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Remember the days when all the neighborhood kids would get together to play a game of kickball or freeze tag outside? Remember when you would use recycled food boxes to set up your own grocery store? Remember when you built forts in your living room using blankets, furniture, pillows and whatever else you could find? Here at Leaps and Bounds we are on a mission to bring back old fashioned play.

Play is important for the language and social development of a child. Play encourages parent-child communication, interaction with peers, the use of his imagination, and the development of other skills vital to academic success.

Join us on Thursday, May 2nd from 7:30-9:00 PM to find out how you can bring back old fashioned play with your kids!

Some people may wonder “Why would a child need occupational therapy? Kids do not have jobs.” A child actually has many jobs throughout his day, including: playing, interacting with peers and adults, following directions, sitting down and paying attention, completing school work, completing self-help tasks (bathing, dressing, eating, managing belongings), engaging in fine motor and gross motor activities, and regulating emotions. When a child has a challenge in one or more of these areas, then he may benefit from occupational therapy. At Leaps and Bounds, we assess a child to determine the underlying causes of the challenges and we provide fun, play-based therapy to improve skills. Please refer to our Development Checklist (Does My Child Need Help?) or call our office for a free consultation if you have concerns about your child.

Looking for the perfect gift for that special child in your life? What IS the perfect gift? If you ask the therapists at Leaps and Bounds, we will tell you that the gift should be a toy or game that will encourage the use of the senses, promote motor skill development, and facilitate language skills. While that may not sound like fun, that is what makes it a perfect gift. It provides opportunities for learning and development, while a child will simply see the toy as fun, unadulterated play. So, what is this toy you ask? Well, it may be any one of many toys or games sitting on the shelves of your local store.

The tendency today is to buy electronic toys. Everything is focused on technological advancement. Even for the smallest of babies, toys light up, make noise, speak different languages, you name it. While these toys have their benefits, they offer limited interactive sensory experiences. The more a child can engage his senses, the more learning and development will occur. When a child is able to hold and feel an object, use his proprioceptive sense to get feedback about force and direction, or use his eyes when looking at a three-dimensional object, then his brain is making sense of his body and the world around him. This helps a child to better develop fine motor and gross motor skills, social skills, language skills, attention, and self-regulation.

A popular electronic game such as Angry Birds may hold a child’s attention, but it offers limited sensory experiences. While a child must learn to change his force as he drags his finger back to launch the bird, it does not offer much more for tactile and proprioceptive feedback. The visual input from the screen is only two-dimensional, which limits visual development.

On the other hand, let’s talk about good old-fashioned toys, such as building blocks or Legos®. What can a child do with these? He can build a fort, a cave, a castle, a garage, a house, a fire station, do I need to go on?? The options are endless. What does it take to build a structure? It requires the creation of an idea, the motor plan to build it, and the strength, control and visual motor coordination to place the blocks where they are intended. Vision, touch, and proprioception help the body to stack and create. The child gets feedback about how much force to use to place the blocks so they do not fall over, as well as how to control his arm and hand to place the block. The child can develop language skills by learning and understanding spatial concepts such as stacking “on, behind, up, etc.” If a child builds a structure with a peer, he must learn cooperative play, turn-taking, negotiating, compromising, and other social skills. The development of skills with such a simple activity can be limitless.

A nice alternative to modern technology with the benefits of a traditional toy is the Angry Birds Board Game. This game requires that the child build with blocks and then use a three-dimensional sling to launch birds to knock down the tower. This game will provide him with skill-building sensory experiences (and lots of fun!).

You know what my 6 month old loves to play with more than anything? Paper. She can entertain herself for 20 minutes by just ripping and scrunching and dropping and banging paper. What does she learn? She learns how it feels and sounds when she uses it for different actions. Every now and then as it creeps up to her mouth, she learns how it tastes! She is developing fine motor strength and control as she scrunches it, drops it and picks it back up. She is learning how to use both of her hands together and how to coordinate her eyes with her hands. She is discovering cause and effect and the impact she can have on her environment. While we will not give her paper as a gift, we realize that the choice of toys for her can greatly impact her skill development. The more she can explore on her own, the more learning and growth that will occur. She can learn a lot more from playing with paper than from slapping a button that will make lights, music, and animal sounds (which usually happens all at once and is over-stimulating). How many times have you purchased an expensive gift, and a child spends more time playing with the box? Just think about all of the sensory experiences and the learning and development that can occur with that simple box and a child’s vivid imagination!

So, as you are searching for that perfect gift idea, consider how a toy can stimulate the senses, enhance motor development, and challenge thinking. Look no further than some of the great, traditional toys and games that can provide oodles of fun and tons of development opportunities.
Click on this link for a list of toys and games that make great gifts.

Toy & Game Lists

About 2 years ago, our families began coming to their appointments with iPads. They either purchased the iPads, or they were loaned from their child’s school. The families were excited at the possibilities, and everything they heard about how great the iPad could be for kids with varying needs. However, they did not know what to do with this new piece of technology. They knew their child enjoyed playing games or watching videos, but there had to be more to it than that. So, they started asking our therapists questions. How do I choose an app? How can I get my child to access the iPad effectively? What apps will motivate my child? What do I do with this iPad?

In response to this growing need, Leaps and Bounds purchased an iPad. Our therapists began to educate themselves and train each other on the information they received. As a result, we began to have greater success with the iPad and were better able to help our parents figure out apps that would benefit their child. Both at therapy and home, our kids were making gains in handwriting, visual attention, communication, and overall engagement.

In September, Leaps and Bounds, Inc. had the pleasure of presenting at the Touch Technology Applications for Children with Special Needs Conference and Expo 2012. This conference brought app developers, professionals, parents and special educators together. We were able to speak with app developers and network with other professionals about applications, products, and trends for the iPad. This conference received recognition on local and national stations for its innovative approach to education on a subject we are all continuing to learn.

The iPad is a tool. It certainly has limitations that we need to be aware of, but the iPad has offered a portable, motivating method to teach, learn, and interact in a way we have not seen before. There are new apps being created constantly, and with those new apps comes more possibilities. It is not just about playing games on the iPad, it is a new tool helping kids to access their world in a new way.

If you would like to learn more about utilizing your iPad with your child, we would like to invite you to attend our FREE Parent Seminar Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 7:00 pm. Lori Holbrook will be presenting “I Have An iPad, Now What?”

Lisa Cooseman OTR/ L, MS

Leaps and Bounds, Inc. held a group in June that met 2 times/ week utilizing Dr. Kay Toomey’s S.O.S. Approach to Feeding. Our group was called Lunch Munch. The children in this group were 4-5 years of age. They entered the group with a strong aversion to mealtime and were classified by their parents as being “picky eaters.” Their diet consisted mostly of purees including baby food, mashed potatoes and some dry crunchy foods (crackers).

The group was led by a speech language pathologist and an occupational therapist. Another therapist also met with the parents each session to talk to them about the program and how to facilitate the program at home. The parents also watched several sessions via video from another room as a therapist described the process of the group.

The group was such a success! All of the kids met their goal of becoming more comfortable at mealtimes. During table time, they were engaged and positive. Each child was able to interact with the food each time it was presented by touching it, bringing it to their mouth, biting it, and even at times, swallowing the food. The children made progress with each session. Parents reported the following progress at home as well:
• Sitting at mealtime without difficulty
• Gagging decreased when food was presented
• Trying different foods
• Accepting new foods on their plate
• Touching foods that they previously could not tolerate in front of them

This program has been a great tool to use to navigate this difficult area. The process of getting a “picky eater” to eat takes time and patience, but this program has proven to be helpful.

What makes Leaps and Bounds different from other therapy providers?

Leaps and Bounds was created to provide a unique therapy experience for children and their families. Our caring, well-trained professional staff provides one-of-a-kind, individualized therapy to meet the specific needs of each child and family. At Leaps and Bounds, many parents experience relief in finding professionals who understand their child and the unique struggles their family faces each day.

Each therapist at Leaps and Bounds is highly trained to provide top-quality therapy. Our therapists use a comprehensive approach to assess each child’s needs. We ensure that our therapists are trained in the latest, most up-to-date therapies, including but not limited to: Sensory Integration Therapy, The Listening Program, Therapeutic Listening, Handwriting Without Tears, Talk Tools, Beckman Oral-Motor Treatment, CranioSacral Therapy, and Myofascial Release.

We have found that children make the most progress when parents understand why their child is having difficulties. Therefore, we spend a significant amount of time educating parents about how sensory processing is impacting their child’s performance. We want parents to fully understand the underlying causes of their child’s difficulties, how therapy services would benefit their child, and strategies they can use at home, at school, and in the community.

Our center provides a safe environment for parents to express concerns, share their feelings and frustrations, and celebrate their child’s successes. Parents frequently call or stop by the center just to ask questions or to share stories. We are always ready with an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, and a smile of support. We often start as a professional resource for families but remain friends long after therapy has ended.

It is our passion to provide children and families with a positive, memorable experience. We get to celebrate with families when their child can verbalize his requests, make it through a store without a meltdown, sit for a family meal, wear hair bows without tears, walk barefoot in the sand, and enjoy raindrops on her face. We can help your child succeed, and we can guarantee that you will not have a similar experience anywhere else!

Come experience the difference at Leaps and Bounds!

When: November 13, 2009 8:00am-3:45pm

Where: Marriott St. Louis Airport

Presented by Carrie Salyer and Lisa Cooseman

Handwriting is a complex task that requires the integration of our senses. In this seminar, participants will learn to look at handwriting through all of the senses. Understanding the foundational components of handwriting is critical in facilitating successful skill development. The sensory systems and their ability to process information is the center of this development. The presenter will discuss the developmental and sensory processing foundations that are necessary for production of efficient and legible handwriting. Various evaluation tools, including standardized and non-standardized assessments will be discussed to assist attendees in determining which tool may be best suited for the children they serve. This course will provide a different perspective of addressing handwriting development, as compared to traditional, direct treatment approaches. There is an emphasis on addressing the underlying skills required for efficient and legible handwriting. Specific handwriting techniques will not be taught.

Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants are urged to register today!