poor pencil grip
Speech and language problems
Anger control issues
Sticking tongue out when using hands
Hypersensitive to various textures and sensations on the hands
Back aches when sitting

If your child is exhibiting any of these challenges, consider reaching out to an occupational therapist today! Our therapists would love to help your child. You can visit our website at hoggtherapyassociates.com for more information about our practice.

Sources:

Retained Palmar Reflex or Grasp Reflex

Palmar Reflex: Where the Problem Begins with Poor Handwriting, Pencil Grip and Fine Motor Development

Palmar Grasp Reflex

Learning Letters + Writing Skills

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 20:24:52 GMT

Should your child learn how to write letters in ABC order? Many times kids will learn letters in alphabetical order, which makes sense! As an occupational therapist, I will often teach kids how to write letters in a different order based on a child's typical development.

Annie Wade, OT

Should your child learn how to write letters in ABC order? Many times kids will learn letters in alphabetical order, which makes sense! As an occupational therapist , I will often teach kids how to write letters in a different order based on a child's typical development.

Pre-Writing Skills

Before kids learn how to write letters, they will learn what is called “pre-writing skills”. These pre-writing skills involve drawing horizontal and vertical lines first, then circles, a “cross”, squares and then diagonal lines and “x’s”. Taking that information and applying it to learning how to write letters of the alphabet provides us a more developmentally appropriate way to teach/learn letters.

Writing Capital Letters

The first letters to start with are capital letters that have vertical and horizontal lines.

E, F, H, I, L, T

Then, just as a child will next learn to copy and draw circles, a child can start learning capital letters that have curved lines.

B, C, D, G, J, O, P, Q, S, U

Finally, The last letters for capital letters are those with diagonal lines.

A, K, M, N, R, V, W, X, Y, Z

Practice Makes Perfect

The more your child practices, the better they will get at writing their letters. By practicing fine motor skills like coloring or playing with Legos, your child can also improve their writing skills. Some fun ways to specifically practice learning letters include:

Use paint, chalk, or shaving cream to provide additional tactile experiences
Find items from outside and in nature, such as drawing in snow or using sticks, to create the letters
Create the letters using Play-Doh, or write the letters in Play-Doh

Additionally, you can check out some of our other blog posts for more at-home ideas!

Why Handwriting is Important + FREE Worksheets

Dollar Tree Handwriting Warm-Up Kits

Music and Growing Minds

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 13:59:47 GMT

Listening to music and singing with your child is beneficial in helping develop their language skills. Music has tune, rhythm, and repetitive patterns which helps their growing brains memorize and learn words while having fun.

Morgan Barton CCC-SLP

Listening to music and singing with your child is beneficial in helping develop their language skills. Music has tune, rhythm, and repetitive patterns which helps their growing brains memorize and learn words while having fun.

Benefits of Music

Songs impact people at all stages of life, and it can be so beneficial for development in babies and toddlers. Listed below are a few key benefits of music during early childhood:

Vocabulary development: Music helps children identify sounds and patterns, which are key elements of literacy and numeracy. Children also often pick up on words and phrases they hear repeated in songs.
Mood lifter: Just like adults, songs can impact a child's mood. A lullaby could help soothe while an upbeat song could give a grumpy child a boost of energy.
Builds coordination: Kiddos love to dance along to songs! Through dancing, children learn how to move to a rhythm while also building their strength and balance.

These are just a few examples of how music can help build important foundations in childhood development. Another important thing to remember is simply that music is fun! Turn on some songs, and have a fun dance party with your kiddos!

Tips for Playtime

If you want to incorporate more music into your child's playtime, try these tips below!

Press pause on the song or stop singing. This gives your child the opportunity to ask for more music or to say the lyric that comes next.
Sing songs that include motor movements. Look for songs like Wheels on the Bus, Itsy Bitsy Spider, If You're Happy and You Know It, etc. Motor imitation comes before verbal imitation. Encourage your child to imitate the movements of the song, or encourage them to come up with their own movements.
Help your child make up songs about their day. These songs could be about anything, such as fixing their lunch or brushing their teeth. They can have fun while practicing their language skills.

For more playtime tips, check out our other blog posts here !

Sources:

The Importance Of Music In The Development Of Toddlers

The Power of Cause and Effect

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 14:02:37 GMT

When children understand cause and effect, they see that their actions can lead to a reaction. This also helps them discover the power of their words!

Morgan Barton, SLP

If you want your child to make functional requests to express their wants and needs, they need to understand cause and effect! When children understand this concept, they see that their actions can lead to a reaction. This also helps them discover the power of their words! For example, they can make the connection that if they sign “more” they will get more of what they’re asking for.

Cause and Effect in Play

Incorporating cause and effect into your play at home helps build your child's attention and play skills. It also helps to build the foundations for their expressive language! The following toys/activities are some examples of cause and effect that you can incorporate into your child’s play routines:

Light up toys
Pop up toys
Spin toys
Car Ramps

Activities like these are beneficial because actions taken with the toy have a reaction. Let's say your child puts a car at the top of a car ramp. When the car is pushed (action), it slides down to the bottom of the ramp (reaction). This may seem basic to adults, but activities just like this are what help young children learn how the world around them works!

For school age children, check out this website for activity ideas teaching cause and effect. We've also included a graphic at the bottom to help demonstrate this concept.

Long-Term Benefits

Most children learn the connection between cause and effect in their early childhood, and this is vital to developing language and play skills. However, the benefits of learning this concept last a lifetime. By learning the relationship between cause and effect, children are better able to understand social cues and emotions. Additionally, this theme shows up almost everywhere in school. For example, by understanding this relationship your child will be able to more critically think through plots and characters when reading and writing. By working with your child on this concept now, you are setting them up for success throughout the rest of their life!

Every action has a reaction.

Click here for more of our blog posts about child development!

Container Baby Syndrome

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 14:07:01 GMT

Seats and toys that hold our babies are convenient ways to entertain our kids while we have other things to do such as cooking dinner, laundry, or just “me time". In the therapy world, these seats have earned the name “containers” because they contain our babies.

Amanda Dyer, MS, OTR/L, CIMI

Taylor Adkins, DPT

Seats and toys that hold our babies are convenient ways to entertain our kids while we have other things to do such as cooking dinner or doing laundry. In the therapy world, these seats have earned the name “containers” because they contain our babies.

What is container baby syndrome?

“Container baby syndrome” is a term for infants who have developmental delays as a result of being in “containers” too long. This can include car seats, Jumparoos, high chairs, Bumbo seats, swings, and infant carriers. These can be very helpful to keep baby safe and out of trouble while you take care of things around the house. However, time in containers can add up throughout the day.

Signs of container baby syndrome include:

Gross motor skill delays (late sitting, rolling, crawling, etc)
Flat spots on the head from staying in one position too long (plagiocephaly)
Stiff or tilted neck (torticollis)

Convenience is the biggest benefit of using "containers," but there are downsides including:

Reduces the time and space baby gets to practice moving their arms, legs, and heads
Can delay learning the skills that help baby to roll over, crawl, sit, stand, and walk
Hold baby’s joints in incorrect positions, placing stress on their body
May be unsafe despite being marketed for babies

To avoid container baby syndrome, you should encourage your baby to move and get strong without the use of equipment. For example, try tummy time on a flat, firm surface. Help baby reach for toys, put weight on their legs, and look at themselves in a mirror. You can alternate what toys they have at a given time to keep them interested in a variety. You can also use a "play pen" or baby gate to contain baby in a supervised area while you complete household tasks.

Container Rules of Thumb

There are a few general rules of thumb to keep in mind when choosing a piece of equipment or “container” to place your baby in:

If your child cannot control his head (has a “floppy head”), don’t put them in a seat that doesn’t provide head support. For example, a Bumbo seat does not provide head support because there is nothing for a baby to rest his head on.
Make sure your baby is comfortable and they fit well in the seat. If the harness is sliding up their chest, feet can’t touch the floor, etc. then it is not an appropriate “container” for your child.
Limit time in “containers” to less than one hour total in a day. This does not include when your child is in the car seat while driving. It would count if you are grocery shopping, and your child stays in the car seat the entire time.

We realize that limiting time in these seats is not always convenient. However, keeping your child out of “containers” for significant periods of time will improve your baby’s ability to learn and move on their own.

Examples of Common Containers + Tips

Here are some examples of common seats with tips on when it is appropriate to use these seats and how your child should look when sitting in it.

Bumbo seat

Bumbo seats are most appropriate for children that can sit by themselves or are almost sitting by themselves. This way we are positive that your child is strong enough to sit with proper posture. You can use bumbo seats with children who are not sitting by themselves, but you want to make sure they are in the seat with an upright posture and not tilting to the side.

Bumbo seats are NOT appropriate at any time for children who cannot control their head position. If your baby often has a “floppy” head then they should not be seated in a bumbo seat at all.

Jumper

Jumpers are a fun way for baby to learn how to use their leg muscles in ways like jumping. Your baby should be able to place his feet flat on the floor with weight through his feet while in a jumper. If his feet barely touch the ground or just his toes are on the ground then you either need to lower the jumper or wait until the baby is taller. Sometimes, babies will only jump on their toes, which can turn into learning how to walk on their toes (a hard habit to break). You also want to be careful that your baby is able to maintain an upright posture in the jumper and not leaning to the side, forward, or backwards. Again, if your baby cannot control his head then a jumper is not appropriate for them.

Baby walker

Activity center

Walkers and activity centers are most appropriate for children who, when placed inside, can place their feet flat on the floor and weight bear at least slightly. Similar to the jumper, if your child can only put his toes on the ground or isn’t able to put weight through his feet when they are on the ground, then this equipment is not appropriate for your baby. You can adjust the seat so their feet are flat on the ground or wait until they are a little taller. We also want to make sure that they are not leaning in any direction or slumping but instead able to maintain an upright position.

Baby swing

Swings are often used to lull babies to sleep. However, sometimes the bad habit of letting baby sleep for several hours in the swing is formed. This is not a great position for your baby as they are not flat on their back like the AAP recommends. If baby falls asleep in a swing, the baby should be moved to his crib where he would be more comfortable and safer while he sleeps. For more information on safe sleep practices, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics website here .

Watch your baby’s head position in the swing. If they always hold their head to one side or you notice they can’t move their head or turn it, then a swing is not appropriate right now. When a baby has enough strength to control their head position, then a swing can be appropriate. If a baby is in a swing for a long period of time without being able to control their head, then this could lead to muscle tightness which makes it harder to learn how to control their head in other positions. A swing does provide more head support than a bumbo seat, for example. However, the motion of the swing is what makes having head control important. Having head control allows the baby to move their head any way they want instead of being controlled by the motion of the swing.

Visit our website at hoggtherapyassociates.com to view more of our blog posts. You can also try our FREE Interactive Screening Tool if you are concerned about your child meeting crucial developmental milestones.

Torticollis: What is it? + Prevention Tips

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 14:09:58 GMT

What is torticollis? This is fairly common condition in newborns 0-3 months old. Read this post to learn what it looks like and how to prevent it.

What is torticollis? Basically, if you've ever had a bad night's sleep and woke up with a stiff neck, you've had a taste of what torticollis feels like. This is a fairly common condition in newborns 0-3 months old. It occurs when a very specific muscle in that runs down each side of the neck from the ear to the breastbone (the sternocleidomastoid, or SCM for short) becomes tightened and shortened.

What does torticollis look like?

When an infant develops torticollis, the SCM tightens and shortens on one side causing the head to slightly turn in a particular direction. The infant will likely have difficulty his or her head and may even become fussy when attempting to turn the head in the opposite direction. You may notice that the infant prefers to look over one shoulder rather than the other. Another common indicator of torticollis is uneven head shape due to the infant lying on one side more than the other. Additionally, this condition can be especially concerning for parents if it causes difficulty with breastfeeding because the infant prefers to have the head turned a specific direction for neck comfort.

What causes torticollis?

Doctors aren't completely sure why some babies develop torticollis while others do not, and it is equally likely to occur in both boys and girls. Some potential causes are:

Cramped space when in utero
Abnormal positioning in the womb (breech, for example)
Use of forceps or vacuum during birth

What can I do?

If you suspect your infant has torticollis, first see your pediatrician. They will then assess your child to diagnose if that is the case. If this condition is present, exercises can be completed at home to assist. Even if you haven't noticed torticollis in your infant, these activities can be used as prevention tools. These include:

Engage your infant with tummy time.
During feeding time, offer the bottle or breast on the opposite side than the preference.
During sleep time, place the baby in a crib or bassinet facing the wall, as they prefer to look out of the room. This encourages them to rotate the head during rest to preferred sights.
During play, use rattles or other toys to encourage rotating the head to follow the sound to the opposite side.

If you struggle with feeding your infant, engaging them with tummy time, or have other concerns, our therapists would be happy to set up an evaluation for your child. Visit our website at www.hoggtherapyassociates.com for more information.

Try these tips to increase movement and prevent torticollis.

More Resources

Infant Torticollis

What is Infant Torticollis?

The Importance of Play: Following Your Child's Lead

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 14:13:35 GMT

Functional play skills are a foundation of learning and exploration. Development of play skills also reinforces the development of social skills, language, speech, and fine/gross motor skills.

Kami L. Sammetinger M.S., CF-SLP

Morgan Barton, SLP

Functional play skills are a foundation of learning and exploration. Development of play skills also reinforces the development of social skills, language, speech, and fine/gross motor skills.

Repetition of Skills

One of the most important aspects of therapy is repetition! In order to solidify the child’s newly learned skill through play the child needs to perform the task consistently. Provide the child with opportunities to practice their new skill with other communication partners and in different contexts to promote generalization of skills. Imitating the child’s utterances and actions is also a great way to promote repetition. Like they say: “practice makes perfect!”

Reinforcement Through Play

Celebrate your child’s discoveries and new successes! Whether your child is rewarded through praise or through a preferred item, it is important to praise your child. Below are some reinforcement ideas:

Verbal praise- “Woohoo”, “Yay”, “I am so proud of you!” - Sometimes all a child needs is words of encouragement and affirmation.
Music/Videos- Play clips of their favorite songs or videos as a reward.
Play Time- During structured tasks the best way to reward your child is through a break.
Candy or Snacks- Small amounts so they do not fill up!

*Quick Tip*

Begin with reinforcement on a schedule so the child knows what to expect. Slowly fade this out and reward the child intermittently. This increases the likelihood of consistent performance of desired behaviors!

Following Your Child's Lead

Children are more likely to listen, talk, and learn about things that they find interesting. Following your child’s lead means playing what your child wants to play. Let your child choose what you play with, how you play, and where you play.

Tips to help you follow your child’s lead:

Get down on your child’s level. Join your child on the floor.
Comment on what your child is doing.
Encourage your child’s attempts to communicate.
Don’t be afraid to act silly!
Don’t do all the talking. Wait before you talk to show your child you want them to lead.
Copy your child’s actions and the words they use.
Use toys however your child wants to use them.

Potential at-home activities:

Pretend to cook food while playing with a kitchen set- Allows for requesting and sequencing events
Play house with a doll house and dolls- Model conversations and simple language during play
Take turns blowing bubbles- Count 3-2-1-GO to allow them to develop joint attention
Use simple toys- Learn more about simple toys here

Children develop new skills through a cycle of playing and learning.

Why Handwriting is Important + FREE Worksheets

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 14:21:14 GMT

January 23rd is National Handwriting Day! We're a day early, but we wanted to celebrate by offering FREE handwriting worksheets that you can print and use at home to practice with your kids. Plus, learn why handwriting is important and what you can do at home to practice.

January 23rd is National Handwriting Day! We're a day early, but we wanted to celebrate by offering FREE handwriting worksheets that you can print and use at home to practice with your kids.

Why is handwriting important?

Handwriting is an important skill that our occupational therapists can help with! Practice makes perfect, and neat handwriting is a skill we want all kids to have. Handwriting isn't only about words on paper, though. When someone writes letters and words, that person engages fine-motor muscles in the fingers and hands, larger muscles in the arm and body, and even the eye muscles. Writing also immerses the brain, which helps improve the memory; studies have shown a link between writing and information retention. When a child works on handwriting, they also work on their hand-eye coordination, which transfers over into many other areas.

What can we do at home?

If you want to practice handwriting at home, check out some of the FREE worksheets we have linked below. Print one off for you and your kiddo and practice together! Maybe you have a child that's not quite ready to trace letters and numbers. That's okay! Give them a crayon or chalk and let them scribble. Drawing lines, tracing shapes, and coloring in the lines are all helpful activities that can benefit future handwriting. Another beneficial activity for all ages is exercise! It may be surprising, but working the core muscles and shoulder muscles impacts writing skills. Additionally, exercises like ball tossing and hitting with a bat are great gross motor activities that help with hand-eye coordination.

If your child is struggling with writing and you're worried they may not be meeting crucial developmental milestones, check out our free Interactive Screening Tool .

Activities such as coloring can create a solid foundation for developing writing skills later.

Free Worksheets

FREE Uppercase Letters WorksheetDownload

FREE Numbers WorksheetDownload

FREE Uppercase & Lowercase Letters WorksheetDownload

FREE Days of the Week WorksheetDownload

Reading Books with Preschoolers

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 14:25:31 GMT

Reading with your preschooler every day is crucial in their development and can help to expand their vocabulary, and grow their love of books!

Reading with your preschooler every day is crucial in their development and can help to expand their vocabulary, and grow their love of books! Here are some tips to help your child grow into a book lover!

Variety, Variety, Variety!

Make sure there are lots of books for your child to choose from. Having variety helps keep your child’s interest and make them want to read.

Ask Questions While Reading

While reading with your child make sure to ask questions throughout about pictures or vocabulary.

Example: If the book features pictures of animals, ask what the animal is, where the animal lives, and what sounds they make.

Asking questions helps to grow their vocabulary and keep their attention!

Teach Shapes and Colors

Books can also be used to teach your child about colors and shapes another way to continue to grow their vocabulary!

Example: When looking at a book featuring shapes, ask what type of shape it is, or what color it is. This can also be done by asking your child to point to a certain shape or color.

Use Interactive Books

Using books that allow your child to interact with the story is another great way to keep children engaged and learning. Nick Sharratt books, for example, allow you to change the story. Children are able to choose different pictures to make the story different each time they read it!

Making reading fun for your preschooler can help create a lifelong reader!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/LSN1mffiCws

Sensory Tips for At-Home Learning

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 14:28:34 GMT

Your kids might be on winter break but that doesn’t mean they can’t take the opportunity to continue to learn! Here are some easy sensory tips to follow for at-home learning.

Create a Schedule

Creating a simple list each morning helps your kiddo keep track of the day and know what’s next.

Change up the Seating

Your kiddo doesn’t need to sit in a chair all day! Swap out the traditional chair with a yoga ball or bean bag chair. Offering different seating options can help keep your child focused and paying attention.

Let them Move!

Taking breaks to allow your kiddo a chance to move around will help keep them on task. Simple yoga breaks help keep their brain sharp!

Use Timers

Visual timers allow kids to know how long they need to be seated at the table, breaking tasks down into smaller activities can also help keep your child on track and focused!

Following these easy sensory tips will ensure your child continues to learn all winter long!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/0PCgVz_kWGA

Check out more v ideos from our Pediatric Therapists!

Back

Dollar Tree Handwriting Warm-Up Kits

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 14:31:02 GMT

Your child is just beginning to master writing and typing but did you know they should warm-up their hands before they begin practicing? It doesn’t have to be hard or expensive to create kits, in fact, you can get many things to help warm-up their hand muscles at the Dollar Tree!

Your child is just beginning to master writing and typing but did you know they should warm-up their hands before they begin practicing? It doesn’t have to be hard or expensive to create kits, in fact, you can get many things to help warm-up their hand muscles at the Dollar Tree!

Why Warm-Up Hands?

Having your child complete simple warm-ups helps give them a better sensory input of what their hand muscles and joints do, increase their hand strength, and improve their fine motor skills. All three things are important in helping to develop handwriting and typing skills.

Dollar Tree Warm-Up Kits

Play-doh

Squishy Toys

Wooden Clothespins

Modeling Foam Beads

Light Up Top

Fling Shot Chickens

How to Use Your Kit

Play-doh

Have your kiddo roll the play-doh into little balls and then have them use their fingers to squish the balls flat. They can also use play-doh to create different shapes.

Fling Shot Chickens

Exercise the hand muscles by having your child stretch the chicken out and fling it, just make sure there is nothing breakable around!

Squishy Toys

Have your child hold the toy in their hands with their thumb on the bottom, then touch each finger on the toy. Repeat on both hands so each finger gets a chance to warm up! They can also toss the toy from hand to hand.

Light Up Top

Have your child practice spinning the toy on a table, try and have them use both hands for extra pratice!

Wooden Clothespins

Have your child use their fingers to practice opening and closing the clothespin. Alternating fingers helps to warm-up each finger! You can also use the clothespins with the play-doh.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/TErCCXvHYjU

These are just some examples of how to use the items in the kits but there are so many other options! Get creative and comment below on how you used the items!

Check out more videos from our Pediatric Therapists!

The Power of Touch: Fostering Meaningful Connection with Your Infant

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 14:33:46 GMT

Touching your baby is a great way to create a sense of bonding. Here are some benefits, and tips, of touching your baby.

Amanda Dyer, MS OTR/L, CIMI

Is your baby fussy, seemingly for no reason? Gas and colic wearing you out? Try touching them! The skin is the largest organ of the body. Studies have shown that sensation, or feeling, is the first sense to develop in the womb. Touch has been shown to be the most important component in bonding between humans, more powerful than verbal communication and eye contact. Touch is the most effective way to communicate compassion, according to a study by the University of Berkeley.

Benefits of Touching Your Baby

Touching your baby can help them to relax, which helps your baby to trust you and be comforted by your presence
Promotes weight gain- infants in the NICU receiving nurturing touch have been shown to gain more weight than infants with less physical interactions
Touching your baby has benefits for the breastfeeding mother, including promoting increased breastmilk production
Touch promotes the release of hormones that can increase pain relief in infants
Develops infant’s social and calming skills, allowing them to self soothe because they feel loved and secure.
Can improve digestion and toileting through promoting increased circulation

How to touch your baby:

Create a quiet environment. Have dim lights, low noise or white noise, and a warm room.

Make sure you create a quiet environment before touching your baby.

Skin to skin activities-You can take a bath together, complete tummy time on parents chest, or hold your child with their cheek touching your cheek.
After bath massage- Use lotion or a safe oil for a post-bath rub- start at baby’s shoulder and gently run your hand down to their hand, or start at their hip down to their foot.

After bath massages are a great way to promote touch!

Before touching them, let baby know you are about to- show them your open hands before making contact.

Signs That Your Late Talker Is Less Likely To Catch Up To Their Same Age Peers By Kindergarten

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 14:36:00 GMT

Is your late talker on track to catch up with their peers? Here are some things to look for that mean your child could need some extra help.

Morgan Barton, SLP

Is your child a late talker? Every child develops at a different pace and usually, they can catch up with their peers but there are some signs to look out for that your child may need some extra help. Here are some things to look for that may show your late talker is less likely to catch up to their peers.

Decreased use of gestures such as pointing and waving.

Difficulty imitating words they overhear in conversation.

Lack of babbling and/or a lack of consonant production.

Difficulty with receptive language tasks such as following simple directions.

Family history of language delays or learning delays.

Difficulty with play skills such as pretend play and peer engagement.

Majority of their expressive language consists of naming nouns.

Early intervention is key! If you have concerns about your child’s language, talk to your child’s pediatrician about the possibility of a speech and language evaluation!

Back

Check us out on Pinterest!

Play Skills From 0-3 Years

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 14:38:24 GMT

Playing is important for your child's development. But it doesn't always have to be super involved. Here's a brief overview of early developmental play skills.

Janna Lopez, MS, OTR/L

The job of a child is to play- so it makes sense that they learn about the world around them through play. The role of play is very important in child development, especially for the improvement of gross motor, fine motor and social skills. Play doesn’t always have to be involved- it can be as simple as imitating the sounds that your infant makes or playing clapping games. It can also be more involved, like stacking blocks to imitate designs, and completing more difficult puzzles.

To help your child fully reach their potential, it is important to have an understanding of basic play development. This knowledge will be helpful when playing with your child to encourage and offer them appropriate challenges and opportunities that match their skill sets.

Below you will find a brief overview of early developmental play skills. As always, children develop on their own timelines, so your child may differ from these age ranges.

4-6 months: Your child will begin to show interest in and curiosity about the environment, including sustained eye contact and visual tracking. YOU will be their favorite toy! Close interaction with your child is very important at this age!
10 months to 1 year: Your child may begin pointing to objects, and object permanence (the knowledge that items remain present when they are out of sight) will emerge.
1 year to 15 months: Solitary play skills and imitation will emerge. Child may begin wanting to play near peers, and games such as ‘chase’ or ‘Ring Around the Rosie’ are popular.
2 years: Parallel play and symbolic play begin to strengthen. Your child will likely begin wanting to play ‘pretend’ with you, including playing house, doctor, and school! Children enjoy pretend play with lots of props, so toy dolls and bottles, pots and pans, or trucks and cars are popular toys.
2 ½ to 3 years: Turn taking begins to emerge as children improve their interactive play skills. Problem solving is also beginning to improve, so pop beads, chunky puzzles, and crayons are a must at this age!

Back

Check us out on Pinterest!

Family Indoor Winter Games

Fri, 11 Dec 2020 14:40:24 GMT

It's getting cold outside! We've created a list of great indoor winter games you can do to keep your kids busy and entertained this weekend!

The holidays are often a very fun but busy time of year for families. There are parties, shopping to finish, and decorations to put up. And when it snows, there are snowmen to build, snowball fights to have, and sledding competitions to win! But what do we do during those cold winter days when there is no snow to play in? Let’s bring the winter games inside! Here are some ideas of how to stay active as a family with winter games when it’s too cold outside!

Indoor hockey

Items needed:

Use a broom, pool noodle, fly swatter, etc. as your hockey stick
Use a small ball or rolled up socks as your hockey puck
Create a goal with water bottles, cans, or even pillows

Using your hockey stick, pass your ball back and forth and shoot it in the goal! You can play against others by using two goals or play by yourself by setting up obstacles with pillows or boxes. Indoor hockey gets people moving and also helps improve leg strength and hand-eye coordination.

Indoor Field Hockey

Holiday obstacle course

Items needed:

Presents or gifts; christmas lights; wrapping paper rolls; pillows,etc

Create an obstacle course with your left over holiday decorations! You can step over gift boxes. You can hop or crawl under a string of christmas lights. You can create a hopscotch board out of wrapping paper rolls or jump over them. You can also stand on pillows to practice your balance skills. Make it a competition to see who can create the craziest obstacle course or even who can complete it faster.

Snowball toss into a snowman

Items needed:

Boxes with a hole in it or buckets to catch a ball. If you want to make a snowman out of boxes don’t forget to wrap the box in white paper and add the eyes and buttons with construction paper
“Snowballs” made out of cotton balls, small balls, rolled up socks, or even a roll of toilet paper

Throw your snowballs at your box snowman or targets to practice throwing! You can throw overhand or underhand. Don’t forget that step with the opposite foot as you throw. You can even have a snowball fight with your family with your snowballs!

Snowball toss into snowman

Penguin balance walk

Items needed:

Tape to mark out a line, balance beam, or pillows in a line

Pretend you’re a penguin that lives in the south pole by waddling on your line. Don’t step off your line otherwise you might fall into the icy cold water!

Penguin Balance Walk

Snowflake scavenger hunt

Items needed:

Paper and scissors to make paper snowflakes (pictures or stickers work just as well. Or any other holiday item you want to hide)

Hide your snowflakes around your house! They can be on the wall, under the table, on top of the bookcase, or any place you think is challenging for your family to find. If you want to work on leg strength, hide the snowflakes lower on the ground so people have to squat to pick up the snowflakes. If you want to work on jumping, provide obstacles to jump over or place the snowflake high on the wall so people have to jump to get it.

Take a picture of your family having fun playing some of these indoor winter games! Don’t forget to tag Hogg Therapy!

Happy Holidays from the Hogg Therapy team!

Back

Check out our Pinterest!

What is the Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex?

Wed, 09 Dec 2020 14:42:34 GMT

Part of the development of babies is what are called “primitive reflexes”. One reflex is called the Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR), and this helps to prepare babies for rolling over.

Prepare For Rolling!

Part of the development of babies is what are called “primitive reflexes”. One reflex is called the Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR), and this helps to prepare babies for rolling over. For babies born at full term, this is present at birth, but may be more easily seen at around 1 month of age. This tends to disappear around 3-6 months old. This reflex and its integration helps to prepare for hand-eye coordination when they get older.

How it looks: When the head turns, the arm and leg on the same side straighten out, while the arm and leg on the opposite side bends.

If it does not go away, problems that could occur as they get older are:

● Poor eye-hand coordination

● Difficulty with handwriting

● Trouble crossing midline

● Poor visual tracking with reading/writing

Exercises to help it integrate:

● Pushing a shopping cart while turning head

● Zombie walk while turning head

● When walking, touch opposite elbow and knee

● Crawling/animal walks that involve bringing opposite limbs together

Find out more about primitive reflexes

Check us out on Pinterest!

Infant Visual Development

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 14:44:56 GMT

Babies explore their world through their senses- especially vision, at early ages. Healthy visual development is important as your child ages. Below are important visual milestones, and ways to help your child learn and achieve through play!This is a subtitle for your new post

What can baby see?

Babies explore their world through their senses- especially vision, at early ages. Healthy visual development is important as your child ages. Below are important visual milestones, and ways to help your child learn and achieve through play!

AT BIRTH- As a newborn, a baby can typically see high contrast colors, such as black and white. They can see clearly only up to 8 to 10 inches away. Their eyes do not move in a focused manner.

TWO MONTHS- At eight weeks old, babies begin to get better focus with their vision. They enjoy looking at their parent’s faces and colorful objects, and the earliest colors they can see well are white, black, and red. It is ok if a babies eyes apparently appear to wander in different directions or crossed, as long as they don’t stay that way for long periods.

THREE MONTHS- Babies should be starting to watch and move their eyes to follow moving objects around three months old.

FIVE MONTHS- 3D vision, or depth perception, begins to develop around 5 months old, as well as baby’s color vision becoming more detailed.

EIGHT MONTHS- Babies typically begin crawling around this age, which helps develop their hand-eye coordination. It is important to encourage crawling, even if your child shows signs of early walking, to help develop this hand-eye coordination.

NINE MONTHS- Babies continue to use their hand eye coordination to start pulling up to stand.

TEN MONTHS- Fine motor and visual skills work together to help baby grasp small objects with their thumb and index finger, in a “pincer” grasp.

TWELVE MONTHS- Baby will be crawling, and possibly trying to walk. They can now assess distance better, and throw objects, with well-developed depth perception.

Potential Signs of Visual Processing Problems

-Not reaching for objects around 4 months

-Not watching moving objects with their eyes around 2 months

-Not looking at objects in their hands around 3 months

-Eyes that stay crossed or one wanders for long periods of time

It is important to remember that babies develop at different rates, so being slight behind the targets above may not be a cause for concern. If you do have concerns about vision, speak with your child’s pediatrician. Occupational therapists can help with hand eye coordination, and an optometrist can eyesight.

What parents can do to help with visual development

There are many things parents can do to help their baby's vision develop properly. The following are some examples of age-appropriate activities that can assist an infant's visual development.

Birth to 4 months

Place a nightlight in baby’s room
Change the directions you lay baby down in their crib to encourage turning their head different directions.
Place baby on a play mat with toys within 1 foot of their face
Change which side you feed baby on at each feed

5 to 8 months

Hang items above the crib or strapped to the side of the crib for baby to reach and kick at
Play on the floor with baby to encourage exploring
Play movement games or sing songs while moving baby’s arms and legs

9 to 12 months

Play hide and seek games with toys or your face
Encourage crawling and pulling to stand to increase hand eye coordination

1 to 2 years

Roll a ball back and forth to help baby track with their eyes
Encourage play with blocks to increase hand eye coordination and fine motor skills

Back

Check us out on Pinterest!

Your Top 5 Physical Therapy Questions Answered

creekmoremarketing@gmail.com (Creekmore Marketing) — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 14:47:37 GMT

If your child is currently receiving physical therapy or if you’re just learning about it-here are the top 5 most common questions I receive.

5. Why is it important for my child to crawl before he walks?

People will often say, “Oh, they’ll walk before they crawl”, but we actually want to flip this as much as possible. Crawling is an important part of developing and has several benefits that your child can’t develop as easily without it. Crawling on hands and knees builds great arm and shoulder strength. This contributes to hand strength for better handwriting as a child grows. It also incorporates some natural reflexes that otherwise could make tasks harder such as being able to move forward without your child bending their head towards their chest each time. The reciprocal pattern of moving arms and legs opposite actually helps teach your child’s brain how to process information from side to side. This later can translate into an easier ability to read. Typically, children crawl 5 football lengths in a single day! That’s a lot of time to practice and develop strength that a child would miss out on if they skip to walking.

4. Is it important to practice at home in between sessions?

Practicing the exercises or skills that your physical therapist asks you to do at home is extremely important. Your physical therapist sees your child one or two times a week for at most an hour at a time. Meanwhile, you spend significantly more time than that with your child. Physical therapists teach yourself and your child new skills in those short hours throughout the week, but the work that makes the new skill a habit and easy for your child comes from practicing throughout the week. They say it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert and there’s no better place to get started than at home in your daily routine.

3. Why does my child toe walk?

There are several different reasons why a child might walk on their tip toes. Sometimes, kids do it because they are excited and need a way to demonstrate that excitement and energy. Sometimes kids do it because they might be bored or they’ve learned this is a new skill that they can explore. If your child only toe walks occasionally, there is typically no need for a physical therapy evaluation unless you have other concerns as well.

When a child walks on their toes consistently; it doesn’t matter how often you say “walk with flat feet”, there’s no change depending on the environment or type of shoes or their emotions, then your child would probably benefit from a physical therapy evaluation. The most common reasons a child would walk on their toes constantly would be tight gastrocnemius muscles, also known as your calf muscles. When that muscle is tight, it makes it difficult for children to dorsiflex or bring their toe up towards the top of their head.

2. When do I need to get a physical therapy evaluation?

Physical therapy addresses gross motor movement. For children, this is often skills such as:

Walking
Running
Going up/down stairs
Jumping
Balance
Catching/throwing a ball
Kicking

If you have any concerns that your child is not doing these skills at all or not well for their age, a physical therapy evaluation could be beneficial. Most insurances and doctors require you to go to your primary care physician first to receive a physical therapy referral. However, if you are unsure, you can call us at 859-353-3666 to schedule a screening. A screening is a hands-off evaluation to determine if a child needs a more thorough evaluation.

1.How long does physical therapy take?

This is the number one question we get as physical therapists. The answer to this popular question is: it depends. I don’t like to answer with a time period because children are always changing and they could learn new skills faster or slower than we expect. How fast they learn skills depends on things like, how often do you and your child practice the new skills they have learned, how difficult is the task your child is learning, and how many skills we want to work on. The rule of thumb though is that the more often a skill is practiced at home, outside of physical therapy, the faster the child masters the skill and the less time is required at physical therapy.

If your question isn’t answered here or you would like more information, please call us at 859-353-3666 with your question. We will be happy to answer you to the best of our ability.

Back

Find us on Pinterest !

The “One Up” Language Method with “Santa”

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 14:50:48 GMT

Help Increase Your Child’s Expressive Language By Adding One Word To What They Say!

You can use the holiday season to help your child increase their word usage using the "One Up" language method by adding just one word to what they say! Some easy examples can be found below.

Add a Verb or Adjective:

Child: “Santa”

Adult:

“Happy Santa”

“Silly Santa”

“Laughing Santa”

“Tall Santa”

“Nice Santa”

Add a Synonym:

Child: “Sleepy”

Adult: “Yes, Santa is tired.”

Add an Antonym:

Child: “Nice”

Adult: “Santa IS Nice, he’s not mean.”

Morgan Barton, SLP

Back

Check us out on Pinterest!

Occupational Therapy Gift Guide

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 14:53:14 GMT

With the holidays quickly approaching our team of occupational therapists share their gift guide that help promote OT skills!This is a subtitle for your new post

As a pediatric occupational therapist, we have the opportunity to work on promoting all kinds of fine motor and visual motor skills through play! And with the holidays quickly approaching, many families ask about recommended toys for their children for this holiday season! Listed below is a gift guide featuring some favorite toys of occupational therapists.

Poke-A-Dot Book

Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Dinosaurs-Z-Poke-dot-iKids/dp/1601694806

Ages: 1+ years old

Cost: $10.99

Promotes: There are so many different books in this style and they can promote learning numbers, letters, animals. Poking each of the buttons on the pages can help promote isolation of index finger!

Mr. Potato Head

Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Playskool-Potato-Head-Suitcase-Toddler/dp/B0050QJTBA

Ages: 2+

Cost: $19.99

Promote: Mr. Potato head is a classic! Manipulating the small pieces can promote fine motor skills, while using both hands (one to hold the head and the other to put pieces in) promotes bilateral coordination! It is also a great way to promote body awareness and play skills.

Stacking Rings

Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-N8248-Brilliant-Basics-Rock-a-Stack/dp/B00000IZQP

Ages: 6 months+

Cost: $6.99

Promotes: Another classic toy that is great for younger aged children. This toy promotes grasping and fine motor skills when holding and playing with the rings. It also promotes visual motor skills when stacking the rings in the correct order and placing rings on center peg. This toy can promote gross motor skills depending on the positioning of your child's body and placement of the toy!

Bath Tub Crayons

Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Crayola-Bathtub-Crayons-Assorted-Colors/dp/B0043BYOO0

Ages: 2+ years

Cost: $11.95 (for pack of 2)

Promotes: These washable crayons are to use on the bathtub wall! Drawing on a vertical surface (such as a bathtub wall) can promote shoulder strength and use of age-appropriate pencil grasp patterns. Additionally, these can promote pre-writing skills in a fun way or make bath time more enjoyable!

Marble Run

Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Meland-Learning-Educational-Construction-Building/dp/B0762HXK1Q

Ages: 4+ years old

Cost: $31.79

Promotes: Putting together these pieces to create large marble mazes can promote your child using both hands together, learning to use appropriate amounts of pressure to join pieces together, as well as problem-solving skills!

Reusable Sticker Pads

Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Reusable-Sticker-Pads/dp/B00FS5LQFK

Ages: 3+

Cost: $11.19

Promotes: These reusable stickers are great to promote fine motor skills and play skills!

Wooden Tool Kit

Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Take-Along-Wooden-Construction/dp/B00005RF5D

Ages: 3+

Cost: $14.99

Promotes: A child using one hand to hold a nail while using other hand to hold the tool can promote bilateral coordination. Holding the tools can promote age-appropriate pencil grasp patterns for toddlers, and as well as dexterity. This toy is also a great way to promote pretend play skills.

Pretend Play Food Set

Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Battat-Farmers-Kitchen-Accessories-Toddlers/dp/B01NBXZGVP

Ages: 3+ years

Cost: $11.95

Promotes: Using the play knife to “cut” play foods promotes bilateral coordination skills. This toy also promotes positive food experiences and pretend play skills.

Animal Popper Toys

Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Hog-Wild-Pig-Popper-Toy/dp/B003A0UDRC

Ages: 3+ years old (due to small parts)

Skills: These simple poppers are a great way to work on hand strength as a child has to squeeze the animal belly to push to ball out! Also, your child will have to use both hands to place the ball back in the toy and can help with bilateral coordination. These toys come in SO many different animals and characters in order to promote more engagement with your child!

Promotes: hand strength, bilateral coordination, play skills

Price: $10.99 (Amazon)

Play-Doh

Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Play-Doh-Dinosaur-Non-Toxic-Modeling-Exclusive/dp/B085WNKP4Z

Ages: 3+ years

Skills: Play-doh is a favorite among pediatric occupational therapists! Rolling the play-doh into logs or balls promotes fine motor skills. This set comes with child-safe scissors which can be a fun and safe way to practice scissor skills!

Price: $14.99

Indestructible Books

Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Indestructibles-Baby-Faces-Amy-Pixton/dp/0761168818

Ages: 0+ years

Skills: There are so many different versions of these indestructible books and this is just one example of the many out there! This is a great toy for children who may play a bit “rougher” and can promote learning of numbers, letters, and animals!

Price: $5.95

Check out our Physical Therapy Gift Guide!

Physical Therapy Holiday Gift Ideas

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 14:55:31 GMT

The holiday season is upon us. We've compiled a list of great gifts you can get to help your kiddos meet their physical therapy goals.

2020 has been a challenging year for everyone and has changed many things. One of the things it has changed for me is my family’s tradition to go Black Friday shopping for the holidays. We might not be able to go shopping together but we still have to-do-lists to finish!

As you start to think about holiday or birthdays or finally-this-year-is-over gifts, here are some ideas of games that our PT’s recommend. Whether you use these toys to continue working on physical therapy goals during the winter break or just to have fun with everyone at home, we hope you enjoy your holidays!

Balls $-$$

Weighted balls are great to build arm and leg strength or to practice future shot put competitions.

Lighter balls can be used to practice hand-eye coordination such as throwing overhand and underhand, catching, and kicking.

Toss and Catch Velcro Paddle game $

Another fun way to practice catching and throwing (with less running after balls).

Bikes $$-$$$

Bikes are great for balance, leg strength, and endurance. They are also a fun way for the whole family together to get some exercise.

Balance beam $$

Balance beams are great for practicing walking on a line or standing on one foot. Use it as part of a board game or to challenge everyone in the family to see who can do it the best.

Image from https://www.amazon.com/Best-Choice-Products-Medium-Density-Gymnastic/dp/B07XYG6VBS

Bowling set $-$$

Bowling is a great way to work specifically on underhand throwing.

Sturdy Birdy $-$$

This board game is a great way to practice imitating movements, standing on one foot, and your best bird imitation!

Image from https://boardgamegeek.com/image/2225154/sturdy-birdy

Twangled $-$$

This game is a great way to challenge your balance as you play with other friends and family!

Image from https://www.amazon.com/MindWare-MW-59386-Twangled-Board-Game/dp/B0794QVXXV

Fisher-Price: “Go Baby Go!” or “Play & Crawl” toys $-$$

These toys are great motivators to encourage your baby to crawl after them and catch them.

Dyna disc or stability discs $

Dyna discs are great for challenging your balance in standing, sitting, kneeling, jumping over, or jumping onto. Playing games like the “floor is lava” is a great way to work on balance and quickness.

Image from https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/210266/Black-Mountain-Products-Stability-Disc-13/?cm_mmc=PLA-_-Google-_-Medical_Supplies-_-210266&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhZT9BRDmARIsAN2E-J1GbegJQUlNQk-wTubCR67Q_PQ7Ae5PEoqpw34jwIBGI-ycwqtp4sIaAn5DEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Bosu ball or wobble boards $$-$$$

Wobble boards are a great way to work on balance, jumping, and your surfing skills!

Hula Hoops $

Hula hoops are a great way to work on coordination and core strength.

Scooter boards $-$$

Scooter boards are great to work on leg and arm strength depending on which one you use to move yourself forward to win the race! Just watch out for your fingers-don’t want to pinch them!

Hoberman Spheres $-$$

These folding balls are a fun way to practice catching, throwing, and squatting to bend down and pick them up. You can also work on jumping to throw them, or crawling through them like our friend here!

How to Encourage your Child to Communicate at Home

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 14:58:09 GMT

Communicating with your child at home is a great way to improve their speech.

Communicating with your child at home is a great way to improve their speaking skills. Below are some examples of easy ways to help your child communicate while at home.

Model: Provide models of the words you think your child is wanting to say. For example, if they are looking at the cabinet, say “Do you want a snack,” Or if they are looking at a cat say, “Look! It’s a cat! Meow.”

Repeat: Let the child know that you heard the words they use by repeating what they said. For example, if your child says “baby,” you can say, “Yes, baby!”

Expand: Repeat what your child said but include more words to model a longer phrase. For example, if they say “milk,” you can say “I want milk please,”

Choice Making: Give your child two options to choose from to encourage choice making. If your child points to the item they want, provide the name of their choice. If they point to a truck you can model “You want the truck!”

Following these tips will help make sure your child continues to communicate and grow their vocabulary!

Morgan Barton SLP

Back

Check us out on Pinterest!

School-Based vs. Private Therapy: What’s the Difference?

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 15:02:03 GMT

School and private/outpatient clinic therapy can both provide essential therapy services for your child. However, there are key differences between the two. The article highlights some key areas of difference.

Is my child receiving adequate therapy services at school? Does my child need more resources? These are common questions for caregivers that have children in therapy at school OR feel like their child should be receiving services and are not.

School and private/outpatient clinic therapy can both provide essential therapy services for your child. However, there are key differences between the two. Below are some highlighted areas of difference:

Individual vs Group Therapy

Typically in the school setting, children receive group therapy services or can receive push-in services in the classroom. While group therapy services can certainly be beneficial, there will be less time for an individually tailored approach and less opportunity to practice targets per child during the session. Push-in services can aid academically in the classroom but may have limits on what goals can be targeted and achieved.

Qualifying for Therapy

Therapy Goals

Again, since school based services are often academically focused, the school therapist may be limited in the goals that can be implemented in your child’s IEP. At a private clinic, there is more freedom to target areas outside of academics/school-based performance.

Communication

Resources

Private therapy clinics are often able to provide different resources to the child that may be limited or restricted at the schools. For example, at our clinic, we have a therapy gym and open space to move around. Services such as feeding therapy are more likely to be offered in a clinical setting. We can also provide recommendations or advice that schools may not be able to give.

In conclusion

School therapy services are excellent resources for children. For some children, you may find that just school services are sufficient for your child. However, in some cases, getting both school and private therapy services can greatly increase your child’s progress and give the ability to target a wider range of goals!

Kaitlyn Losey, M.S., CCC-SLP

Back

Check out our Pinterest!

What to Expect with Fine Motor Skills for Toddlers

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 15:34:52 GMT

As your baby grows into toddler age, you probably notice that he or she is interacting with toys and the environment in news ways all of the time! During these toddler years, a child’s fine motor skills start to become more refined!

As your baby grows into toddler age, you probably notice that he or she is interacting with toys and the environment in news ways all of the time! During these toddler years, a child’s fine motor skills start to become more refined! Listed below are some of the fine motor skills your child will start to develop during the 1-3 years old!

12 Months
Child is able to pick up and release small objects using the thumb and tip of index finger together
Bang two objects together
15 Months
Points with index finger
18 Months
Scribbles spontaneously on paper (without adult demonstrating) with whole arm involved in movement of drawing
12-24 Months
Child will hold writing utensils with all fingers wrapped around crayon and thumb pointing towards ceiling

24-29 Months
Can turn pages of a thick book one at a time
24-36 Months
Child holds writing utensils with fingers wrapped around crayon and thumb towards paper
Child will then start to hold crayon with thumb, index finger, and middle finger holding crayon and pointed toward paper and 4th and 5th finger are wrapped around at top of writing utensil

30-36 Months
Can stack 10 blocks in a tower
36 Months
Begins to unbutton large buttons
Can zip jacket up and down, but needs help with joining sides of zipper together

It’s important to know these are just a few of many fine motor skills a child is developing during this time. Look for a future post about activities to develop these skills, enjoy!

Annie Wade, OTR/L

Information taken from: https://www.choc.org/userfiles/file/Rehab-Developmental%20Milestones%20final.pdf

Infant Massage

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 15:37:12 GMT

Infant Massage is a touch-based modality in which the parent is trained by the massage instructor in touch and movement activities

Infant Massage is a touch-based modality in which the parent is trained by the massage instructor in touch and movement activities. It can be used from birth, and adapted for older children. Infant massage facilitates bonding between the infant and caregiver along with promoting the decrease of physical symptoms of some medical issues.

Benefits of Infant Massage:

Interaction- bonding and attachment
Relief- may decrease physical discomfort caused by gas, colic, and reflux. It promotes digestion by stimulating the release of insulin, as well as the release of endorphins that are a body’s natural pain killers
Relaxation- Relieve tension in the infant’s body when a baby is overstimulated, which aids with sensory integration. The parent receives a release of oxytocin, which helps to relax them as well.
Stimulation- The skin is the largest organ of the body. All body systems are affected by touch and it increases overall healthy development.

Conditions Infant Massage is appropriate for, but not limited to this list:

Gas
Colic
Reflux
Cerebral Palsy
Premature Birth
Constipation
Slow weight gain
Communication Difficulties
Poor sleeping habits

Back

Check us out on Pinterest!

Simple Toys: Foster Connection and Language Development

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 16:12:08 GMT

More elaborate and louder does not necessarily mean better. In terms of toys, simple toys offer the most language learning opportunities, room for connection, and creative fun!

Look for toys that:

Don’t have batteries
Follow your child’s interests
Spark creativity
Are durable
Are active
Can be used in multiple ways

Imagination

Simple toys offer endless possibilities to foster creativity and imagination. Children are inherently curious, and open-ended toys offer a variety of ways to play and explore. Great neurological growth can come from imaginary play. With simple toys, children can expand their thinking creatively, explore, and problem solve with their bodies and minds to practice playing different roles. These moments help them use and integrate moments of observation from their daily lives into new ideas and behaviors. Studies have shown that these simple toys are better for neurological growth and are in fact healthier overall for children. They promote independence and critical thinking. In short, the more the toy is doing, the less your child is doing.

Connection

Simple toys also foster more connections during play with their caregiver or peer. They create an avenue for children that encourages interaction and playing with each other, creation of their own story lines, and using conflict resolution as social situations arise. Vital social skills are learned through playing with others and using problem solving skills throughout interactions. It helps build their emotional intelligence and intrapersonal skills. These simple toys aid children in meeting and surpassing developmental milestones. They also offer more varied connections with caregivers during play.

Promoting Language

Simple toys offer an abundance of language learning opportunities. When a caregiver is playing with a toy with their child, they can model language throughout the experience. Talk about what the toys are doing, what they can do, and offer novel ideas. Label objects as you go-- repetition is the best for young minds. Give pauses to let your child fill in the gaps. Have them ask for “more” or “help”. Follow their creative lead and see where it goes!

The following are great simple toys and listed are examples of ways to model language with your child:

Blocks

Talk about “stacking” and make the blocks go “up, up, up”. Discuss colors and what you’re making out of the blocks. Talk about size and making the tower “bigger” or “smaller”. The sky’s the limit!

Barn/House

Use animal or people toys in toy barns or houses for boundless creative play. Model animal sounds and a variety of verbs and prepositions (e.g., “the cat is eating”, “the cat is in the barn”.) Label objects throughout. It will be purr-fect!

Construction/Transportation

Any variety of construction or transportation play vehicles offer loads of language and play opportunities. Talk about what the vehicle is doing/can do. Sing songs and drive/fly to your favorite destination!

Active Toys

Movement is critical to development and can also encourage language development. Encourage movement through active toys such as balls, balloons, slides, swings, and so much more. Talk about “stop” and “go.” Incorporate verbs and following directions. Get moving!

Dolls

Dolls offer experiences such as feeding, brushing hair, changing diapers, and creating storylines. Your child will love hugging and taking care of something.

Bubbles

Bubbles never seem to lose their magic. Use bubbles to encourage requesting such as “open”, “more”, or “help”. Work on blowing bubbles to encourage oral motor development. Talk about “popping” bubbles. Pop bubbles on your child’s hand, foot, arm, leg, etc to target body parts. The fun will be bubbling over!

Food/kitchen

Use play food or play kitchen toys to “get cooking”. This is great for labeling foods, talking about verbs like “stirring” or “cutting”, talking about “hot” and “cold”, and anything else cooking related.

Playdoh

Playdoh is such a fun open-ended activity with sensory play also incorporated. Have your child use their imagination to create everything from pizza to snakes to trains. Talking about “rolling”, “squeezing”, “squishing”, and “cutting.” This is a great time to work on fine motor skills as well. It will be a to-doh-ly amazing time!

There are so many more simple toys out there. Remember, more is not necessarily better. It is ok to simplify play toys and gravitate towards fewer, quality toys. Instead of instant gratification, children learn patience, persistence, cause and effect, and so much more!

Back

Check us out on Pinterest!

The World of W-Sitting

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 16:31:21 GMT

W-sitting is when a child sits with both legs bent behind them into the shape of a “W”.

W-sitting is when a child sits with both legs bent behind them into the shape of a “W”. Children often like to sit in a “W” because they have weaker abdominal (aka core) muscle strength so this position is easier as they do not have to activate their core muscles to sit down. Children might also feel comfortable because their femur (thigh bone) is naturally turned more inward (aka femoral anteversion) than others.

What's wrong with W-Sitting?

If you have taken your child to a physician you might have been asked “do they W-sit?” and the next comment was probably something like “don’t let them do that”. But why? Why is W-sitting wrong?

W-sitting is a comfortable way to “work smarter not harder”. Kids have instinctively found a comfortable way to sit that doesn’t take effort. However, W-sitting encourages poor posture and leg alignment. Continuous W-sitting can have several side effects including but not limited to:

pigeon-toed walking
squatting with knock knees or knees coming into the middle (this can cause weakness which can lead to a potential future injury)
difficulty standing up from the floor without using their hands

If a child sits in a W because they have a weak core, then they are not getting stronger which can affect other skills such as posture and throwing a ball. If they W-sit because they demonstrate femoral anteversion, then they are not strengthening their legs and hips in the correct position. Not correcting poor leg alignment can potentially contribute to future injury.

How to Correct W-Sitting

There are several alternative ways to encourage your child from sitting in a W. It does require consistent reminders from parents and caregivers as this is a habit for most children and can take a while to break.

Criss-cross applesauce
This is uncomfortable for some children. If it is, you can practice sitting in criss-cross by having your child sit in your lap when you sit criss-cross.
Sit with your legs straight in front of you
Sit in a side sit
Sit in a chair as this will change the environment enough that children won’t want to W-sit
Make sure the chair fits your child (feet on the floor). If they are sitting on a couch or recliner, that still provides space for a child to W-sit.
Add a stool underneath a chair so their feet can be on something sturdy if the chair is too tall

How to Address the Side Effects of W-Sitting

Physical therapy for pigeon-toed walking
To work on squats: play at a table or bench where children have to bend down to pick up toys or have to stay in a partial squat to play. Sometimes kids need a hand in between their knees to prevent them from coming together
Stand up from the floor through a half kneel instead of using hands

Image from http://clipart-library.com/clipart/211231.htm

Helping Baby Enjoy Tummy Time

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 16:33:31 GMT

Tummy time, or laying a baby on their stomach while they are awake, can make a baby feel vulnerable, resulting in them feeling upset.

Does your infant scream or cry during tummy time? Tummy time, or laying a baby on their stomach while they are awake, can make a baby feel vulnerable, resulting in them feeling upset. However, this doesn’t mean that your baby is hurt or uncomfortable, so don’t give up on tummy time if baby is upset at first. Tummy time is very important for your child’s development. The benefits of tummy time can include:

Strengthening muscles in the neck, back, shoulders and belly
Decrease risk of a flat head
Promotes vision, self calming, and movement skills

What should I NOT do in tummy time?

Leave baby alone
Lay baby on their stomach while asleep
Place thick, soft blankets near baby’s mouth and nose
Leave baby on their stomach for a long period after they become upset (no more than 1 minute after showing distress)

Now that we know why we do tummy time, let’s focus on the how for babies who don’t enjoy it!

You can:

Lay baby on your chest while you are laying down (awake, of course)- this provides skin to skin and helps to calm baby
Place a mirror or interesting toy in front of baby’s head to keep baby engaged
Turn baby over after each diaper change for a few minutes at a time- this gives them a routine for tummy time, so they learn to expect it and aren’t unpleasantly surprised
Do the “football” hold- Put one hand under the tummy and between the legs and carry baby tummy down. Use the other hand to support the baby's head and neck. Hold baby close to your body so they feel safe.

The "football" hold

Get down on the floor with baby so they know you are there - this helps baby feel safe and secure

Back

Check us on Pinterest!

Creating a Fluency Friendly Environment

Sat, 07 Nov 2020 16:43:14 GMT

Tips for creating a fluency friendly environment for children who stutter.

Tips to Create a Stress Free Environment for a Child Who Stutters.

What is a Fluency Friendly Environment?

A “fluency friendly” environment refers to an environment that allows an individual who stutters to feel comfortable while communicating verbally and non-verbally.
This environment should be supportive and allow for the Person Who Stutters (PWS) to comfortably express their wants, needs, and feelings without fear or negative feelings towards their speech.

Why is Supporting a Fluency Friendly Environment Important?

It allows the child to express themselves without apprehension of disfluent speech
Allows for natural and unpressured speech to occur in a controlled environment

Ways to Support your Child Who Stutters:

Reduce your rate of speech when speaking to your child
Encourage “Turtle Talk” when your child is speaking at an increased rate
Lighten your linguistic load by using short and simple sentences
Establish routines with your child that are predictable and stress-free
Allow for wait time and eye contact when your child is communicating with you
Carve out 15-20 minutes a day to dedicate specifically to your child
Encourage “smooth” speech during conversation but, do not call unwanted or negative attention towards “bumpy” speech
Encourage your child to talk about thoughts, feelings, and goals they have for their speech production

Now Accepting Referrals!

Contact our skilled Speech-Language Pathology Team with any questions or concerns in regard to your child’s fluency!

(859) 353-3666

EXT 1: Berea Office

EXT 2: Richmond Office

Other Helpful Resources:

When should you be concerned about preschool stuttering?

A Look at the Moro Reflex

Sat, 07 Nov 2020 16:36:33 GMT

The Moro reflex is often called the “fight or flight” response in babies.

The Moro reflex is often called the “fight or flight” response in babies. This is an involuntary protective reaction. This can be seen best in infants born full term, as infants born prematurely can display an underdeveloped Moro reflex. The reflex typically begins to disappear by 12 weeks of age, and should completely disappear around 6 months old.

Source: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/imagepages/17269.htm

Testing The Reflex

While the infant is lying on their back, you lift the infant by the arms and let go, causing a sensation of falling. The reflex will occur because of the suddenness of the fall, rather than the distance of the drop. Also, the head does not leave the mat during the test so as to prevent any injury during the process.

What Happens

The normal response would be the upper limbs would move away from the torso to the side and the elbow would straighten out. The fingers would go straight, and the neck/torso would slightly extend and arch. After this initial portion, the arms would come back to the side, and the hands come to the front of the infants body before returning to their side.

If It’s Not There

The reflex can be weak in preterm infants due to having lower muscle tone, less resistance to movements by caregivers, and their arms slowly return to neutral compared to full-term newborns who have the same post-conception age. The reflex can also not be present or weaker in infants who had a birth injury, low oxygen during the birthing process, a brain bleed, infection, spastic cerebral palsy, general muscle weakness, or brain malformations.

How This Impacts Life

Babies that retain this reflex can become over-sensitive, and have over-reactions to sensory stimuli, along with having social immaturity, anxiety, sensory overload, and poor impulse control. Additional signs it could be present is poor balance, motion sickness, easily distracted, mood swings, poor ability to adapt to change, and poor coordination.

Exercises To Help Integrate

The best activity to help this reflex disappear is by completing starfish exercises. Start by sitting in a chair in fetal position with fist closed, and having the arms cross and legs crossed. Then extend the arms and legs like a starfish, opening the hands once all the way out. Hold this for 5-7 seconds, then come back to the fetal position. When returning to fetal position, cross the arms and legs in the opposite direction as before (If the first time the right arm was over the left, then return with the left arm over the right, and the same for the legs.

What are primitive reflexes?

Seating for Success: Proper Positioning for Virtual Learning

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 16:46:18 GMT

Making sure your child is seated correctly during virtual learning can help foster success while they learn at home!

Although the COVID-19 pandemic will eventually end, distance learning and teletherapy are here to stay. If you have a child who uses either of these tools, you can set them up for success by providing them with appropriate positioning supports for sitting at a desk or table during virtual learning.

In order for our kids to have good use of their arms and hands to do things like writing, coloring, cutting, or typing, their arms need to be properly supported by their core, or trunk. When their trunk is weak, tired, or has inadequate positioning supports, it can be very difficult for them to use their arms and hands effectively. Either most of that energy goes toward maintaining their sitting posture with little energy left for using their arms, or poor positioning is preventing their arms from getting where they need to go.

So in order to promote our children’s fine motor skills and learning, we need to promote their posture through appropriate positioning:

An easy tool to help you make sure your child is positioned properly at their desk is the “90-90-90” rule: the hips, knees, and ankles need to be positioned at 90-degree angles.

You want to make sure your child’s computer screen is positioned at eye-level for them. If it is too low, it will cause your child to have to flex their neck to view the screen, putting a lot of pressure on their spine.

To help achieve your child’s positioning needs, you can use things around the house to serve as foot rests, risers for electronic devices, and comfortable but firm back support. My friend Mason has modeled some examples below!

Sitting in one position for a long time can be hard for kids! If your child needs a break from sitting in a chair, a couple of alternative seating options include sitting on an exercise ball or lying on the floor.

Sitting on an exercise ball allows kids to receive much-needed sensory input from wiggling or lightly bouncing, and works to strengthen their core muscles at the same time. Win-win!

Lying on their stomach to engage in virtual learning or school work allows kids to extend their neck and trunk muscles, providing a much-needed break from the flexion pattern that occurs when seated upright. This also works to strengthen their neck and trunk extensor muscles. Another win-win!

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about positioning your child for success during virtual learning. And thank you, Mason, for showing us how it’s done!

Back

Check us out on Pinterest!

Preschool Stuttering: When Should You be Concerned?

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 17:24:27 GMT

Disfluent speech can be defined as any disruption to the pattern of fluent speech production. It can affect rate, smoothness, flow, and effort of speech.

What is Considered Disfluent Speech?

Disfluent speech can be defined as any disruption to the pattern of fluent speech production.

Disfluencies can affect rate, smoothness, flow, and or effort of speech. Disfluent speech can be demonstrated through the following stuttering presentations:

Repetitions - repeating parts of sounds

Prolongations - stretching out a sound

Blocks: inability to produce a sound or continue airflow

What is Considered “Normal” ?

When children begin to talk and explore language, disfluencies WILL occur!

It is considered normal for your preschooler to stutter from time to time. Primarily, disfluencies will consist of whole word and part word repetitions

Example One: “Where-where-where is it”

Example Two: “S-s-s-sometimes”

Frequency and Severity of Stutters May Vary

Your child’s occurrence of stutters can vary from utterance to utterance

How YOU Can Help at Home:

Do not draw attention to disfluencies

Model fluent speech patterns

Reduce your rate of speech

Speak in short and simple sentences

Continue to encourage communication

Contact a Speech-Language Pathologist

Back

AAC Myths Vs. Facts

Tue, 03 Nov 2020 17:27:34 GMT

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is a term that is used to describe various methods of communication that can help people who are unable to reliably use verbal speech to communicate.

Myth: AAC is a “last resort” in speech-language intervention.

Fact: The use of AAC interventions should not be contingent on failure to develop speech skills or considered a last resort because AAC can play many roles in early communication development.

Myth: AAC hinders or stops further speech development.

Fact: For very young children, the use of AAC does not appear to hinder speech development. In fact, it may enhance the development of spoken communication, which should be a simultaneous goal for intervention.

Myth: A child must have some quality of motor skills to use AAC

Fact: There are a variety of ways that AAC can be used to accommodate anyone, even those with very limited physical abilities.

Myth: Behavioral issues need to be addressed before AAC can be effective

Fact: Many times, the lack of ability to communicate is the cause of behavioral issues, and once given the tools to effectively communicate, the individual’s behavior improves.

Myth: AAC is only for children who are nonverbal.

Fact: AAC is for any patient who does not have reliable verbal speech. If your patient does not have effective expressive communication, consider AAC.

Myth: Speech-generating AAC devices are only for children with intact cognition.

Fact: The technological developments in AAC devices have made a broad range of options available. There are now many choices of AAC devices that speak, from simple technology to complex systems, that permit access to a variety of language and literacy skills.

Myth: The goal of AAC is to communicate basic needs

Fact: The goal of AAC is to communicate the needs AND wants of the individual. Communication is social and should bring the individual closer to others.

Back

Age Appropriate Toys for 0-3-Month-Olds

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 17:30:06 GMT

Every interaction for your newborn baby is a learning experience choosing the right toys can help stimulate your baby's development.

Congratulations on your newly born bundle of joy! We know you’re exhausted and getting used to life with a new baby. Baby wants to eat and sleep a lot at this point, but there are still times they are looking for entertainment. Every interaction is a learning experience for your child, and I am going to share some toys and ideas that are extra stimulating for your baby’s development.

This is a great age range to introduce lots and lots of good sensory input. Baby will be learning to focus on you with their gaze and they will start to listen to what you have to say. I like to consider this the “low-tech” age, because it does not take much to entertain your child. Soothing music, talking to babe, and reading books to baby will stimulate their auditory sense in positive ways as well as aid in developing language. White Noise machines may help baby fall asleep or stay asleep during their many naps. Babies also love to receive vestibular (movement) input through gentle rocking, swaying, and carrying baby. It is particularly important to start tummy time with baby even from week one because of the body awareness input it promotes and the strengthening it provides.

Closer to 3 months old an activity mat is a great investment to entertain baby. They will love looking up at the toys hanging down, and this will promote baby to begin reaching up to try and grab toys. Black and White books will hold baby’s attention so they can try and figure out what they are seeing along with mirror toys. This and rattles are great toys to promote lengthening the time in tummy time and for improving visual tracking. Bonus points if the rattles are a soft texture for tactile input!

You can always be creative with picking or buying toys. At this range think about stimulating baby’s senses, like visual and auditory, and toys that will promote reaching and kicking. Stay safe and always supervise your babies!

Back

Check us out on Pinterest!

Creating Positive Food Experiences with Your Child

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 16:33:31 GMT

Allowing your child to make choices and to lead the activity can help decrease anxiety with these food play activities. Just remember, this should be a positive experience with your child, the foods, and you!

The holiday season is quickly approaching! Many holiday traditions involve gathering around food with family and friends. If you have a child that could be considered a “picky eater”, these events that are meant to be enjoyable can quickly turn stressful for you and your child. There can be so much pressure during these mealtimes for you as a parent and for your child that a negative relationship with food can start to emerge for everyone involved. So why not try creating positive food experiences outside of mealtime? Listed below are some simple ways for your child to interact with a variety of foods without the pressure of eating them during a family dinner. Creating more positive experiences with non-preferred foods can help decrease anxiety with these foods!

Food Paintbrush
Use non-preferred foods (broccoli, carrots, lettuce, apple slices, etc.) as the paintbrush with regular paint!
Paint with Foods
Use foods such as applesauce, whipped cream, flavored gelatin, peanut butter, jelly, or other wet/sticky foods as a paint
Add food coloring to create more excitement for increased engagement with the foods!
Use a regular paintbrush or encourage your child to use their hands as a paintbrush!
Food Pictures
Use non-preferred foods to create pictures! See pictures below for ideas to get started! Be creative!

a fruit porcupine

a sandwich kite

Tic-Tac-Toe With Food
Create a tic-tac-toe board on paper and use pieces of non-preferred foods as “x’s” and “o’s”
If your child is hesitant to touch the foods, use kitchen tongs or toothpicks to move the food
Baking/Cooking
Encourage your child to help you in the kitchen when you are baking or cooking, especially when preparing foods for the holidays!
You can have your child pour pre-measured ingredients, stir ingredients together, or carry supplies from cupboard to countertop.
Having your child involved in any of the cooking or baking processes while they are having fun is creating positive experiences with foods!

These activities can involve just your child, you and your child, or even other siblings and similar aged-peers! Allowing your child to make choices and to lead the activity can help decrease anxiety with these food play activities. Just remember, this should be a positive experience with your child, the foods, and you!

Porcupine Picture from https://www.superhealthykids.com/recipes/porcupine-fun-fruit/

Kite Picture from https://www.purewow.com/family/food-art-ideas-for-kids

Back

How to Praise your Child

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 16:37:52 GMT

Do you praise your child when they are practicing their speech? If not--you should!

Providing your child with praise and positive feedback helps to increase their motivation and success when producing their speech sounds.

Give your child encouragement when they are practicing their sounds, simple words of encouragement go along way in your child’s development!

Try things like:

“Great trying!”

“I’m so proud of you!”

“You’re working so hard!”

BE SPECIFIC!

Describe to your child what they did correctly so they will continue to make progress!

Try:

“Great job putting your tongue up to make the ‘t’ sound!”

Back

Should you be Cooking with your Child?

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 16:40:38 GMT

Children can be involved in the kitchen at a very young age.

The answer is….YES!

Children can be involved in the kitchen at a very young age.

Infants who are beginning to explore their environments can play with pots, pans, and utensils. They can touch items of different textures and different (safe) temperatures.

Infants who are beginning to explore new foods and/or learning to follow directions can play in new textures, help you put things in the bowl, or in the trash. They can “stir”, “squish”, and “pour”.

Toddlers can play an even bigger role. They can join you at the counter and try foods that you are making. They can stir foods, serve foods into their plates, and participate in clean up. Being around food will help your children be more accepting of trying new foods.

As children get older, they can continue to take on bigger and bigger roles in the kitchen. They can learn to follow simple, then more complex recipes, which target reading, following directions, vocabulary (what does “grate” mean?), and problem-solving.

Not only is letting kids help in the kitchen great for their learning and development, but it is a good opportunity for family time!

Simple Cooking Ideas:

Sandwiches: Your child can learn to follow instructions by looking at a picture of a sandwich and copying it.

Pizza: You can make it on a tortilla shell. See if your child can remember what you want on your pizza.

Microwaved “scrambled”egg: Help your child complete this with simple written directions.

Check us out on Pinterest !

Back

What are Primitive Reflexes?

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 16:42:58 GMT

All humans have a bunch of reflexes that help us grow and develop as we become adults. We all, as babies, start with what are called “Primitive Reflexes”.

All humans have a bunch of reflexes that help us grow and develop as we become adults. We all, as babies, start with what are called “Primitive Reflexes”. These reflexes are the very first part of the brain developing as a baby, and will typically remain active during the first few months of life.

Causes of Retained Primitive Reflexes

As we grow and develop through infancy, they will typically start to disappear. Occasionally, they do not disappear for a variety of reasons. There are a variety of factors as to why they do not go away. These can include: traumatic birth, falls, traumas, lack of tummy time, chronic ear infections, delayed or skipped creeping or crawling, and head trauma.

Types of Primitive Reflexes

Moro Reflex: The Moro reflex is often called the “fight or flight” response of babies. This is an involuntary protective reaction. This can be seen best in infants born full-term, as infants born prematurely can display an underdeveloped Moro reflex.

Rooting Reflex: The Rooting reflex is the reflex that aids in infants drinking from a breast or bottle. This reflex is typically present at birth (from a premature age of 28 weeks to full term), and can be seen when touching the mouth. The infant will turn their head towards the direction they were touched from and open their mouth and thrust the tongue.

Palmar Reflex: The palmar reflex can be seen in preterm infants as young as 25 weeks. This can be seen when the infant is lying on their back and in a comfortable position. Using your index finger, stroke the infant’s hand. This will cause the infant to grab the finger of the person touching it.

Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR): This reflex is seen at birth, but is most visible during the months 1-4 and typically disappears around 6 months of age. This reflex aids in helping the baby roll over onto their side.

Spinal Galant Reflex: This reflex is present at birth and typically disappears around 9-12 months old. This reflex’s purpose is to help encourage movement and development of the range of motion of the hips. When this reflex does not integrate, it can present in similar ways to ADHD. More on this and all the reflexes in a later blog!

Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR): This reflex is present at birth and actually has two parts: forward and backward. This reflex helps the baby straighten out from a fetal position with the assistance of gravity. This reflex should disappear around 2 to 4 months old.

Landau Reflex: The Landau reflex occurs between 3 and 12 months of age. This can be seen by placing the child on their stomach on the floor or in other supported formats. The head should rise and the back arch to demonstrate the reflex.

Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR): This reflex is also called the crawling reflex. It is present shortly after birth *typically full-term*, and will reappear around 6-9 months old. This helps to divide the body in half for assisting in crawling. When the head is brought towards the chest, the arms bend and the legs extend. This reflex should go away at 11 months of age.

Be on the lookout for more details on these reflexes in future blog posts, including further importance on each, how to help them integrate and disappear, and what challenges a growing child may have if they do not integrate!

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK542173/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557636/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553133/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559210/

https://blog.brainbalancecenters.com/2014/09/retained-primitive-reflexes-sign-brain-imbalance https://www.homewoodfriendsandfamily.com/blog/2019/08/20/adhd-spinal-galant-reflex/#:~:text =The%20Spinal%20Galant%20Reflex%20typically,baby%20for%20crawling%20and%20walking.

https://www.healthline.com/health/baby/primitive-reflexes#tlr

https://dictionary.apa.org/landau-reflex

5 Tips for Telehealth

Tue, 18 Aug 2020 13:53:57 GMT

There's a big learning curve to telehealth, so check out these 5 tips to make your telehealth therapy sessions even more successful!

The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.

Blog | Hogg Therapy

Easter-Themed Feeding Activity: Create, Explore, Enjoy!

By Mallory Goettl, MS OTR/L

What You’ll Need:

Instructions:

Why we love this activity:

Looking for more support?

Still Adjusting to Daylight Saving Time? Sleep Tips for Kids

By Gracie Donahue, OTD, OTR/L

1. Get Plenty of Daytime Sunlight

2. Maintain a Consistent Sleep Schedule

3. Limit Screen Time Before Bed

4. Create a Visual Bedtime Routine

5. Create a Calming Sleep Environment

6. Encourage Movement During the Day

Supporting Healthy Sleep Habits

Why Silly Books Build Serious Skills

By Shannon Smith, Learning Specialist

Introducing Allergens to Your Baby: A Parent’s Guide to Safe, Early Food Introduction

By: Whitlie Rose-Stephens, OTR/L, CLC

Why Early Allergen Introduction Matters

The FDA’s “Big Nine” Food Allergens

When Can Babies Start Eating Allergens?

Signs Your Baby Is Ready for Solids

Is It Safe to Introduce Allergens to Babies?

Important Disclaimer

How to Introduce Allergens to Your Baby Safely

What to Do After Your Baby Tolerates an Allergen

We're Here to help!

Snow Day Sensory Support

By: Gracie Donahue, OTD, OTR/L

Try these OT-approved cozy activities on a snow day:

Support Beyond Snow Days

Walking Toward Confidence: A Family’s Story With Pediatric Orthotics

By: Jacob Roberts, DPT

How long did your child use orthotics, and what types did he have?

How did you feel when your therapist first recommended orthotics?

Now that he has graduated from his orthotics, what differences do you see?

After going through the process, what are your feelings about orthotics now?

What would you tell another parent hearing an orthotic recommendation for the first time?

Inclusive Holiday Moments: Helping Kids Shine with AAC

By: Taylor Maggard, M.A. ccc-SLP

Holiday Favorites Page

Merry & Bright Words

Unwrapping Holiday Words

Crunch Into Fall with This Fun Apple Nacho Activity!

By: Brittany Hogg, DPT

What You’ll Need

How to Make Them

Make It Functional for Therapy

Therapy Tip

How to Foster a Love of Reading in Children with Dyslexia

By: Shannon Smith, Learning Center Specialist

Tips for Parents

Not sure where to start? Here's a list of 10 great books for Kids With Dyslexia!

Making Therapy Work at Home: The Benefits of Telehealth

By: Ellen Morris MOT, OTR/L, CIMC

Common Questions about Telehealth

The Truth Behind Common AAC Misconceptions

By: Taylor Maggard, M.A. CCC-SLP

AAC use will replace and stop development of spoken language.

AAC is only for non-speaking people

My child is not ready to begin using an AAC device.

AAC is only for requesting

Using an AAC device in sessions 1-2x a week is enough.

How Hogg Therapy Can Help

"Baby Talk": Helpful or Harmful for Language Development?

By: Georgia Means, M.A., CCC-SLP

What is "baby talk"?

Why "baby talk" Can Be Negative

Why "Baby Talk" Can Be Positive

How Speech Therapy can help

Read More About "Baby Talk"

Preventing the Summer Slide: What to Know

By: Megan Elsea, Learning Specialist

Understanding the Summer Slide and Strategies to Prevent It

Strategies to Prevent the Summer Slide:

How The Learning Center can help

Passing the Torch

Hogg Therapy is growing to help as many families as possible!