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Amazing Children to Inspire You This Holiday Season
Amazing Children to Inspire You This Holiday Season 1080 1080 PTN Chicago

As we think about the things that we’re grateful for this holiday season, let’s all remember to be grateful for the things that make us different – the things that make us special. 

One of the best parts of the work we do is meeting children who are extraordinary in so many ways. They see the world differently, approach it with a completely unique point of view, and they all have something to teach us about what we take for granted in our lives.

With that in mind, we wanted to share a few motivational stories that have inspired us. Just try watching these amazing kids (and one adult) without smiling.

Ezra was born with just one finger on his left hand and a leg that curved inward. Shortly after he was born, the doctor told his parents that his leg would need to be amputated. Eventually Ezra did lose his leg, and the doctors were able to transplant his big toe from his amputated foot onto his left hand. 

Now Ezra is 12, and with the help of a prosthetic leg, he takes great joy in sports and is also a motivational speaker. In fact, he’s so good at inspiring others that he was brought into the Golden State Warriors’ locker room to give his motivational speech to the team – what an amazing young man!

We just love this video of pairs of children being asked what makes them different. As an adult, you’ll probably visually spot all sorts of differences between the children without even thinking about it, but as you’ll see, the children see things a bit differently.

This video has been around for a long time, but it’s worth revisiting. Here we get a glimpse of little Jessica pumping herself up in the mirror with a daily affirmation about all the things she loves in her life and, basically, how she’s going to go out and crush it. You go, Jessica!

This amazing teacher has a wonderful message that we as parents, therapists, and friends can all learn from – the basis of learning is relationships. Children, she says, do not learn from people who they don’t like. In order for children to learn and grow, they need to know that we believe they can learn and grow, that we see their potential. Children also need to know that we’re proud of them and we like them for who they are right now.

holiday survival tips for kids
6 Tips to Help You and Your Special Needs Child Through the Holidays
6 Tips to Help You and Your Special Needs Child Through the Holidays 1000 1000 PTN Chicago

Is it just us, or has Halloween become a bigger deal in recent years? We used to think of the holiday season as starting in November with the lead up to Thanksgiving, but now, the holiday season very much begins even before October, which makes it a very long and sometimes very challenging time of year – especially for children with special needs and their families.

While the holidays can and should be a lot of fun, they can also be overwhelming, stressful, and marked by lots of unfamiliar faces, strange foods, and disruptions in the regular routine. In an effort to help make this holiday season more enjoyable for everyone in your family, here are our top tips to help both you and your little ones through the holiday season.

1. Take the pressure off.

Perhaps our most important piece of advice is to go easy on yourself this holiday season. You may love setting the perfect Thanksgiving table or having every last family member over to your house for Christmas, but there’s just no need to put all of that pressure on yourself and your family. It’s ok to cut a few corners and let other people help you. When you reduce your stress levels, that gives you more time and energy to spend with your kids. And kids can definitely sense our stress, so if you’re relaxed, that will help them relax, too.

2. Prepare your friends and family.

If your little one doesn’t like to be touched, take the time to send a gentle reminder to any visitors before they arrive. You can include tips on ways to greet your child that she’ll appreciate, such as a high five or a fist bump. You might also want to prep visitors on when your child might need some alone time or quiet time and ask them to leave their big dogs or loud party poppers at home this year.

3. Create a safe space.

If your child gets easily overwhelmed by too much noise or too many people, it’s important that you have a space in your home – or whatever house you visit – where they can go to get away from all the excitement if they need to. Make sure any other kids know to leave that space alone. You can also invest in some noise canceling headphones for your child so she can find some peace even in noisy groups or while out and about.

4. Prepare some calming activities.

Sometimes holidays involve long plane rides, sitting through class plays, church services – any number of sitting situations where your child is likely to get fidgety and bored. Plan ahead for these experiences by making a goodie bag of quiet activities for your child to enjoy. Some great, easy to pack options include stickers, an Etch-a-Sketch, Silly Putty, and favorite – or brand new – books with things to touch, things to look for, or flaps to lift.

5. Practice gift giving.

If your child doesn’t always do so well with giving or receiving presents, it can be very helpful to practice. You can wrap up an existing toy that’s been in the closet for a while to practice opening presents. You can also draw some cards with your child and then exchange them.

6. Remember to enjoy some intimate family time.

One way to help make the holidays special and less overwhelming for your child can be to find a new holiday tradition that you can enjoy with just your immediate family. For example, many railways do train rides with Santa during the holidays. Or you can keep it simple and take your child for a quiet night-time walk to look at all the decorated houses in December.

For more tips or advice about specific holiday events, feel free to give our office a call. Our therapists are always here to help.

At Home Therapy
How In-Home Pediatric Therapy Sessions Can Have a Greater Impact
How In-Home Pediatric Therapy Sessions Can Have a Greater Impact 1000 1000 PTN Chicago

One of our core philosophies at PTN is that pediatric therapy is most effective when it happens in a comfortable environment with the full participation and support of the family.

When physical therapy or speech therapy happens in isolation it is very difficult for the child to take what they’ve learned back to their home environment, especially if a parent or caretaker isn’t able to be there observing each session. It’s also much more difficult for children to feel comfortable in a place that is foreign to them.

By bringing therapy into the home, the classroom, or even the child’s favorite park, it becomes much easier for parents, siblings, friends, and other caregivers to take part in sessions and become stronger pillars of support for the child.

Engaging in pediatric therapy sessions at home also makes it much easier for the therapy to be tailored to the child and the family.

Let’s use speech therapy as an example. Depending upon the house, the same time of day could be referred to as “bedtime,” “night time,” “time for night-night,” “sleepy time,” or a host of other possibilities. Underwear could be referred to as “undies,” “knickers,” “chonies,” or “panties.” Grandma could be called “Nana” or “Grannie” or “Abuelita.” The list of family-specific vernacular goes on and on.

If a speech therapy session happens in the house, the speech language pathologist (SLP) can start to learn the words and phrases that are most important in that household and find customized ways to help the child better express their wants and needs in ways that the family will recognize and respond to.

Being in the house also allows the SLP to work with the family to help them better support the verbal development of the child. That might mean teaching siblings games that they can play together or showing parents ways that they can encourage stronger language skills between sessions. Those games or tasks could be specified to favorite toys that the child already has or play spaces – like a backyard playhouse – that the SLP might not otherwise know was there.

When family and friends have a chance to observe different forms of pediatric therapy, that helps lead to a more cohesive household where everyone has the chance to better understand the work that’s being done, why it’s so important, and how they can help.

Back to School for Special Needs
Speech, Occupational, and Physical Therapy Prep for Back-to-School
Speech, Occupational, and Physical Therapy Prep for Back-to-School 1000 1000 PTN Chicago

Back to school is upon us once again, and this can be both an exciting and stressful time of year for the children we work with – and their parents! Whether your little ones are looking forward to learning new things or feeling anxious about fitting in, there are several things that you can do to help them feel more prepared for the school year to come. Let’s take a look at several simple areas of focus within speech therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy that you can practice with your child leading up to that first day of school.

Speech Therapy Back to School Prep

Role Playing – If your child is nervous about meeting new children, you can help them feel more at ease by playing a simple role-playing game. Pretend to be another child that they’re meeting for the first time and have a conversation with them. Help your child think of appropriate ice-breakers and things they can talk about comfortably with new friends.

Curiosity Prep – Children have a tendency to ask questions that can come across as rude and hurtful when they are confronted with something they aren’t familiar with – like another child’s speech impediment. Before school begins, it can sometimes be helpful to gently warn your child that they might get questioned about the way that they speak by other children. Then you can work with your child to find simple answers to the questions they might be asked in order to help their new friends understand them better. (This is an area where a speech therapist can offer a lot of helpful advice!)

Occupational Therapy Back to School Prep

School-Specific OT Challenges – Going back to school – or going to school for the first time – can mean being confronted with new occupational challenges. For example, your child probably doesn’t open a lunch box very often at home. Work with your OT to think of the various occupational skills your child might find useful to practice before school begins.

Waiting Games – A lot of school is sitting quietly and waiting for your turn. If your child has trouble sitting still or gets easily distracted, it might be helpful to practice some mental games that can keep your child focused or occupy their mind while they wait in line. For example, your child can quietly try to find objects that are every color of the rainbow.

Physical Therapy Back to School Prep

Classroom Tour – If possible, try to arrange a tour of your child’s classroom before school begins with their new teacher. That way you can identify any areas that might be difficult for your child to maneuver or unsafe for your child for whatever reason. Having some advance warning will allow both your child and their teacher time to adjust. This is also a useful thing to do if your child has physical impairments.

Explore Outdoors – After your classroom tour, why not explore your school’s outdoor areas? You can walk through the halls of the school and then make your way outside. Let your child practice on the school playground or on the stairs leading up to the school entrance over the summer so they are familiar with these areas prior to school starting. It can be fun for them to see what’s waiting for them both inside and out.

Go Baby Go
Helping Your Little One Go, Baby, Go!
Helping Your Little One Go, Baby, Go! 1080 1080 PTN Chicago

When babies start to move around independently – whether scooting, crawling, or walking – that independence helps them blossom, because it allows them to explore their environment more freely, go after the things they’re curious about, and learn from a broader range of experiences. When children are mobility limited, this period of exploration and activity also gets limited, and that can be frustrating for both you and your child.

That’s why groups like Go Baby Go are so important. This wonderful organization takes powered toy cars – the kind that toddlers drive themselves around in – and modifies them to make them, essentially, incredibly cool and perfectly safe power-wheelchairs for mobility limited babies, toddlers, and children. Take a look at this video to see how Go Baby Go works:

Posted by UD GoBabyGo on Monday, October 8, 2018

At a recent Go Baby Go workshop here in Chicago, PTN therapist Laura Vazquez worked with the family of one of her patients, Brizalyn, to modify a toy car especially for Brizalyn. Laura said, “The best moment was when we saw Brizalyn smile as she shifted herself closer to the switch, then she took off, getting ahead of her parents to explore the hallways.”

Thanks to a bit of creativity and innovation, Brizalyn was able to meet a new mobility milestone that opened up a wider world for her. We couldn’t be more excited for Brizalyn and her family!

Improving Walking Skills Through Play

If your child is mobility limited, finding ways to help her move freely without getting hurt or getting frustrated can be a tricky challenge. A pediatric physical therapist can be a big help, but there are also several things you can do at home to help your child become more mobile over time.

The first is making your own Go Baby Go modified electric car! The Go Baby Go team has provided complete instructions on how to pick a toy car, modify it, and get it inspected for safety. You can find all the details here.

If your child is capable of walking but having trouble learning, incorporating play is usually the best form of encouragement.

  • Put things that she wants like colorful post-its on the wall just out of her reach, encouraging her to stretch, get up on her knees, and maybe even stand against the wall.
  • Give her low, stable objects that she can push across the floor. These can include toy cars, sturdy baby doll strollers, or even flipped over hampers. Just make sure that the object won’t flip out from under her grasp and lead to a painful tumble.
  • Get in a wading pool and practice taking steps in water. The water makes the activity more fun and helps give her little body extra support.

For more mobility help, give us a call any time to discuss your child’s unique needs.

Happy Anniversary PTN
6 Favorite Fun Therapy Ideas to Ring in Our Anniversary!
6 Favorite Fun Therapy Ideas to Ring in Our Anniversary! 1000 1000 PTN Chicago

This month we are absolutely thrilled to be celebrating our ninth anniversary. The actual anniversary is June 22, and we can’t believe how fast the time has gone. It has been an absolute pleasure working with such wonderful and diverse children and their fantastic families, and we can’t wait to keep it up for another nine years – and well beyond!

To celebrate our anniversary, we wanted to share some of our favorite occupational, speech, and physical therapy activities that parents and children can enjoy together at home. These play therapies are simple and don’t require a trip to the store, but they can offer hours of entertainment while also helping your child develop skills that will last a lifetime.

For sensory development…

Nothing beats a good old-fashioned sensory bin. The great thing about sensory bins is that they can be regularly updated and adjusted with new objects that your child likes. To make your own sensory bin, first you’ll need a plastic storage tub with a lid. You probably have one under your bed or hidden away in your kitchen or closet right now. Next, fill the bin about half way with a base material that your child can safely sift through. That material might be popcorn kernels, packing peanuts, or dry rice. The final step is hiding fun sensory objects in the bin for your child to discover and enjoy. Try to find things that will engage a variety of senses. For example, puffy poms are great to touch, tea bags are fun to smell, and oversize beads are beautiful to look at!

For gross motor skills…

One of our favorite activities that helps develop gross motor skills is playing pretend! This activity is wonderful, because it can be whatever you want, and it lets both you and your child stretch your imaginations. Maybe you can take turns pretending to be different animals. Or you can pretend that the floor is lava and jump between cushions and pillows laid out on the floor. You can stomp around like dinosaurs, or practice climbing (with supervision!) like monkeys.

For fine motor skills…

A great game for developing fine motor skills and getting some occupational therapy in at the same time is Restaurant! Play this make-believe game in your kitchen with actual pots, pans, and safe utensils like spatulas. You can even break out some real food like dry pasta or those baby carrots you’ve been trying to get your child to eat to make the game even more fun. Moving the game into the kitchen helps your child gain comfort in a different environment while practicing skills like stirring, scooping, and following directions, all while being creative.

For a DIY toy…

The simplest of simple do-it-yourself toys is the cardboard roll at the center of your paper towels. When you finish a roll, hand the cardboard over to your little one and tell her that it’s a telescope, or maybe a magic wand, or tape two together and make binoculars. A cardboard roll can become a log for dolls to sit on or a tunnel for small cars or Legos to slide through.

For speech therapy…

Try playing “I Spy” around your house – or anywhere, for that matter! But home is a great place to start with this game, as your child will be able to name more of the things in their environment. This game helps with building vocabulary, especially adjectives and nouns, and also builds critical thinking skills.

For balance…

Make a gym in your living room – or any room that has soft carpet – by grabbing a stack of your child’s books and lining them up on the ground to make a balance beam. Your child will have fun standing on their books and practicing walking across them without falling off. (And if you’re worried about books being mistreated, don’t be! The more that books feel like toys and rewards, the more your child will want to look inside.)

We hope you enjoy all of these play activities this summer. Give us a call anytime for more recommendations tailored to your child!

Better Speech and Hearing Month
All the Ways We Can Celebrate Better Speech and Hearing Month Together
All the Ways We Can Celebrate Better Speech and Hearing Month Together 1000 1000 PTN Chicago

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month, and we all can do our part to help raise awareness.

Many people don’t know just how common speech, language, and hearing disorders are among children. There also tends to be a misconception that if someone has difficulty speaking or if they are deaf, they must have other physical or mental impairments, which simply isn’t true. By spreading the word about BSHM and sharing both facts and personal stories of how speech, language, and hearing disorders have affected your friends or family, you can help make the world a more informed, understanding, and accepting place.

Here are a few stats that we found interesting courtesy of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Feel free to share these on social media!

  • Almost 8% of children between the ages of 3 and 17 have had a voice, speech, language, or swallowing disorder in the past 12 months.
  • Among children who currently have a speech, language, voice, or swallowing disorder, about 34% of children aged 3-10 have multiple speech or language disorders. That number drops to 25% for children aged 11-17.
  • The prevalence of speech and language disorders is highest from the ages of 3 to 6 – during those formative years when most children are learning to speak with fluency (almost always with bumps along the road).

And here are some interesting stats about hearing:

  • 15% of children between the ages of 6 and 19 have some degree of hearing loss.
  • Between two and three of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with detectable hearing loss in one or both ears.
  • More than 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents.

In addition to outreach on social media, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has put together a great list of ways that you can celebrate Better Speech and Hearing Month.

Personally, we love teaching children about communication through – you guessed it! – play. Here are a few simple games that you can enjoy with your children to help them understand what communication is and why it’s so important.

Simon Says – This classic game is wonderful because it can be played virtually anywhere. Driving in the car, in the park, around the dinner table… you name it. By having your children listen carefully and follow instructions, they can practice some of the fundamental elements of strong communication.

The I Love You Game – Ok, I just made this game up, but I think it’s going to catch on. The game is simple – work with your child to come up with all the different ways that you can express love to one another. You might start by saying “I love you” out loud. Then you could give each other hugs. Or maybe kisses on the cheek. Maybe you could express love with a dance or by doing something nice for each other. See how many fun ways you and your little one can come up with to communicate your love for each other. And when you get tired of being lovey-dovey (if that ever happens), try playing the game with other concepts or emotions like happiness, sadness, and surprise.

Autism Awareness
Every Child on the Spectrum is Unique – Occupational Therapy Should Be, Too
Every Child on the Spectrum is Unique – Occupational Therapy Should Be, Too 1000 1000 PTN Chicago

Not too long ago, we as a society used to think of children as being autistic or not, disabled or not. Today, our way of thinking about autism has come a long way, and we now speak in terms of “the spectrum.” Plenty of very highly functioning people are somewhere on the spectrum, which has helped reduce the stigma around autism and improved awareness about what autism spectrum disorder can look like and who can be affected by it.

At PTN, we see every child as an individual. Being on the spectrum is neither a blessing nor a curse – it simply is – and we are eager to meet every child where they are, help them see their unique strengths and abilities, and create a plan  that will help them face the world with more confidence and joy.

In some cases, intensive therapeutic protocols are appropriate, but when possible, we prefer to utilize the least restrictive approach that provides maximum therapeutic benefit. A big part of doing that is not separating out children we work with and making them feel “other,” but instead working with them in the environments where they are most comfortable – they’re home, school, or local playground.

By creating treatment plans specifically designed for each individual child in the places they love most, we’re better able to help those children build life-long skills. Working in these sorts of familiar spaces also makes it easier for parents, siblings, and other care-takers to get involved and learn how they can be the best possible support or friend to your child.

In terms of specific therapies, every session is different, because every child is different. Our occupational therapists utilize a play-based approach, because play is how we learn best, and that’s true for our whole lives. Games and interactive activities should be  flexible and fun, never rigid. Through play, our therapists can help build skills like listening, following directions, social awareness, coordination, strength, speech, and much more. In designing specific sessions, our occupational therapists can talk to parents and observe children engaging in their daily routines to see where they’re already doing well and where they might need additional support.  .

To learn more, please give our office a call anytime. We are always happy to schedule free consultations or answer any questions you may have about our multidisciplinary pediatric therapy services.

National Sleep Awareness Week
3 Core Tenants of Better Sleep for Your Child
3 Core Tenants of Better Sleep for Your Child 1000 1000 PTN Chicago

This month, the National Sleep Foundation celebrates its annual Sleep Awareness Week from March 10 to March 16. If you’re a parent, you know better than anyone the value of a great night’s sleep, both for your little ones and for yourself.

Sleep can be a major source of stress for parents at every stage. Whether you have an infant who’s kept up by reflux or a toddler who absolutely insists upon sleeping in your bed every night, a disrupted sleep routine can make it harder for both you and your child to have a good next day.

While specific sleep recommendations can vary widely depending upon your parenting philosophy, the age of your child, and any developmental issues that you might be dealing with, here are a few helpful broad truths from our occupational therapists that can help both you and your child get the sleep you need.

It’s All About a Consistent Routine

When children know what to expect, it helps them feel secure and makes it easier to regulate their emotions. One of the best ways to start the night on the right foot is by establishing a clear and consistent bedtime routine. Your routine can evolve as your children get older, and there isn’t any specific routine that is “the right way.” Do what works for you and your child.

For example, some parents like to incorporate bath time into the bedtime routine, but if you’re traveling or already took a bath earlier in the day or got home later than you expected, a bath isn’t always an option. Personally, I like to keep things simple – jammies, brush teeth, story time, goodnight hugs, and then into bed for a few lullabies. A routine like this takes about twenty minutes, which is plenty of time to help your little one calm down, get into a sleepy mood, and drift off without complaint.

Getting Mad and Being Firm are Two Different Things

Of course, as perfect as your bedtime routine is, there will still inevitably be nights when your child simply does not want to go to sleep. If you’re dealing with a nighttime tantrum, the most important thing that you can do is keep your cool. Listen to what your child is saying and repeat their feelings back to them so they know that you are listening. Then do your best to explain why sleep is so important and how your child will feel better after they get some rest. When possible, give your child the opportunity to do one last thing they want to do before going to sleep.

But when it comes down to it, you may need to set boundaries and stick to them. Being firm doesn’t require yelling or being abrasive in any way. On the contrary, it requires patience and consistency.

The Best Way to Sleep Train is the Way that Works for You

There are plenty of “experts” in the world of child development who will tell you that there is only one right way to sleep train. That’s bologna. The way to sleep train is to wait until you feel emotionally ready, to pick a method that makes sense to you, and stick to it. In most cases, successful sleep training takes less than a week, but that can be a very difficult week. Talk to other parents. Talk to your partner. Talk to your pediatrician, and talk to your occupational therapist. Just don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you HAVE TO do things a certain way. The only thing you have to do is listen to your parenting instincts and follow through.

For more information specific to your child about setting up a peaceful sleep environment, breaking bad sleeping habits, and how sleep and occupational therapy overlap, give our office a call. We are always happy to help in any way that we can.

Chicago Kids Activities
5 Indoor Play Places in Chicago that We LOVE
5 Indoor Play Places in Chicago that We LOVE 1000 1000 PTN Chicago

February is the month of love, so we thought we’d take this opportunity to share some of the places that we love in and around Chicago, particularly during these cold winter months. These places are all wonderful spots for engaging your little one in play that promotes healthy child development.

The Chicago Public Library

With every last book available through the internet, it’s easy to forget just how wonderful your local library can be. Spend a half hour letting your little one pick out books that she likes and reading them to her. Do some puzzles, or play a game that you don’t have at home on one of the children’s computers. Each branch also has plenty of interactive programming every month, ranging from homework help to story hours to arts and crafts. Find your local branch and check the event schedule here.

The Little Gym of Chicago

We can’t say enough good things about The Little Gym. This place specializes in classes that involve active play. Some classes are for parents and kids, some are just for kids, and the age range is from four months to twelve years old. (So many places that offer children’s classes start at age two, so this place can be a real life-saver for new parents.) Choose from gymnastics, dance, sport skills, karate, and more. Visit the website here to check out the current class schedule.

Kid City

This indoor play space is over 3,000 square feet and has everything from a play grocery market to a dress up boutique. This is a great spot for toddlers and pre-k kids in particular with big imaginations. You can bring a friend along or plan a session with one of our occupational therapists at this great playground. Learn more about the rates and hours here.

Little Beans Café

A perennial parenting problem is figuring out a way to take your kids on fun adventures and feed them well at the same time. Little Beans Café solves that problem by serving an assortment of drinks (including coffee) and snacks that both parents and kids will enjoy, all within a family play space. This could be the perfect spot to meet with one of our speech therapists to practice socializing, instruction following, and more. Learn more here.

Exceptional Wiggleworms at Old Town School of Folk Music

If your little guy loves music but has sensory sensitivities, then Exceptional Wiggleworms may be the perfect solution. This set of music classes is specifically designed for children with special needs and children with sensitivities to loud noises. Every class follows the same structure and is taught by someone educated in the field of special education. Learn more and sign up for a class here.

These are just a few of the spots we love. For more recommendations, feel free to give our office a call any time. We can also answer any questions you may have about our occupational, speech, and physical therapists or our approach to pediatric therapy.

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