What is Pediatric Teletherapy?
I still remember the first time I heard about Teletherapy (sessions via video); It was about 5 years ago and a coworker was talking about doing it part time for speech therapy. My first instinct was, how does that help kids?!
Many things that happened in 2020 seemed unimaginable to our 2015 selves, but here we are! There are many pros to teletherapy, I can’t say it’s for everyone but for many families it allowed for a closer educational relationship with the therapist. A huge part of Occupational Therapy focuses on training parents and families to assist their child progression, and doing teletherapy facilitated that.
So let’s go though some activities for great (middle school aged) teletherapy sessions!
Meme writing: You can share a funny picture to start. They can work on typing or writing, and it also works on executive functioning.
Online Games:
Bamboozle.com
https://jeopardylabs.com/
Escape Room: You can share a google doc, powerpoint or a word document. Some activities can be solving trivia, gross motor activities, fine motor activities, locating items.
Fantasy Sports Team: This is great for kids that are into sports, they can choose players. Names and stats can be listed on a shared word document. They can also add mascot, colors, uniforms, stadium name if they like.
Virtual Field Trip: The student can choose country, landmark or venue to tour. They can add pictures and videos to a google slide or power point and present to Field Trip Participants (OT, teacher, family members).
Newsletter: On a shared document, the student can research a topic (ex: sports trivia, gaming tips, recipes) and write a report.
If you need more ideas or you would like to schedule a consult, please email us at smplytherapy@gmail.com.
Trigger finger
This new lifestyle of staying at home has it’s pro’s and con’s. I have saved some mileage on my car lease, and gas money has gone towards take-out food (support small businesses!). I have also been able to take many more continuing education courses online throughout the year, helping me understand different diagnoses and the new research that has come out since I’ve been in school; This week I wanted to talk about a lesser known diagnosis called Trigger Finger.
It’s something that affects 2-3% of the general population, and most common in middle aged women. What happens is, there may be a stiffness, triggering, clicking or catching of the finger when extending a digit; limiting the use of your finger. It usually affects the dominant hand, ring and long fingers most commonly, and there’s an increased incidence with comorbidities like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Diabetes, and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
There are stages to Trigger Finger, so if not addressed with your doctor or Occupational Therapist, it can worsen. Early stages result in the clicking or catching of the finger, then patients may find it hard to open (extend) the finger as it progresses. The reason that your finger may be locking/clicking is because there is inflammation or a nodule preventing your finger from moving freely through the tendon sheath ( tunnel for your tendon to run through).
An Occupational Therapist will treat those with this condition to improve their use of hand. We will evaluate your hand, strength, and how it affects your daily activities. After evaluation, we will build a plan of care to improve your condition with activity modifications, orthotic management and other techniques to treat your unique injury. Orthotic management is a large part of this treatment; research shows that it is 73-93% effective for Trigger Finger, with a wearing schedule for about 3-12 weeks depending on your severity. Your Occupational Therapist will work with you to provide the best orthosis for your lifestyle, and your budget.
If you have any questions about Occupational Therapy services, and would like to speak to us; contact us here for more information.
Practicing Taking a Break
We’re all looking for creative ways to take a mental break. As we’re in the middle of a more restricted summer, with limitations for kids to join summer camps, restrictions for traveling, parents may find it hard to have some time to themselves. Here are some ideas for the adults to take a mental break
Communicate with your partner/spouse and/or family/caregivers. Talk about different ways you can alternate taking an hour or two to yourself. I know it’s a hectic time for families, but sometimes even taking a walk in the morning for 30 minutes while one parent stays at the house with the kids can be enough to fill your emotional cup. It may not even be daily. Things can come up, but set out a little time for yourself to be able to focus on your mental health.
Gardening
It may seem like something that’s not too motivating, but the sensory experience you get from gardening has been shown to reduce stress. It’s a relaxing time to focus on one task without technology, before shutting it down, try it out for yourself!
A study found that people who garden for 30 mins are found to be in a better mood than those that read for 30 mins. The gardeners also have lower amounts of the stress hormone cortisol. Another study found that participants with Depression, Bipolar II disorder and persistent low moods experienced improved symptoms after 3 months of just gardening 6 hours a week. Also, there’s a harmless bacteria found in soil - Mycobacterium vaccae, which have been found to increase the release and metabolism of serotonin in parts of the brain responsible for mood and cognitive function in mice.
Gardening is a good exercise, it has been shown to reduce your risk of developing Dementia. If you want to be interactive with your kids, it also allows you to teach your child to understand where their food comes from. This fosters a better diet by becoming more involved with different healthy foods. You don’t have to have a large backyard. You can even start small like me- with a few pots of herbs in your apartment.
Mindfulness
It might be a topic that many people brush off, I know I did when I was introduced to it in college. I vaguely remember a man coming into my OT school, he was talking about being more aware of your thoughts and did some mindful exercises. We all participated, but it didn’t stick until later in life... about 8 years later.
I can’t convince anyone to do something that they don’t believe in, just as the presentation didn’t do me a great deal of justice for me as a college kid. But I hope to help people understand new ways of dealing with stress, especially during this time of need. A 2014 study said people would rather get electric shocks to themselves than be alone with their thoughts. Another study shows that most people have a hard time focusing on the present, resulting in stress. I’m not sure about you, but it seems pretty relatable to me. Very few conversations avoid the talk about what’s to come with COVID-19, how the schools will operate, or how our lives are going to look in 3 months. That takes a toll on us, mentally.
Stress can do more than affect our mood, research shows that 8 out of 10 Americans experience stress daily, have difficulty relaxing or calming their minds, which results in high risk of heart disease, stroke and other illnesses. Mindfulness techniques are used by schools, prisons, sports teams, and the U.S. Army to help counter stress, chronic pain, and other conditions. It’s a secular practice that reduces stress and anxiety, improves attention and memory, and promotes self-regulation and empathy. Studies have also shown that mindfulness meditation can change the brain’s gray matter and brain regions responsible for memory, the sense of self, and regulation of emotions.
Here’s a beginner’s guide from The Harvard Gazette:
Settle in: Find a quiet space. Using a cushion or chair, sit up straight but not stiff; allow your head and shoulders to rest comfortably; place your hands on the tops of your legs with upper arms at your side.
Now breathe: Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and relax. Feel the fall and rise of your chest and the expansion and contraction of your belly. With each breath notice the coolness as it enters and the warmth as it exits. Don't control the breath but follow its natural flow.
Stay focused: Thoughts will try to pull your attention away from the breath. Notice them, but don't pass judgment. Gently return your focus to your breath. Some people count their breaths as a way to stay focused.
Take 10: A daily practice will provide the most benefits. It can be 10 minutes per day, however, 20 minutes twice a day is often recommended for maximum benefit.
References
Wilson, T. D., Reinhard, D. A., Westgate, E. C., Gilbert, D. T., Ellerbeck, N., Hahn, C., Brown, C. L., & Shaked, A. (2014). Social psychology. Just think: the challenges of the disengaged mind. Science (New York, N.Y.), 345(6192), 75–77. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1250830
Killingsworth MA, Gilbert DT. A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science. 2010;330(6006):932. doi:10.1126/science.1192439
https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2018/04/06/harvard-study-relax-genes
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S092549271000288X
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/07/08/why.gardening.good/index.html
How to Help Your Little One Wear Masks During COVID-19
Wearing masks has quickly become a norm in today’s world due to COVID-19, this may feel odd for adults, and especially the little ones. Facial masks are not required for children under 2 years old, but that leaves a good amount of kiddos that may not understand how to adapt and feel comfortable with their mask. Here are a few things to consider when preparing for the necessary food shopping, or errand;
There are a few reasons your child may have difficulty wearing the mask
Anxiety - the sensation of airflow is different and may feel like they are suffocating. This is tricky because masks that protect your child will have a thicker threshold for them to breathe into.
Sensory processing - the feeling of the mask on their face and ears may cause discomfort.
Visual input - If your child wears glasses, they may fog up, and the mask reduces the visual field for looking down.
Smell - I think we’re all a little more conscious of our breath when it’s our only source of air.
Here are some tips
To address the anxiety I would recommend a social story (example provided at the end of the article)
Show pictures with family and friends with masks
Talk calmly but directly about the importance of the mask prior to outing
Play with a stuffed animal and have them putting the mask on them
You may use a visual timer at home to increase time with mask on
Don’t force the mask!
Brush teeth before leaving the house, or have a mouth freshener handy
If your child wears glasses, he may benefit from putting a piece of tissue between bridge of nose and mask to reduce fogging up
If you’re handy with sewing, you can sew buttons on a hat or headband as a secondary option to looping at the ears. Some are available online.
When picking a mask for your child- opt for a soft (possibly cotton) fabric, allow them to choose the fabric if available.
Add the mask to a costume! Make it fun with a halloween costume you might have handy and wear other parts of the costume. Maybe even add a piece of candy for a temporary spring halloween.
Some kids may be adverse to smells, but you can try adding a calming essential oil to a small piece of cloth to place inside the mask
Use of a fidget may help to keep hands busy and redirect focus on something else
For those with medical conditions like Epilepsy, seeing changes in facial expression is essential for distinctive pre-seizure facial expressions. For those children they may be medically exempt by a physician. There are also some masks sold with clear sections at the mouth if that is what their parents prefer.
For those on the Autism Spectrum or with Sensory Processing Disorders, children may have an especially difficult time with masks. This is due to increased sensitivities for the way their body processes clothes and new experiences. The important thing is to not force the mask, try some of the tips above to help transition, start with the social story, have them play with a stuffed animal to put the mask on them.
Social Story by Autism Little Learners- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B2FEF1DTXpmgH8ZL79Vg7E_Bu7ZOkB0A/view
If you have more questions, we are always here to help. Email us at smplytherapy@gmail.com or book a session!