A Pediatric Perspective

A Must Have Early Intervention Resource!

2013-06-19T17:21:00Z

If you work in EI in any capacity, check out this new video from the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Entitled Bringing The Early Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorders into Focus , it is the work of Rebecca Landa, Ph.D, CCC-SLP the Director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD). In this 9 minute clip, several simple case scenarios of typically developing toddlers are displayed vs. those showing signs of autism in an easy to understand format. Released earlier this month and originally developed...(read more)

The Moore OK Tornado: One Brave School SLP’s Story

2013-06-07T19:31:00Z

I know this is a peds blog for OT, but as a profession, most of us work closely with our speech therapy comrades so when this came across my desk I knew I had to post it. Amy is a SLP working in a school that was recently hit by the devastating EF5 tornado near Moore, OK. She and her SLP colleagues survived and she recently posted a blog entitled The Tornado and Me : May 20 th Has Forever Changed My Life. It is a gripping tale of bravery, fear, loss, survival and hope. She is so remarkably courageous:...(read more)

Bubble Dough and Other Fun Stuff

2013-06-06T16:00:00Z

So I usually leave the activity ideas to Pinterest and/or all those fabulous OT bloggers out there that pump out great content on a regular basis. However, I recently ran across this cute blog called Tot School from Shannon and this post on making Bubble Dough was just too fun to pass up and seemed perfect for the summer days ahead. It’s quick and easy to mix a batch and the tactile component of the mixing, rolling, squishing and forming may be that just right texture for sensory avoiders and sensory...(read more)

DSM-5 Debut

2013-05-30T19:37:00Z

Well, it’s like it or not it’s official. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual ( DSM-5 ) was released earlier this month. This edition has been controversial because of the changes made in the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and what it includes and omits. See my earlier blog on entitled More Updates on the DSM-5 for a recap of the changes. The US Autism and Asperger’s Association made the statement that they do not support the changes made to the DSM-5 while Autism Speaks published a supporting...(read more)

Weighted Blankets: What Do We Know?

2013-05-28T22:12:00Z

As a peds therapist and on staff expert for an equipment company for special needs, I do get asked periodically for more resources on weighted blankets. There have been some well-known published studies on weighted vests including Fertel-Daly et all on the effects of a weighted vest on attention to task and VandenBerg’s study on the use of a weighted vest and on task behavior . Honaker and Rossi wrote an informative two part series in the 2005 SISIS Quarterly entitled Proprioceptive and Participation...(read more)

Golf & Gangs

2013-05-10T15:30:00Z

This title from a recent Advance Article caught my attention. As a golf enthusiast (where my score does not yet reflect my passion for the game!) and with May being Mental Health Awareness Month I found the topic timely and fascinating. Basically a group of Level 2 fieldwork students at Kean University in Union, NJ developed an inner city youth camp at nearby Weequahic Park Golf Course. The group, aptly named PAR FORE for Perseverance, Accountability, Resiliency, Fellowship, Opportunity, Respect...(read more)

Children's Mental Health Awareness Day

2013-05-07T17:30:00Z

I was glad to see this pop up on my radar. This Thursday May 9th is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day . With our 24/7 news and social media feed these days it just seems as if there is a barrage of attention lately focused on escalating violence affecting children. Traumatic events such as the Sandy Hook school shooting or the Boston Marathon tragedy are still thankfully the exception in the U.S. but these events should and do make us pause and consider the long term effects on all...(read more)

AOTA Conference Recap Part 2

2013-05-02T20:23:00Z

I sat in on a great short course for Children and Youth last week at the AOTA conference. Entitled Finding Our Niche in RtI , instructors Joyce Salis, OTD, OTR/L and Janet Bucey, OTR/L did a super job of explaining OT’s role in the RtI process at each of the tiers. There was no shortage of suggested resources either, from EBP citations including this one from Bazyk et all about OT’s role in a General Kindergarten Setting , to recommending practical solutions you can put to use now.! Zones for Regulation...(read more)

AOTA Conference Recap

2013-04-30T15:13:00Z

I was thrilled to be at the AOTA conference last week in San Diego. This is the first time in many years that I have gone just as an attendee/participant and it was both insightful and delightful to sit in on courses, go to poster sessions and network with colleagues and friends. I believe this year’s attendance was one of the highest on record in many years. There was something for everyone with topics covering from pediatrics to geriatrics, health and wellness to work and industry. The Welcome...(read more)

Recess Resources

2013-04-23T20:16:00Z

Continuing on our Earth Day adventures with the theme of getting outside one of my fellow colleagues who is a former PE instructor sent me a great blog from peds OT Loren Shlaes. Entitled Why Kids Need Recess and PE for Academic Success it is an open invitation to teachers (and parents and ANYONE who will listen!) on the value of recess for learning and behavior for school aged children. Her simple yet powerful message of “recess is just as important, if not more important than anything else in the...(read more)

Is Nature Deficit Disorder on the Rise in Children?

2013-04-19T19:11:00Z

With Earth Day this Monday (4/22/13) it seemed appropriate to bring up this topic. No NDD is not an official medical diagnosis, but a description of “human alienation from nature.” Upon the recommendation of a trusted OT friend, I have just downloaded the Kindle version of the book Last Child in the Woods : Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv. The opening quote in the review is revealing as a 4 th grade student reports: " I like to play indoors better 'cause that's where...(read more)

Telehealth Update

2013-04-17T21:26:00Z

This concept is popping up in my world again so just thought I would give an update on my blog from earlier this year on Telehealth . My sister is a clinical nurse specialist who works for a busy pediatric cardiology center. Her team is discussing how telehealth may possibly be used to monitor discharged infants and children who live in more remote/distance areas. Then, another OT friend who manages a staff of therapists for a large urban school district told me she had received an email invitation...(read more)

COTAs in School Based Practice

2013-04-12T20:51:00Z

I read Jennifer’s recent blog entitled Defending COTAs a few weeks ago and it got me thinking about this from a pediatric perspective. As an OTR I have worked with some wonderful COTAs in a hospital setting, but not in school based practice so I thought I might be a little naïve in this area. Since I was recently onsite for a therapy department in-service for a rather large school district I decided to put the questions to the lead therapist as they use COTAs as part of OT service provision for special...(read more)

Teachers Are My Heroes!

2013-04-05T13:16:00Z

This week I am in lovely San Antonio, TX for the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) conference. Around 3,500+ special education teachers and administers as well as related support service professionals are in attendance for this annual event. Common Core, looming budget cuts, the challenges of inclusion and co-teaching and collaboration are just some of the themes that seem to be surfacing. Beyond all the standards, fiscal policy and red tape issues though what comes through to me at this conference...(read more)

Update on Budget Cuts: Are They Impacting Your Peds Practice?

2013-03-29T15:12:00Z

Last September I posted a blog about the BCA (Budget Control Act) and the impending cuts that would take effect. Now with the lack of a deal by our politicians, the resulting sequestration which calls for $1.2 trillion across the board budget cuts over the next 9 years technically began March 1 st . The latest information indicates that about $85 billion would be cut this year from military and domestic programs. Bundled into this number includes f unding that will be reduced for several initiatives...(read more)