Bethlehem Pediatric Therapy Services

The Great Debate Over Screen Time

2011-11-11T20:04:00.001-05:00

So in a world where screens are an inevitable reality, engaging with your child face to face needs to return to the forefront of social interaction. Close to 50% of school age children and over 25% of infants have televisions in their rooms. Research shows that children under 2 years of age do not benefit from watching television. A child learns words and gestural language only through face to face engagement with people. Communication is a social process and cannot be learned in a solitary context. Not only does television not support language development in young children, but it also interferes with sleep patterns. Children today (including infants) sleep 2 hours less than they did 15 years ago.
Doing away with all televisions and computers is not a feasible solution, however, decreasing screen time and having more face to face interactions with your children will foster social communication and problem solving skills. Taking the televisions out of your child's room will improve sleep. If your child needs sound to fall asleep, try some relaxing background music. Instead of turning on a television for your infant, hold your child and rock them to sleep. Appealing to their sensory systems and providing intimate moments develop self-regulation skills that will help them be well regulated throughout life. Set limits around t.v. time and don't let the television be on all day long.
It's okay for your kids to watch television, but make it a social experience. Pick out a movie to watch together. Talk about what is going to happen in the show. Stop the recording periodically and ask what your child thinks will happen next. At the end of the movie, help your child develop an alternate ending to the movie. These interactions will help develop social language and meaningful exchanges.

Family Fun NIght at Bethlehem Pediatric Therapy Services Rescheduled

2011-11-03T11:49:00.003-04:00

Family Fun Night, originally scheduled for November 4th, will now be the following Friday, November 11th. We hope to see everyone there!

Adding Variety to Your Picky Eater's Diet

2011-10-31T12:33:00.001-04:00

Often children will ask for the same foods over and over again as part of their routine. For children that don't have a problem stepping outside of that box, say, when it comes to going to a friend's house for dinner or going out to a restaurant this may not pose too much of a problem. However, for the child that cannot 'step out of the box' when it comes to different environments where their food preferences are not available, there may be an underlying sensory issue.
There are several ways to try and entice your child to become a more adventurous eater. This may require you, as the parent, to expand your food preferences as well. Modeling is a good way to start off this journey. Humans are social beings and model behavior after each other which means if you eat it, your child is more likely to eat it. Getting kids into the kitchen to help prepare a meal is another way to get kids involved in the entire occupation of meal preparation and sharing. Kids are much more likely to try something that they have prepared themselves. You can also invite your child's friends over to share in the experience (check if this is okay with your child first and have him/her choose the friend).
Can't think of something new, fun and exciting to prepare? Look through cook books, walk through farmers' markets, scour the internet. There are recipes everywhere!

There are a few important things to remember when trying to expand the picky eater's diet.

1. Don't force them to eat anything that they are not ready to eat. This will discourage them from wanting to try new things in the future. If they are not willing to eat it see if your child will allow the new food on their plate, touch it to their lips, lick it, or place it on their tongue.
2. It takes over 12 times to try something before you decide if you like it. So if your child does not prefer something right away, that is okay. Reintroduce it at another time.
3. Eating is a sensory experience. By providing your child with sensory activities daily (such as playdoh, sand play, water play, fingerpaints, shaving cream, silly putty, glitter, glue activities) can help decrease tactile sensitivities.
4. A positive attitude can go a long way! Don't get caught up in what your child doesn't eat but rather give them praise for trying new things.

Halloween Bash at Miracle League Park Rescheduled

2011-10-19T13:02:00.001-04:00

The Halloween Bash at Miracle League Park in Schnecksville, PA is postponed until tomorrow night due to rain. The rain date for the event is tomorrow, Thursday, October 20th from 6-8pm. Everyone at Bethlehem Pediatric Therapy Services looks forward to seeing you there!

Have a Fun and Safe Halloween with your Sensory Sensitive Child

2011-10-17T09:51:00.002-04:00

Halloween, like any holiday, is fun and exciting for kids, but for the sensory sensitive child it can be overwhelming as well. School schedules may be changed, costumes may be itchy or fit snugly, face paint may feel sticky, a coat over or under a costume may not be comfortable. All of these things should be considered when helping your child choose a costume. Wearing a compression shirt under a costume can be helpful and for the tactile defensive child, skip the face paint and makeup. Discussing costumes and schedules changes in advance(1-2 days before) is helpful for the sensory sensitive child (but not too far in advance to cause anxiety). Work more heavy work activities into your child's schedule leading up to the holiday and in the days that follow to help organize their bodies.
If your child becomes easily overstimulated and/or has a tendency to take flight when overwhelmed,you may want to consider an alternative to the traditional outdoor trick or treating. Many malls have indoor trick or treating events which eliminate the element of traffic. A Halloween party at your house may also be an option.

Here are some of the free trick or treating events offered in and around the Lehigh Valley:

Halloween Bash at Miracle League Park

Wednesday, October 20^th from 6pm to 8pm

5858 Sell Rd

Schnecksville, PA

Lehigh Valley Mall Halloween Boo Bash

Whitehall, PA

Saturday, October 29 from 11-2

Halloween Dance Party at 2:00pm

Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley

2845 Center Valley Parkway

Center Valley, PA

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Sensory Activity of the Day

2011-10-13T14:24:00.000-04:00

Oral motor activities are calming and organizing for the body. Try drinking yogurt or applesauce through a straw before a seated activity (such as homework). Make this activity even more fun with a crazy straw or bite off the ends of a Twizzler or Red Vine candy and use that as the straw.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative Does Not Require Cursive Handwriting Instruction

2011-10-09T21:44:00.003-04:00

Over the weekend, I read that The Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) does not require instruction in cursive handwriting. Over 40 of the 50 states have adopted CCSSI. The Initiative supports increasing children's education in keyboarding skills. Pennsylvania and New Jersey have both formally adopted these standards and are no longer responsible for teaching cursive in the classroom (schools are permitted to teach cursive but it is not a requirement).
In the age of technology, it is easy to overlook the importance of legible, fluent handwriting. Here is my attempt to persuade parents to find out if their school is teaching cursive handwriting and, if not, provide cursive handwriting instruction at home. First off, to sign a check, write down a telephone message, or jot down a phone number you need legible handwriting (print or cursive). But in the age of technology, how will the future generations sign legal documents, sign a check, or read documents written in cursive? Still, in this technological age, people are judged by the legibility of their handwriting and the fluency of their compositions. Some examples include job applications, standardized tests (the SAT has a required WRITTEN essay; if you don't bring your own laptop to standardized entrance exams such as the LSAT you have to write it), homework assignments are hand written, school tests, and note taking all require the skill of handwriting. What does any of this have to do with cursive? Since letters are linked in cursive it provides a faster way to take note, finished timed tests, and complete homework assignments. The quickest, legible handwriting is a combination of print and cursive.
While teachers insist that they do not judge a student's work on legibility, research studies indicate that they do. Cursive writing allows for letters of words to be linked (not just single letters like in print and keyboarding)improving working memory skills. People are able to recall information better when they write it down as opposed to typing it. Only half of U.S. homes currently have a computer. If children without easy access to computers are not taught to write legibly and fluently, how are they going to be able to express themselves? Does this move toward the use of technology in the classroom consider the interests of all students? And finally, what happens when computers fail? when there is a power outage? There is still a need for written communication and a need for cursive writing education.

Sensory Activity of the Day - Cake pops!

2011-10-09T19:37:00.000-04:00

So this weekend was my son's 4th birthday and I made cake pops (Angry Bird cake pops) for the first time ever. What a sensory experience! If you have never heard of cake pops, they are a ball of cake on a stick covered in icing or a chocolate shell. I started off with a cake round (it smelled sweet and felt a little warm even after cooling for an hour), crumbled it into a bowl (it was soft and squishy), and added icing (really sticky). After mixing the icing into the cake, I rolled the cake into balls (great for bilateral coordination and working on strengthening those pesky intrinsic muscles of the hand), Stuck a stick in the middle (hand-eye coordination/ bilateral coordination), and put them in the fridge to harden. I dipped them in chocolate. When the chocolate hardened, I used a piping bag (aka - a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off) to put decorations on the cake pop (good for fine motor control/ muscle grading). If you don't want all of the sugar of a traditional cake pop, you could do corn bread pops using plain yogurt or sour cream to hold them together - put beans or cheese in the middle for a different texture and taste. Everything is a little more fun to eat when it's on a stick (so my son tells me). Getting kids into the kitchen is a great way to engage the senses!

Sensory Processing and Heavy Work Activities

2011-10-03T09:22:00.003-04:00

'Heavy work' activities are activities that engage the large joints and muscle groups of the body. These activities allow the joint capsule to compress or expand providing increased proprioceptive input from the receptors located in muscles and ligaments. These activities are organizing for the body because the input provided allows the brain to map out where you are in space.
With these heavy work activities, the quality of the movement is very important. You don't want your child using momentum to complete the activity (this decreases the input to the proprioceptive receptors) and you don't want them to lock their joints. Locking of the joints provides stability without engagement of the muscles and is often seen when low tone is present.
Some examples of heavy work activities include:

jumping (jumping down from somewhere will provide more input than just jumping from the ground)
animal walks that incorporate weightbearing through the shoulder girdle (such as crab walks or bear walks) or wheelbarrow walks
Tug of War (this can be played with a sheet, parachute, or cloth tunnel)
propelling a scooterboard with arms or legs
pushing a full laundry basket room to room (taking large handfuls of laundry from hamper to basket would also be heavy work)
play activities that incorporate running and jumping such as soccer, football, basketball or kickball
digging in the sand box
pushing around a toy bin to clean up at the end of the day or before meals
Climbing playground equipment
swimming
oral motor activities such as eating chewy or crunchy snacks and chewing gum
Hammering pegs
push ups or wall push ups

These are just a few examples of a seemingly endless list of heavy work activities. It is important to consider your child's interests when helping him/her pick activities. If they enjoy the activity, they will be motivated to participate. It is also important to take into consideration the environment the child is in when choosing an activity (jumping up and down when in the classroom may be a distraction to other children, but pulling on a resistive exercise band attached to the desk may be acceptable). Heavy work activities should be incorporated throughout your child's day to improve sensory modulation. It is usually a good idea for a child to participate in heavy work before a seated task or a task that will be challenging. Your occupational therapist can help you develop an individualized daily plan that works for you and your child.

October is Sensory Awareness Month

2011-09-30T23:24:00.000-04:00

We are all sensory beings and need accurate information from the environment in order to function in our daily lives. Parents that have children with sensory processing problems may be aware of the important role that sensory processing plays in our everyday lives. Often, the average person takes for granted the brains ability to take in sensory information, process the input, and make an appropriate response according to the information provided. For example, what happens when you are driving along and you see a stop sign? Your eyes take in the visual information (red, hexagon, letters STOP), your brain processes the information (have I seen this sign before, what have I done in the past, what needs to happen now... the car needs to stop), and the brain sends out a motor response to your foot to step on the break. All of this happens within a split second when your sensory system is working smoothly. What happens when there is a problem?

People receive continuous information from the environment from sensory receptors. The five well known senses are visual, auditory, gustatory (taste), olfactory (smell), and tactile. There are seven senses all together. The two lesser known senses are proprioceptive and vestibular. The proprioceptive sense is provided by receptors located in muscles and tendons that stretch in response to muscle movement and allow our body to know where we are in space and grade muscle movements. The receptors for the vestibular sense are located within the ear canal and allow us to perceive linear and rotary movement.

Sensory processing dysfunction can lead to hyposensitivity and/or hypersensitivity. Hyposensitivity is under-responsiveness to sensory input. For instance, you are standing right next to a child calling his or her name and he/she does not respond. The difference between hyposensitivity and deafness or blindness is that the sensory input is registered in brain centers but the information is not properly processed at the brain level. Hypersensitivity is an over-reaction to sensory input. For example, a child withdraws from a light tap on the shoulder or avoids hugs due to "they hurt." Hyposensitivity and hypersensitivity are not on a continuum and people can have hypersensitivities in one area and hyposensitivities in another.

Our sensory systems are dynamic and (when functioning properly) modulate toward a state of homeostasis or balance. We need sensory input in order for our brains to develop and function properly. Sensory input allows us to form new neural connections and learn new skills.

Quick Tips - Little Hands Need Little Writing Tools

2011-09-28T19:54:00.004-04:00

It seems pretty straight forward when you hear it - little hands need little writing tools. In order to promote mature grasp patterns, using small pencils, broken pieces of crayons or chalk (Handwriting Without Tears also have small 'flip crayons'), and little erasers. These items will decrease the opportunity for immature grasp patterns and utilize muscles necessary for writing readiness.

Fine Motor Fun

2011-09-27T14:28:00.005-04:00

Fine motor skill development is important for achieving independence with life activities. Fine motor skills require the coordination of the small muscles in the fingers, hand, and wrist along with the visual system. Fine motor skills are needed to manipulate buttons, snaps and zippers for dressing. Manipulating toys for play. Utilizing crayons, markers, and pencils for drawing and writing tasks. Using fingers or utensils for self-feeding. It is important to provide children with the opportunity to develop their fine motor skills throughout their lifespan.

Babies start with using gross grasp patterns to pick up objects and bring them to the mouth. One of the few opportunities toddlers have to manipulate small objects and develop in hand manipulation skills is during feeding time. Picking up small pieces of food helps to develop hand eye coordination, body awareness (where their mouth is in relation to the rest of their body), finger isolation, and pincer grasp.

As a child gets older they are expected to color, cut, and write. These are skills that need to be taught and are not something that they will inherently know. To work on pre-writing skills provide small pieces of chalk or crayons to encourage the use of a mature grasp. Place drawing or writing papers on a vertical surface such as an easel or wall to promote wrist extension with pencil and paper activities. Hand separation is an important aspect of cutting and writing. This is the ability to use the thumb side of the hand separate from the pinky side of the hand. Some activities that work on hand separation are holding beads in the palm of the hand and moving one bead at a time from the palm to finger tips without dropping any beads (this can be incorporated into a fun fusion bead activity, Lite Brite, or stringing small beads). Encourage kids to hold a small item in ring and pinky finger when using scissors for cutting.

Activities to promote fine motor skill development for the preschool child include but are certainly not limited to the following:

stringing beads

Lite Bright

Using chalk on a chalkboard or dark color construction paper

Fun Fusion beads

lacing activities

finger painting

chopstick pom pom pick up (or use chopsticks to eat noodles at dinner time)

Wikki sticks

small stickers

stamps

playdoh

different shape paper punches

There are a lot of systems working together that make for smooth and coordinated fine motor skills but participation in the above activities will help develop these skills and provide a solid foundation for success in the future.

Quick Tips - Homework

2011-09-23T15:47:00.003-04:00

Children sit at desks for the majority of their school day, so when it comes to doing homework change it up a bit. For those kids that just can't sit still through homework time, try standing instead. You can set up an easel or tape homework papers to the wall for writing activities. For reading assignments, provide a quiet area away from distractions with indirect lighting where children can lie on their stomachs, lie on their sides or sit in a bean bag chair. Some children need background noise to focus, but instead of the television (which can be a major distraction) try classical music with a moderate tempo (54-60 beats per minute).

Free Online Webinar Presented by Handwriting Without Tears

2011-09-22T15:05:00.004-04:00

Handwriting Without Tears will be presenting an online seminar entitled Top 10 Questions About Handwriting September 27th at 8pm. This seminar is free and will provide an opportunity to learn about the Handwriting Without Tears multisensory strategies for teaching handwriting and why handwriting is still important in the age of technology. Please follow the link above to sign up!

Quick Tips - Handwriting

2011-09-22T14:26:00.003-04:00

Handwriting is more fluid and consistent when children are taught the correct start point and formation of letters. All capital letter should start at the top. Find out what handwriting program your child's school uses (the most widely used programs are Handwriting Without Tears, D'Nealian, and Zaner-Bloser) and get a copy of the letter formations. This way you can keep handwriting instruction at home consistent with what is taught at school.

Halloween Bash at Miracle League Park

2011-09-20T15:32:00.003-04:00

The Miracle League of the Lehigh Valley is an organization that provides children and young adults with special needs the opportunity to play baseball. The fields are fully accessible, and all players are encouraged to participate regardless of disability. In an effort to make Trick or Treating an enjoyable and accessible event for children with special needs, the Miracle League brings the neighborhood to the players. Local businesses and supporters setup booths and hand out treats.

For the third year in a row, Bethlehem Pediatric will participate in the annual Halloween event at Miracle League Park located in Schnecksville, PA. The event will take place on October 19 from 6 to 8pm.

Further information about the Miracle League, how to support upcoming events, or to sign your child up for Miracle League baseball please visit The Miracle League website.

What Do Rhthym and Timing Have to Do With It? Bethlehem Pediatric Offers Interactive Metronome

2011-09-19T22:35:00.005-04:00

Rhythm and timing are especially important to childhood learning and development. Many of the activities that a baby does are based on rhythm and timing including coordinating suck-swallow-breath for eating, rocking on hands and knees in preparation to crawl, and making rhythmic noises for self-soothing. The toddler claps in response to a caregiver clapping. A preschooler sings along with the song at circle time, swings a bat to hit a baseball, or beats a drum along with a classmate. What happens when the rhythm and timing of the brain isn't functioning efficiently?
If your child struggles with difficulties in organization, motor planning and coordination, balance, and/or attention, Interactive Metronome may be able to help.

Interactive Metronome is a computer based program where the participant taps a target/switch in response to a metronome beat heard over headphones. The computer calculates how far from the beat the participant is in milliseconds and provides additional auditory and visual feedback to guide the person's motor actions closer to the beat. Scores are recorded on the computer and each session can be compared to monitor progress. This is an intensive therapy and runs 3-5 times a week for 3-5 weeks with the target number of sessions being 15.

Over the course of the treatment, patients learn to:

Focus and attend for longer periods of time
Increase physical endurance and stamina
Filter out internal and external distractions
Improve ability to monitor mental and physical actions as they are occurring
Progressively improve coordinated performance.

For the pediatric population that we serve at our facility, the activities are modified to make them fun. The more a child is motivated to participate in the treatment, the more he or she will gain from the treatment. If you would like more information about our program or want to schedule an opportunity to trial Interactive Metronome please contact us @610-625-4404.

Further information, research and case studies can be found on the Interactive Metronome website.

Helpful Handwriting Tips

2011-09-19T15:09:00.004-04:00

Here are some helpful activities that promote handwriting skills without having to pick up a pencil...

#1 Fluid handwriting starts with letter recognition. Does your child's teacher tell you that their handwriting looks great when copying in a workbook but is a mess when they need to write in their journal? Letter memory is an important part of fluid legible handwriting. Work on letter recognition. Start with letter flash cards and have your child do animal walks (such as bear walks or crab walks) to find a letter. Animal walks provide weight bearing through the hands which increases the strength of intrinsic hand muscles (the muscles used for pencil control).

#2 To have legible handwriting, you need good pencil control and good posture. Encourage your child to sit on the floor when playing a game to encourage weight shifts and weightbearing through hands. Also, encourage lying on their stomach to increase trunk strength to provide postural stability during seated tasks.

#3 Practice writing letters in different textures such as sand, shaving foam, or finger paints. This will promote motor learning of correct letter formation but is a lot more fun for kids than just picking up a pencil.

These are a few fun and simple activities that can be added to your child's daily routine to improve handwriting skills without ever putting pencil to paper!

National Backpack Awareness Day is September 21st

2011-09-18T22:26:00.006-04:00

This Wednesday is AOTA's National Backpack Awareness Day. Don't forget to remind your students to wear their backpacks correctly to avoid injury. Shoulder straps should be worn on both shoulders to evenly distribute weight and a student should carry no more than 15% of their body weight (preferable less). Over half of students in the United States carry backpacks that are too heavy. These statistics were courtesy of the American Occupational Therapy Association website. You can visit AOTA's website for more information and tips to keep students happy and healthy!

New Programs Now Offered

2011-09-18T21:57:00.001-04:00

We are excited that we are now able to offer many new programs at our larger location. Upcoming events are located separately in the 'Upcoming Events' area on this blog. We plan to offer parent and professional education opportunities at least once a month. If there is a topic you would like us to present just let us know by commenting on the blog or contacting our office.

New specialized programs this Fall include the following:

Funfood - Feeding and cooking groups for the picky eater. This group is designed to allow kids to explore the sensory aspects of varying foods and work toward expanding food preferences.
Social Skills Groups - led by a speech language pathologist, these groups are aimed at developing pragmatic communication skills. Children are grouped according to age and ability.
SOCIALS - these are language and social skills development classes for the preschooler and young school age child who are having difficulty learning these skills in a larger classroom setting.
Pencil Pals - a handwriting group designed to target the developmental skills needed for success in handwriting.
Individual Intensive Sensory Integration Treatment
Support Groups - these groups are designed for teens with specific diagnoses, such as Attention Deficit Disorder and Sensory Processing Disorder, to have an opportunity to discuss topics specific to them with peers with similar experiences.
Interactive Metronome/ Sensory Movement - These are intensive (3-5 times a week) individual or small group sessions designed to address the needs of children with sensory processing challenges.

If you haven't heard yet, we've moved!

2011-09-18T21:17:00.000-04:00

Bethlehem Pediatric Therapy Services has moved to a larger location with a spacious gym, multiple treatment rooms, and many new programs to offer. Our new office is located at 3012 Emrick Blvd., Bethlehem, PA.