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Starfish Updates
Blog: Here are our latest blog postings which were selected by the Daily Examiner as the Top 100 Physical Therapy Blogs
Website: Please check out our website as we have recently updated it to reflect new additions to our staff, our services, and our photos and videos.
Videos: I have brushed off my creative talents again and created two new videos to show off some of the services we provide. I hope you enjoy them
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Just For Fun
Itsy Bitsy Spider
by Duck Duck Moose
Created by parents, "Itsy Bitsy Spider - by Duck Duck Moose" is a
musical book based on the popular song, with fully interactive,
original illustrations. Follow the spider through the captivating,
inter-connected scenes as he goes up the water spout, comes down with
the rain, and watches the sun dry up all the rain.
Delight your children and encourage them to touch and explore everything in the 100% interactive illustrations.
- Poke the spider so he will bring you to the next page
- Make rain come down from the clouds
- Splash in puddles with a little girl in rain boots
- Help a caterpillar become a beautiful butterfly
- Play peek-a-boo with a frog hiding behind tall grass
- And, much more!
Check it out on iTunes
See more info on our website: DuckDuckMoose Design
Brought
to you by the creators of Wheels on the Bus, the award-winning,
educational iPhone app -- featured in The New York Times, USA Today,
San Francisco Chronicle, Discovery Channel, MSNBC.com, Wired.com, and
Daily Candy.
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Out and About
Disney Magic
The Walt Disney Family Museum located in the Presidio of San Francisco, opened its doors on Thursday October 1st. This family friendly museum offers 10 audio and video packed galleries as well as a cafe and gift shop.
For those curious kids there are interactive stations, conveniently created at dwarf size heights, a 20's era train ride, and a viewing gallery.
Coming next year will be art classes featuring hands on animation instructions for both kids and adults.
Check out the review and tips from Travel is More Fun With Kids.
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Craft Corner
Pumpkin Shirts
Get into the Halloween spirit and spend some quality creative time with your kids by creating these fun pumpkin shirts.
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Greetings!
We're back with more blogs, more articles, and even live video this time! Hope you enjoy this months newsletter. |
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Sensory Defensiveness: Activities for kids who have an exaggerated response to sensory stimulation.
 If you read the newsletter last month, you were able to learn briefly about the different types of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). To follow up on that, we wanted to provide you with some fun and easy activities to help your child with sensory regulation. This month we will focus on sensory defensiveness, which is when you child has abnormally negative or exaggerated responses to different types of sensory stimulation whether it be tactile, vestibular, proprioceptive, visual, auditory, or olfactory (smell) that impairs his/her ability to interact and function normally. Just to remind you, these children will normally avoid certain sensory experiences such as messy play, large movements such as jumping, swinging, or spinning, bright lights, and loud noises. Sensory input and regulation is a vital part of development that when impaired can greatly affect all areas of development. So how do you provide sensory experiences for a child who is very resistant to it? Make it FUN and CONSISTENT but GRADUAL!! They may scream the first time so shoot 30 seconds and try to get up to 2 minutes by the end of the week.
Here are some suggested activites:
Tactile: "Shaving Cream Car Wash" All you need for this activity are toy cars, shaving cream, and a bucket of water. Have your child drive the car through the shaving cream as if it is the car wash and then dunk it in the bucket of water to clean it off. If they get bored with this, you can have them draw with their fingers in the shaving cream or you can hide objects and ask your child to find them.
Vestibular (balance and movement): You can provide vestibular input by swinging your child in a large sheet or blanket or by bouncing them on a large exercise ball.
Proprioceptive (input to muscles and joints): "The Shopping Game" Everyone has a laundry basket or large bin at home. Encourage your child to pretend it is a shopping cart and have them push it around the house collecting various objects. The heavier it becomes, the harder they are working and therefore, the more input they are getting in to their joints and muscles.
These are just a few ideas meant to give you an idea that sensory experiences are everywhere! As always, it is best to consult with your therapist or other professional prior to intiating these activities if you are concerned about your child as they will be able to give you the appropriate guidelines and educate you on signs of distress that may indicate the need to stop or modify activities.
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October is National Physical Therapy Month!
Since October is National Physical Therapy month, we thought we'd take the opportunity to educate you on what exactly physical therapy is and how it differs from other related services such as Adapted Physical Education.
Physical Therapy (PT) has been defined as the following:
- The treatment of physical dysfunction or injury by the use of therapeutic exercise and equipment and the application of modalities, intended to restore or facilitate normal function or development.
Physical Therapists (PT's) are commonly referred to as "movement specialists" meaning they examine and diagnose movement impairments that interfere with normal function. More specifically, they understand the mechanics of joints and muscles and how they operate to support normal alignment and produce functional movement. They are trained to recognize physical impairments whether they be neuromuscular, musculosketal or other and minimize the affect they have on typical movement. Most PT's tend to specialize in one area of rehabilitiation, such as orthopedic, neurological, geriatric, cardiac rehab, or pediatric.
Here at Starfish, our PT's specialize in pediatrics. As pediatric therapists, we have continued our education to understand the physical development of children from birth on. Therefore, we are able to aide gross motor development and coordination, environmental exploration, play skills, orthopedic and neurological development, self-help strategies, and sensory function in children who are born with or acquire a disability or impairment that affects their movement function. Pediatric PT's perform evaluations, plan and implement treatment strategies and developmentally appropriate activities, identify appropriate assistive devices and durable medical equipment, and create solutions for barriers that limit the child's interaction with their environment and peers in family-, learning-, and community-based activities.
One of our jobs is to help our kids transistion from their early intervention program to their school district. Once a child has entered the school system, there is a possibility for the child to receive Adapted Physical Education (APE) if they are eligible. Recently, we have had many parents inquire about the difference between PT and APE and which is more appropriate for their child so hopefully this description of APE will help.
APE has been defined as the following:
- physical education which has been adapted or modified, so that is as appropriate for the person with a disability as it is for a person without a disability
- physical education which may be adapted or modified to address the individualized needs of children and youth who have gross motor delays or cannot participate in a general physical education program for other reasons
Federal law mandates that physical education be provided to students with disabilities and defines physical education as the development of:
- physical and motor skills
- fundamental motor skills and patterns (throwing, catching, walking, running, etc.)
- skills in aquatics, dance, and individual or group games and sports
Therefore, APE is designed to help children who require modifications or adaptions to a general PE program so that they can fully participate duruing their PE time. While APE may be helpful for a child with a gross motor delay, it may not be specific enough for a child with more serious issues such as balance impairments, poor motor planning, abnormal muscle tone, abnormal musculoskeletal alignment, or for a child who requires specialized equipment or orthotic intervention in order to fully access their environment and interact with their peers. In this case, physical therapy may be indicated in addition to APE. Just keep in mind as your child enters the school system that one service is not a substitiute for the other. While both are great services that may be available to your child, it is important to talk with the appropriate professionals to determine which is the best option for your child in a school setting.
Don't be afraid to ask for a physical therapy assessment in addition to an APE assessment when it comes time for your child's IEP, especially if you a documented recommendation from a physical therapist or doctor. Ultimately, it is up to the IEP team to decide which services are appropriate but don't hesitate to give your input and the input you may have sought from your current physical therapist.
If you have more specific questions about how this applies to your child, talk with your therapist!
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Thanks for reading this month. We hope you found this information useful. Starfish Therapies wishes you a safe and happy Halloween! |
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Sincerely,
Your Friends at
Starfish Therapies |
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