As an occupational therapist, I know how common it is for kids (and parents!) to feel more dysregulated as the school year comes to an end. The mix of excitement, routine changes, and academic demands can lead to increased dysregulation. Here are three tips from our occupational therapist Heidi Joachims, OTD, OTR/L to help you [...]
These days it seems that our children have more to learn than just their academic curriculum. From elementary through to high school, additional homework responsibilities which rely on skills such as planning ahead, organization, sequencing, decision making, and task persistence are crucial to academic success. Many children struggle in completing their homework on time and [...]
These sessions are scheduled with one of our experts to develop specific tools and strategies designed for the individual child and family. These sessions can be scheduled as needed, and often in conjunction with other types of services, such as therapy/counseling or evaluations. Make an appointment
Many children, teens and adults struggle with anxiety at some point in their lives. Anxiety can be very distressing and debilitating. Extreme fear, worry, and anticipatory anxiety can lead children to begin to avoid situations and greatly limit their activities. Anxiety that is left unaddressed can also lead to poor self-esteem, poor self-confidence, and can [...]
Learning to tolerate and regulate one’s negative emotions (e.g. frustration, anger, etc.) is a developmental skill that often takes time and practice to master. If your child is exhibiting significant anger outbursts, or appears to “go from 0 to 60” when frustrated, he or she may benefit from learning more sophisticated self-regulation strategies. Below are [...]
Beginning Kindergarten is an exciting (and sometimes anxiety-provoking!) time for both you and your child. Getting your child started on the right foot is important. A positive experience in Kindergarten can help your child foster healthy self-confidence/self-esteem, develop social, study, and organizational skills, and cultivate a love for learning that will last a lifetime! Many [...]
Preschool is often a child’s first experience in a semi-structured social environment. Whether a child enters preschool at 2, 3, or 4 years of age, the first school experience is designed to foster the development of cognitive skills, language and communication skills, fine and gross motor skills, and social skills. In addition, children are learning [...]
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is a common condition which manifests prior to the age of 7. It is neurologically-based in that studies suggest ADHD involves a deficiency in the part of the brain that helps us to sustain focus, concentrate, filter-out extraneous information, organize, plan, understand others’ actions, and inhibit impulses. Although there [...]
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder which is characterized by impairments in social functioning, communication and by restricted and/or repetitive behaviors. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-V) which was published in 2013 outlined three subcategories of ASD, ranging from Severity level 1 (requiring support), level 2 (requiring substantial support), and level [...]
Dear SDKF families, colleagues, and friends, Here at SDKF, my colleagues and I are often asked for tools and strategies on how to help our children (or teens) regulate their emotions. Our wonderful occupational therapist, Dr, Heidi Joachims “Dr. Jo” has written an exceptional article on co-regulation, or the ability for a parent, guardian, teacher [...]
