San Diego Occupational Therapy

Happy 4th of July weekend! Our clinics will be closed on Monday, July 5 in observance of the holiday. Wishing everyone a fun long weekend! #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #4thofjuly

How many things are being worked on in this cotreatment session? language development core strength balance... feeding #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #speech #speechtherapy #speechtherapist #speechlanguagepathology #speechlanguagepathologist #slp #speechlanguagetherapy #speechtherapist #cotreatment #balance #posturalcontrol #feeding #feedingtherapy #language #languagedevelopment

Does your child love to spin? Children who seek out spinning generally have a high threshold for vestibular input. The vestibular system is located in the inner ear, so getting the head out of an upright position can help intensify vestibular input for children who crave it. If your child loves to spin, try spinning them lying down on their back or in a side-lying position! #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #vestibular #vestibularsystem

Interested in aquatic therapy for your child? Check out our latest blog post to learn more! sandiegooccupationaltherapy.com/blog #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #blog #blogpost #aquatictherapy

We’re so excited to announce that we are now offering aquatic therapy! Contact our office if you’d like to join us in the pool, or for more information! #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #aquatictherapy #watertherapy #pool #swim #swimming

Let’s talk about womb space! A womb space is a dark, small space with limited sensory stimuli (think minimal visual and auditory input). Many children seek out womb spaces when they are in sensory overload to help calm their bodies. This might look like hiding in a tight space, wrapping up in a blanket, or going under a bed. Children seeking womb space often need to reorganize their sensory systems before they can process language and engage in conversation, so facilitating a... womb space for a child who is overstimulated before talking through a challenging moment with them can be helpful. Here’s an example of a womb space we created under the trampoline in our gym - womb spaces can be created anywhere! You can even involve your child in the process of creating a womb space (such as a special corner or tent in their room) that they know they can take a break in when they’re upset or overwhelmed. #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #wombspace #sensoryoverload #sensorybreak

Does your child eat the same foods every day? Check out our blog post on food jags to learn about how feeding therapists can help children expand their food repertoires! sandiegooccupationaltherapy.com/blog #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #blog #blogpost #feeding #feedingtherapy #foodjags #pickyeaters

We love this sweet post from one of our fantastic SDOT families! We love helping children and families build their sensory toolboxes! #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #parenttestimony #sensorystrategies #copingtools #upsidedown

Check out this fun twist on the classic game HORSE (we swapped out horse for Christmas to be festive)! This game is a fun way to work on hand-eye coordination and handwriting, and can be made more challenging by adding in dynamic surfaces to stand on to work on balance! This is an easy game to get creative with inside or outside! #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #handeyecoordination #game #balance #handwriting

Did you know vibration can be a powerful way to alert the tactile system? Check out our blog post to learn how we can use vibration to facilitate skill building! sandiegooccupationaltherapy.com/blog #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #blog #blogpost #tactile #tactilesystem #vibration #zvibe

Who says fine motor skills have to be practiced at the table? Kids are spending so much time seated at desks these days with virtual learning. Many children don’t want to engage in fine motor activities simply because they involve more time sitting. We love incorporating fine motor skill building in obstacle courses that allow for whole-body sensory input, movement breaks, and varied postural demands. This picture is an example of a step in an obstacle course involving colori...ng on a vertical surface while standing on an air pillow for some extra vestibular input and a balance challenge. What’s your favorite non-traditional way to work on fine motor skills at home? #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #finemotor #finemotorskills #handwriting #obstaclecourse

A common question parents ask us this time of year is what gifts could help benefit their child’s development. We’ve put together a holiday gift guide on our blog with some ideas for gifts for different ages and target skill areas! Head to sandiegooccupationaltherapy.com/blog to check it out! #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #blog #blogpost #gifts #giftguide #giftideas #christmas #hanukkah #holidays

Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) Communication comes in many forms, and an AAC device is one tool nonverbal or minimally verbal kiddos can use to access and learn language! AAC devices promote independence, expand communication, and increase social exchanges! #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #aac #communication #slp #speech #speechtherapy #speechtherapist #speechlanguagepathologist #speechlanguagepathology #speechlanguagetherapy #speechlanguagepathologist

Let’s talk BOOK SHARING! It is never too early to start reading books with your child. The simple routine of sitting down to read a book with your child has very far-reaching effects on language and literacy development! exposes your child to new vocabulary supports grammar skills provides context for learning pre-literacy and early literacy skills improves inferencing and predictive skills... supports cognitive development #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #books #booksharing #literacy #preliteracy #language #languagedevelopment

@lwtears is one of our favorite handwriting programs! This curriculum involves a sensory and motor approach to writing and pre-writing skills. Mat Man is a favorite activity at our clinic for teaching how to draw a person and work on pre-writing skills. When we heard about the @lwtears Mat Man costume contest, we had to enter! Which is your favorite Mat Man costume? Harry Potter, pirate, or fisherman? Swipe to see our Mat Man looks! #MatManHalloween2020 #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #matman #costumecontest #halloween #lwtears #learningwithouttears #handwritingwithouttears #lwt #hwt

Even through Halloween looks a little different this year, we love hearing the excitement about costume planning from our kids! We’re launching a costume contest this year to add to the fun! Enter for a chance to win a $25 gift card! To enter the contest, post a picture of your child in their costume by 10/30, tag @sandiego_occupationaltherapy, and use the hashtag #SDOTcostumecontest. We can’t wait to see everyone’s costumes! #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #halloween #halloweencostume #costumecontest #contest #SDOTcostumecontest

Before after Sometimes our treatment activities involve a lot of setup and cleanup time, but it is always worth it to see our patients achieving new skills while having a blast! #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #rockwall #cleanup

Looking for a Halloween-themed activity to do at home? Try ghost bowling! This is a great activity for fine motor AND gross motor skills! Save empty bottles and fill them with cotton balls or tissue paper (bonus points if you use tweezers), then decorate the outside with a spooky face to make ghost bowling pins! Experiment with setting up the pins in different places or adding a balance challenge while you bowl! Adding a weighted ball is a great bonus for calming proprioceptive input! #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #halloween #bowling #craft #finemotor #finemotorskills #grossmotor #grossmotorskills #proprioception #sensorybreak

Happy Fine Motor Friday! Here’s a fun, easy Halloween-themed craft to practice bimanual coordination and cutting skills! Help your child to trace their own hand and cut it out to create their own pumpkin! Have them draw on a face or get creative by gluing on odds and ends from around the house! #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #craft #finemotor #finemotorskills #coordination #finemotorfriday #scissorskills #halloween #halloweencraft

What’s in a word search? SO many opportunities for skill development! Use word searches at home to work on horizontal and vertical visual scanning and ocular motor skills, figure-ground skills, and more! Have your older child make their own to word search to work on executive functioning, motor planning, spatial awareness, letter sequencing, etc. Make it fun by using chalkboards, whiteboards, sidewalk chalk, etc. to mix up the sensory experience and add some organizing sensor...y input - we love the proprioceptive input and postural/gross motor demands from this rock wall word search one of our kiddos created in our gym! #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #wordsearch #spelling #visualmotor #visualperception #ocularmotor #ocularmotorskills

Does your child demonstrate letter or number reversals? Check out our blog post on reversals to learn more about when to be concerned about reversals and how to address them! sandiegooccupationaltherapy.com/blog #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #blog #blogpost #reversals #letterreversals #writing #handwriting

Did your know your child should have a dominant hand established by age 5? Check out our latest blog post to find out how you can support your child’s development of a dominant hand! #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #blog #blogpost #handdominance #finemotorskills #finemotor #handwriting

When should my child be able to say that? This is a question we get often! Check out our latest blog post about ages of speech sound acquisition, and factors that can influence acquiring speech sounds! sandiegooccupationaltherapy.com/blog #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #speech #slp #speechsounds #speechlanguagepathologist #speechlanguagepathology #speechtherapy #speechlanguagetherapy #blog #blogpost

We can’t get enough of these sibling sessions! Working with siblings is a great way to teach co-regulation skills that can be carried over at home! #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #siblings

That smile you get when you achieve something new! This superstar celebrated independently climbing up a ladder to ride her favorite zip line! This milestone moment brought big smiles all around! #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #milestone #milestonemoment

What do potty training, hunger, and temperature have in common? Check out our latest blog post to learn more about interoception! sandiegooccupationaltherapy.com/blog #SDOTINC #sandiegooccupationaltherapy #OT #occupationaltherapy #sensory #sensoryintegration #spd #sensoryprocessingdisorder #tricare #militarymoms #play #interoception #interoceptivesystem #blog #blogpost