We have all been told “don’t play with your food” at one point in our life. By now we have probably said it a couple times to our own kids even! However, food play is actually a wonderful way to introduce a picky eater to new foods, decrease sensory sensitivities, and create a fun and…
The Holidays are great time to have the whole family team up in the kitchen and create something delicious and spectacular! You can use the four fun holiday snacks as grounds to explore new foods with kids! These will help kids learn about foods without pressure to consume the foods, but they just might turn…
Halloween is almost here! Before the big day, please see below for the tips our Occupational Therapy Team compiled for sensory-friendly for Trick or Treating experience. Each of these tips will help you and the whole family have your best Halloween yet! 7 Sensory-Friendly Trick or Treating Tips Make Costume Comfortable: Wear tight clothing under…
BOO! Halloween is around the corner and our Occupational Therapy Team put together this blog that includes ten costume tips and tricks for parents of children with sensory processing differences. Halloween can be one of the best holidays of the year for trick or treaters of all ages, but the costumes can lead to some…
Bottom scooting – or shuffling – is a way that many children use when first learning how to explore their environment. Even though it is effective, this position can exacerbate muscle weakness and asymmetry. Therefore a means of mobility that we want to discourage. What is Bottom Scooting? Bottom scooting is when a child sits…
Read the latest Tribune Article to feature our clinic and one of our kids! In the middle of May we were visited by John J. Kim, photographer for the Chicago Tribune. He spent time with two of our therapists, Alex Meeske and Jessie Smith. Additionally, he met with one of our incredible clients, Hayden Cheng….
Food Chaining is a therapeutic approach that helps introduce new foods while building on successful eating experiences. It is an approach that can be effective for all ages, specifically, selective or picky eaters that have a limited number of foods in their repertoire. Creating Food Chains In this approach, the child is presented with new…
Interaction, Language Activities, & Development Whether it’s tucked away in your garage, covered in mud, or somewhere under your couch, we all have one of these in our house: a Ball! Read on to find out how to use it in a Language Activity! No matter what age, all children and adults alike find…
Typical language development consists of parents, family members, and professionals talking to babies for almost a whole year before anyone expects them to produce words. We often put augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems and AAC devices in front of a child and expect them to functionally use it right away. We need to use…
AKA: Tongue Ties, Lip Ties and Cheek Ties Firstly, tongue, lip and buccal (cheek) ties or tethered oral tissue can have a significant harmful impact on orofacial development. It can also cause issues witb sleeping, breathing and eating. Keep an eye out for these red flags. Do not hesitate to reach out for a myofunctional…
With the cold weather taking over Chicago, and the ebb and flow of the pandemic, it’s important to know that Teletherapy is a useful and viable option for all families looking for help for their children from the comfort and safety of their homes. But did you also know that all insurance plans (as of January 2022) are still covering Telehealth…
As your children begin to learn letter- and word-formation in school, they’ll likely have homework that focuses on this as well! Handwriting can be an extremely tricky task to master, which can make it even more aversive for your child to practice. Whether your child is just beginning to learn pre-writing lines or working on…
If your child uses an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device, chances are you have heard about the importance of modeling. Modeling, aided language stimulation (ALS), natural aided language, aided language modeling and partner augmented input (PAI) all refer to the same thing: providing the AAC user with language models using their communication device. Think…
It is an exciting time for a parent to hear their child say their first word, no matter when that happens! As a speech-language pathologist, we often have caregivers state that their young child uses words but that they are using the same word for so many different things. Something heard quite often is “He…
We have eight senses (touch, taste, smell, sight, auditory, vestibular, interception, and proprioception). Our proprioceptive system provides feedback through our muscles and joints to figure out where our body is in space. Some proprioceptive activities are also referred as “heavy work” activities. Examples of Heavy Work Activities Heavy work activities add resistance during pulling or…
