ITS Integrated Therapy Solutions

G is for Grasps! Did you know we use all different kind of grasps to help pick-up and hold onto different items? Occupational therapists can help children who are having difficulties using certain grasps so they can participate in different activities such as feeding and play! Correct grasps are also important to prevent injury when picking up something heavy or even when writing repetitively. ITS Therapist: Amy * * *... * * * * * * * * * * * * #integratedtherapy #integratedtherapysolutions #occupationaltherapy #physicaltherapist #speechtherapist #tomatis #cellfield #Neurofeedback #Forbrain #languagetherapy #play #physicalTherapy #kids #speech #kidsactivities #sensoryplay #earlylearning #toddleractivities #teletherapyOT #activitiesofdailyliving #pediatrics #speechtherapy #sensorybin #floortime #speechie #pediatricPt #sensorygym #earlyinterventionspeech See more

F is for Feeding! Feeding, eating and mealtimes are all very complex activities. It is social, emotional, cultural, sensory, and physical. Occupational therapists take into consideration and help support children in families in all of those areas from picky-eating to chewing and swallowing. For your next mealtime, try talking about your food together. What do you see, feel, hear, smell, taste from your food? ITS Therapist: Amy * * *... * * * * * * * * * * * * #integratedtherapy #integratedtherapysolutions #occupationaltherapy #physicaltherapist #speechtherapist #tomatis #cellfield #Neurofeedback #Forbrain #languagetherapy #play #physicalTherapy #kids #speech #kidsactivities #sensoryplay #earlylearning #toddleractivities #teletherapyOT #activitiesofdailyliving #pediatrics #speechtherapy #sensorybin #floortime #speechie #pediatricPt #sensorygym #earlyinterventionspeech See more

E is for Exercise! Occupational therapists help provide a variety of different exercises and can use them in different ways too! These might be to help with walking, running, jumping, pinching, or even chewing! Exercises can also be used to help our children feel ready to participate by providing movement opportunities. These might be Youtube videos of their favorite characters or familiar songs and dances. ITS Therapist: Amy * * *... * * * * * * * * * * * * #integratedtherapy #integratedtherapysolutions #occupationaltherapy #physicaltherapist #speechtherapist #tomatis #cellfield #Neurofeedback #Forbrain #languagetherapy #play #physicalTherapy #kids #speech #kidsactivities #sensoryplay #earlylearning #toddleractivities #teletherapyOT #activitiesofdailyliving #pediatrics #speechtherapy #sensorybin #floortime #speechie #pediatricPt #sensorygym #earlyinterventionspeech See more

D is for Development! Occupational therapists are trained in child development and identifying when children should be able to reach certain milestones. This helps us know if a child might be delayed and how to best support the child to reach their milestones. Every child is unique and we understand that. Occupational therapists take their knowledge in development and their knowledge of the child to make therapy a fun and supportive experience for all! ITS Therapist: Amy * *... * * * * * * * * * * * * * #integratedtherapy #integratedtherapysolutions #occupationaltherapy #physicaltherapist #speechtherapist #tomatis #cellfield #Neurofeedback #Forbrain #languagetherapy #play #physicalTherapy #kids #speech #kidsactivities #sensoryplay #earlylearning #toddleractivities #teletherapyOT #activitiesofdailyliving #pediatrics #speechtherapy #sensorybin #floortime #speechie #pediatricPt #sensorygym #earlyinterventionspeech See more

C is for Co-Regulation! Co-Regulation is when you and your child regulate together such as when you rock your child in your arms. Co-regulation is important when your children are older too! Letting your child know that you're there for them when they're having a hard time is crucial for their development. Make some time for co-regulation together by sending aside time to do yoga, go for a walk, talk about your day, or read together! ITS Therapist: Amy * * *... * * * * * * * * * * * * #integratedtherapy #integratedtherapysolutions #occupationaltherapy #physicaltherapist #speechtherapist #tomatis #cellfield #Neurofeedback #Forbrain #languagetherapy #play #physicalTherapy #kids #speech #kidsactivities #sensoryplay #earlylearning #toddleractivities #teletherapyOT #activitiesofdailyliving #pediatrics #speechtherapy #sensorybin #floortime #speechie #pediatricPt #sensorygym #earlyinterventionspeech See more

B is for Bath Time! Bathtime is one of our ADL's, but it is also a time that is a great place for expanding play and building skills. Introduce bath toys to expand imaginative play. Practice scooping and pouring with spoons and cups. Use bathtub-safe paints to practice prewriting and writing skills! We know that bathtime can be stressful too. Try bringing play to an empty bathtub or encourage your child to try washing themselves before you finish up the rest. ITS Therapist:... Amy * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * #integratedtherapy #integratedtherapysolutions #occupationaltherapy #physicaltherapist #speechtherapist #tomatis #cellfield #Neurofeedback #Forbrain #languagetherapy #play #physicalTherapy #kids #speech #kidsactivities #sensoryplay #earlylearning #toddleractivities #teletherapyOT #activitiesofdailyliving #pediatrics #speechtherapy #sensorybin #floortime #speechie #pediatricPt #sensorygym #earlyinterventionspeech See more

Our cutting edge therapeutic techniques were showcased on a segment of "THIS IS LA"!

Simple tasks can sometimes be difficult for some. Our occupational therapist can assist and help strengthen motor skills and coordination. Buttoning can be difficult for a lot of kids, so it can be helpful to break it down. Our OT’s can help families and kids break down difficult tasks. For example, one of our OT kids practiced finding and taking out beads from playdough, helping their strength and coordination. With activities and some practice, they’re able to button their shirt! Give us a call today, and let us discuss how we can help your family’s needs.

CONGRADUATION to our kiddo for successfully completing our Early Intervention, Occupational and Speech Therapy that we offer here at Integrated Therapy Solutions!

Handwriting can be challenging and frustrating for kids. So why not make it fun! Handwriting can be more than just taking a pencil to paper. You can practice handwriting with paint, playdough, Lego blocks, and more! One of our OT kids has been enjoying practicing handwriting in Cool Whip for a fun (and yummy) experience! Spread some Cool Whip (or another whipped cream or shaving cream) on a baking tray and get writing! You can use your fingers, Q-tips, cotton pads, or even a spatula.

How to transition to eating with utensils and facilitate spoon use Start introducing utensils for the child to explore and play with during mealtimes. Always encourage the child to hold the spoon during mealtimes. Encourage banging and mouthing it. Incorporate scooping motions during the child’s play such as scooping in sand, water, bathtub, rice, and beans. Experiment in using different tools such as a cup, shovel, bottles and spoon. You can have the child sc...oop and transfer into different bowls and containers. Start with sticky and lumpy food (e.g. oatmeal, yogurt, mashed potato) to practice. These kinds of food stick to the spoon, does not spill as much, and stays on the spoon even though the spoon is not in proper orientation. This will lessen the child’s frustration when practicing. Then, slowly vary food consistencies as the child’s skill improves. Encourage dipping the spoon into the food and practice putting it into the child’s mouth. Initially guide the child’s hand and help the hand hold and bring the spoon to the mouth. Always remember that your child is still practicing so being messy in the beginning is okay. In addition, messy play is also a good way to expose him in different tactile experiences while feeding. Let the child play and touch the food in front of him and get messy with his hands. Practice, practice, practice! Slowly decrease assistance as the child learns how to control the spoon better.

1. Squigz: Squigz are great for fine motor development: by having your child pull them apart and push them together. They’re also great for gross motor development if you have them pull them off of the wall while standing, kneeling, or on the floor while they’re on a therapy ball. They’re strongly made, so the extra strength needed also provides regulating proprioceptive input! 2. Kinetic Sand: Kinetic sand provides great opportunities for tactile exploration with its soft te...xtures. It can help support fine motor skills through hiding items in the sand or molding the sand into different shapes. 3.Pop Toobz: Pop toobs provide endless opportunities for fun and exploration. Pulling apart and pushing in the pop toobs helps support bilateral coordination skills. You can make hats or necklaces but linking the ends together as well! The pop toobs make an incredibly fun sound for all ages. The textured ridges provide tactile exploration. You can blow into the toob or roll a marble down for fine motor and oral-motor fun! 4. Yoga Pretzels: oga is an amazing regulating activity for everybody in the family! It provides a lot of proprioceptive input that helps regulate the body and raise awareness of our bodies. Use a few cards in your routine to help regulate everybody in the family. You could even make stories with the cards and increase imaginative play! 5. Fubbles: Bubbles are always lots of fun and they can be used indoors and outdoors with Fubbles that prevent spillage! Bubbles are great not only for oral-motor skills but also for fine motor skills! You can also use bubbles to help practice deep breathing to help promote regulation.

Many parents of young children may be nervous to start teletherapy with their little ones. They may think that they may not be engaged or that it would not be as effective. Throughout these months we have seen that even young children can engage through teletherapy and we have made great progress! Teletherapy also helps get the parents more involved so they can practice the speech strategies at home! Keep an eye out for following posts regarding how we can use these activities for more language use through teletherapy! Here are some teletherapy activities that I like to do with early intervention:

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Hello, goodbye, how are you? Social interaction is part of our everyday life, even if it looks a little different these days. Helping our children develop pro-social skills helps them communicate their needs with family, friends, teachers, and other important people in their lives. Both speech therapy and occupational therapy can support your child's pro-social skills in different ways. Stay tuned for some activities our speech and occupational therapists use to help promote pro-social skills!

HOW MANY WAYS WE CAN PLAY WITH MAGNETIC ERASABLE BOARD? 1. Use the different shapes of magnetic to make the shapes on the board that we can work on learning the shapes and fine motor skills by holding them. 2. Make circles on the board with a magnetic pen. Place stickers inside the circles to work on hand-eye coordination skills. 3. Use the magnetic pen to circle or connect the stickers to work on the pre-writing skills.... 4. Scribble and draw on the board by holding the magnetic board to work on developing a functional writing grasp erase it all and practice again and again! Is your child’s pen/pencil grasping appropriate? Ask an OT for help. 5. Share with us and have fun! Don’t hesitate to contact us if you want to know more ways to interact with your own toys! See more

"At ITS, we believe that routines are important, whether they're big or small. Our therapists create routines in their sessions to help prepare and ground children and families into session, whether it's the first or fiftieth session. Occupational therapist Amy Zhao's, OTD, OTR/L, session routine is a singing bowl. Amy plays out the singing bowl at the start of each session to let families and children know it's time to start OT! Amy says, "The ringing tone is calming and catches the child and caregiver's attention. It creates a moment where everybody is present and attentive to the sound. I always feel there's a sense of calm after the tone is done ringing and everybody is regulated and ready to start." If you're interested in learning more, visit our website in the bio or give us a call!"

5 Ways to Use Pasta for Sensory Play: 1. Set out a tub or towel of dry pasta noodles with spoons, tongs, measuring cups and/or cups and sit back as your child explores scooping, transferring and handling the dry pasta with their hands and with the tools you have set out. 2. Get adventurous with cooked pasta noodles and let your little ones play with the slimy, slippery noodles after they have cooled down (or even as they are cooling down). If your child is slow to warm up to ...the texture of cooked pasta, encourage them to first explore with tools like tongs or spoons. 3. Make a musical instrument with your dried pasta! You can have your child experiment with sounds by putting different pastas into different jars (i.e., milk carton, yoghurt cup, etc.). They will find that different jars allow them to make different sounds. 4. Add some food coloring into your cooked pasta or even add paint to your dried pasta and watch as your child's visual system is engaged. The different colors might even inspire your child to get their hands involved with that slimy pasta! 5. Mix up the types of pasta and the way they are presented (cooked and non-cooked) to promote your child's exploration of varying textures. Can you think of more ways use to pasta?

Better late than never! Happy Pumpkin Season!

Playing with PlayDoh is a stimulating activity that facilitates children’s fine motor development, enhances bilateral coordination and improves eye-hand coordination. For this activity, a child was challenged to follow step by step instructions to create an animal of their choosing. Not only did they have to problem solve, but their little hand muscles were also challenged as they rolled and squashed their playdough to make the different pieces. What animal can you make with your PlayDoh?

ITS is currently providing teletherapy and has openings for all our services Speech, Occupational and Physical Therapy as well as Early Intervention/Infant Stimulation. Please contact us if you are interested in receiving therapy.