As Halloween approaches, here is a fun activity to try at home with your kiddo. One of our amazing early interventionist, Jagruti, created a fun and simple arts and crafts activity using things you might already have at home! This activity can be repurposed and reused for any occasion, not just Halloween. Create any silly face to keep this activity fun all year round!
Download our activity packet here:
Mouthing, chewing, and sucking on non-edible objects can become a concerning behavior. Understanding the underlying needs of children who mouth can be the very first step to addressing this with our kiddos.
There are many reasons why children engage in mouthing behaviors. Here are some of the most common reasons:
There are many strategies and tools we can employ to help our child have their needs met in a safe way. Take a look at some simple and effective ways to manage mouthing.
For the full PDF Handout: Managing Mouthing
Parents are the initial evaluators to spot signs and symptoms of DCD in their child before anyone else. When they notice their little one is struggling, having challenges or lacking behind other children in movement skills, such as sitting up or learning to walk. However, sometimes signs and symptoms of DCD are not caught until a child starts school. Teachers may see that the child cannot play at recess or in physical education classes in the same way that other children do. They also may observe that it takes the child longer to complete schoolwork. Children with DCD show a lack of interest in playing with other children.
Children with DCD may have difficulty when they try to:
Preschool Has trouble throwing a ball Plays too roughly or often bump into other kids by accident Has difficulty sitting upright or still Grade K-2 Has trouble holding and using a crayon, a pencil, or scissors Doesn’t form or space letters correctly Struggles with going up and downstairs Frequently bumps into people by accident Has trouble with self-care, like brushing teeth Grade 3-7 Takes a long time to write Has trouble cutting foods Has difficulty with basic routines like getting dressed Struggles to line up columns when doing math problems
Historically, parents have been told not to worry about their child’s clumsiness because the child will outgrow the problem. However, current researchers in the area of DCD report that the children do not outgrow clumsiness and that, without intervention, they will not improve. A key treatment for DCD is occupational therapy (OT). There are many examples of how occupational therapists can work on challenging motor tasks. They might have kids trace letters on sandpaper to build handwriting skills, for example. Or use a lacing board with different colored laces to practice shoe tying. Kids with DCD may also work with physical therapists on balance and muscle tone. Occupational therapy and Physical Therapy assist with helping the child with DCD develop movement strategies that increase coordination, motor planning, balance, strength and body awareness resulting in a decrease in overall clumsiness and increased ability to perform functional activities at home, school and in the community. Speech and language therapy may also be required to help the child with the oral motor skills required for swallowing, chewing and speech.
References
Harrowell, I., Hollén, L., Lingam, R., & Emond, A. (2018). The impact of developmental coordination disorder on educational achievement in secondary school. Research in developmental disabilities, 72, 13-22.
Kirby, A., & Sugden, D. A. (2007). Children with developmental coordination disorders. Journal of the royal society of medicine, 100(4), 182-186.
https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/child-learning-disabilities/dyspraxia/understanding-developmental-coordination-disorder-dcd