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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

As the good sensory trained therapists that we are, we have long known anecdotally that children with autism often avert eye gaze especially when there is simultaneous input, such as when the child is being given auditory directions and/or is attempting to problem solve a situation.  When I work with teachers who have kids on the spectrum ...

As a peds OT for over 25 years, I’ve said for a long time now that it’s not what we teach our kids in therapy it’s what they teach us!  Here are a few great examples of our ambassadors for special needs: Grace McClelland: Born with a ULD (Upper Limb Difference) at age 5 Grace was bullied by a boy at at school for her “stupid little ...

I was saddened to learn recently  of the death of an icon in the world of OT. Jane Koomar, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA passed away peacefully at her home on February 24th after a long illness.  I did not have the privilege of knowing her personally, but she certainly had an influence on my life as a peds OT with a love for all things SI.  An ...

I just received this update from the SPD Foundation regarding the Newtown, CT murders and the young man identified as the shooter Adam Lanza.  (See my December blog:  Autism Speaks Out About Newtown Tragedy).  PBS's Frontline has released a riveting documentary on Adam, his apparent diagnosis of SPD and his early years as his family ...

I recently had a conversation with a special education coordinator who oversees a large district. Part of her job duties include working with at risk students that have been removed from their home school and placed in a disciplinary education center.  The goal is a temporary placement (90-200+ days) from which the students obtain, then ...

As my year as your peds blogger comes to a close, I thought I would give you a rundown of the top 5 most popular posts.   5.  Weighing in at the fifth spot was the final update on the DSM-5 due out next May: SPD Excluded from DSM-5. 4. The AJOT published study on Speed and Legibility with Pencil Grasp had some surprising ...

In addition to the exclusion of the SPD diagnosis which I blogged about last week,   there are more changes to the upcoming DSM-5 which recently received final revision and approval.   Most notable are the sweeping changes to the autism diagnosis.  To summarize from the Autism Society's position statement ... ''The DSM-5 ...