Ohana OT Pediatric Therapy in Wenatchee
Sensory Processing Disorder Solutions for Your Child
Here is my friend, Mathew, demonstrating how to tie shoes a new and much easier way! I love that there are fewer steps and it takes less fine motor coordination to complete this right of passage task! It is a HUGE milestone for kids!
Mary Kostka is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist specializing in Sensory Processing Disorder at her private practice, ‘Ohana Occupational Therapy, LLC, in Wenatchee and Leavenworth Washington, USA
Mary Kostka is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist specializing in Sensory Processing Disorder at her private practice, ‘Ohana Occupational Therapy, LLC, in Wenatchee and Leavenworth Washington, USA
Cutting is a complex task that requires a lot of eye hand coordination and motor planning. Children develop cutting skills in the following sequence:
2 1/2 year olds can open and close the scissors to snip
3 1/2 year olds can make consecutive cuts across small stiff paper like an index card
4 1/2 year olds can turn the paper and cut our simple shapes with thick lines on small stiff paper
Watch this video for a quick tip to adapt cutting activities for children who are still at the snipping level.
Mary Kostka is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist specializing in Sensory Processing Disorder at her private practice, ‘Ohana Occupational Therapy, LLC, in Wenatchee and Leavenworth Washington.
Swimming is great for so many reasons! It provides sensory input in all 3 of the main areas movement in all directions (vestibular input), resistive muscle activity which provides improves body awareness (proprioception) and firm constant tactile pressure over the whole body. It is a fun social activity and important for safety as well. Be sure to take into consideration the noise level and unexpected splashing. You can talk with the pool manager and find out the calmer times to come. Often pools will have a special therapeutic swim time when the pool is warmer.
If your child is having problems with self control and aggression this may seem counter intuitive. However, martial arts teaches peace and self control while giving an outlet for physical stress and aggression in a safe and controlled way. I earned my black belt in Isshinryu Karate when I was 18. All these years of teaching kids karate has helped me see first hand how much it builds self esteem in kids! Martial Arts is an individual path that lets your child go at their own pace. It is something that they will learn a tremendous amount of self control in. They will learn to control their bodies and mind. Martial Arts schools tend to embrace your child and they become part of a big family that can last a lifetime if they wish. From a sensory point of view it is fantastic! Your child will get intense input to their muscles and joints with punching, blocking and kicking exercises. There is a lot of movement in all directions and balance activities. Your child will learn how to roll with a fall and not get hurt. When learning katas (a series of movements linked together) they will improve memory and sequencing. Courtesy and respect are always emphasized. Not all martial arts instructors are created equal. It is best to observe a few classes and get the vibe of the instructor and the students and make sure that they are all kind and respectful to each other. Your child will do best with a small class size.
Wrestling is great because it has intense resistive muscle activity and is 1 on 1. This makes it much easier for your child to focus on the activity. In addition, there is movement in all directions and firm tactile input making this sport a winner for all 3 major sensory inputs for increasing body awareness and calming the nervous system.
Often parents have tried gymnastics intuitivley knowing it would be great , but then their child was not able to wait in line and listen to instructions. A great option is open gym time. Kids have the opportunity to explore equipment with supervision and they don’t have to stand and wait so much. Also consider private lessons or a smaller class size. Gymnastics is great for providing excellent sensory input to the body.
This one surprised me at first because I thought it would be too chaotic chasing after the ball until my friend who was a coach explained to me it all depends on the position. For example if you are a lineman you have one thing to focus on and that is the guy in front of you – block him! Turns out football is a great sport for our kids with SPD! Lots of intense input to the muscles and joints increasing (proprioception) , lots of movement in all directions and firm tactile input as well. All of this sensory input calms and organizes your child’s body helping them be successful.
In addition to providing the wonderful sensory input, yoga emphasizes relaxation and being calm. My friend Jeanette Runnings who is an OT developed a wonderful yoga activity, “Yoga Yingo“, that is easy to do with your child at home. It is basically bingo with yoga poses that are kid friendly. A lot of kids that I work with who seek intense movement do really well with inverted poses (e.g. a regular head stand or tripod head stand with knees on elbows). They are able to get intense joint compression and intense vestibular input by being upside down yet at the same time they are trying to be perfectly still and not fall over.
Kayaking is another wonderful activity for your child to participate in. The gentle rocking on the water along with pulling the paddle against the water provides wonderful sensory input to the muscles and joint which is very calming. The life jacket provides a firm tactile pressure that is calming as well. Nature is a great source of peace and our kids with SPD need to have opportunities to be out in nature regularly. Check out your local places to rent kayaks. I was able to rent one for only $10/hr on beautiful Lake Chelan in WA this Summer and it sure beat having to haul it and carry it to the water.
So many of our kids with SPD do great with hiking and horseback riding! Again, being out in nature itself is wonderful for all the senses. Carrying a backpack adds firm tactile pressure and joint compression which tends to be calming for a lot of kids. Climbing up hill increases the resistive muscle activity providing more position sense (proprioception). There are ample opportunities for movement and balance challenges along the way from jumping off rocks to balancing on a log. On the horse there is a lot of movement input for balance reactions and your child gets to see the world from a whole new perspective up high. There are many therapeutic riding programs (also called hippo-therapy) with skilled volunteers who will either ride with your child or walk along side in order to keep your child safe.
Skiing is very rich with sensory input. Many kids with SPD thrive with skiing since they are getting such intense sensation of fast movement, balance and feedback to their muscles and joints as they shift weight to make turns. In fact many parents are puzzled why their kids are such good skiers and when I evaluate them we still see deficits with body awareness, core strength and balance. The reason is that when they are skiing the “volume gets turned up” with their body senses and they are able to know exactly where they are in space giving which increases the ability to be coordinated and balanced. Then when they are trying to sit still in a chair the “volume is turned down” and they loose their sense of body awareness and may even fall out of their chair.
If your child does not have auditory issues, I think tap dancing is a wonderful source of sensory input to the muscles and joints for position sense (proprioception). There is so much feedback to every step they take. Other forms of dance would be more appropriate if your child has auditory sensitivity.
Many of these activities are also available with Special Olympics. This is a great way to make friends, get a lot of family support and be in a non judgmental environment. It is also an opportunity for your child to be with kids who have even greater challenges than they do helping your child have balance and perspective in their life.
Mary Kostka is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist specializing in Sensory Processing Disorder at her private practice, ‘Ohana Occupational Therapy, LLC, in Wenatchee and Leavenworth Washington.
We address the underlying causes that are impacting your child’s attention and behavior problems such as the powerful hidden body senses of movement and position which affect our ability to tolerate and interact with the world around us. Other common underlying problems include core strength, coordination and balance which impact your child’s ability to be calm and focused.
This use of meaningful therapeutic activity is a cornerstone of OT. We help with the task by actually doing the task. We work on everything from brushing teeth to being able to go out in public to a restaurant . Common activities and tasks we work on include: handwriting, tying shoes, riding a bike, feeding / eating, playing with peers, dressing , toileting and learning to ride a bus.
We use a “Child Directed” approach which taps into your child’s inner drive and creativity. We let them take the lead in play by choosing activities and themes. If you child comes in wanting to be a pirate we go with it while addressing the goals of the session at the same time. For example, with the pirate theme if we wanted to work on balance we would turn a swing into an imaginary boat and “walk the plank” with a balance beam. We are always working to expand their play skills. With older children it is common for them to come in with a design plan for an amazing obstacle course. If we have done our job well you child leaves feeling like all they did was play while at the same time we made progress on their goals.
We are highly skilled and creative problem solvers. For example we consider the size and stimuli of the room we are working in for maximum success and have extensive knowledge of specialized adaptive equipment products for special needs (e.g. wheelchairs, bathroom equipment, splints, special grips, special swings, adapted toys etc. ).
Our clinic provides opportunities for spontaneous play with peers for the just right amount of time (from a few minutes to the whole session) because we have several smaller rooms and a large sensory gym allowing easy flow between spaces keeping the stimulation correct amount for your child. We also have a Jr. OT Aide program specifically for peer modeling. Parents are always present and have to opportunity to connect, support each other and create new friendships.
We form true bonds with our kids and families. We are highly aware of our use of body language, voice, and use of language to give the just right amount of help and cuing to ensure success. We are constantly making adjustments to the task and our input to make it not too hard and not too easy. Our goals is that your child is successful with new challenges that increase in difficulty throughout the session.
Mary Kostka is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist specializing in Sensory Processing Disorder at her private practice, ‘Ohana Occupational Therapy, LLC, in Wenatchee and Leavenworth Washington.
Watch the program in action in our video. If your child is suffering from behavior, coordination, learning, or energy issues, this program could make a world of difference. Boost confidence, … More...
It's when a child has difficulty processing the world around them. What they see, hear, smell, touch, and taste isn't recognized the same as you and me. The signals get mixed up and it can cause … More...
Hayden's Success Story: "Hayden had extreme food intake limitations and lack of self-awareness of his body in motion was extremely dangerous. He lacerated his pancreas (grade type 3) and broke his … More...
Our specialized programs and treatments are proven to bring results. You can expect to see changes and improvements within your child sometimes within the first 14 days. You can also expect to get … More...
In our clinic, you will see about 1800 square feet of cushioned floor space with an amazing array of ropes, therapeutic suspended equipment, tunnels, crash pillows, balls and other child-oriented … More...
