In our previous Visual Perceptual Skills post, we discussed how our eyes are responsible for performing a variety of complex functions to help us interact with the world around us. In this post, we will take a closer look at the four remaining visual perceptual skills: form constancy, sequential memory, figure ground, and visual closure. Form Constancy Definition: the ability …
Visual Perceptual Skills
Visual Perceptual Skills Vision is arguably the most critical of the senses. According to the American Optometric Association, 80% of learning is acquired through our visual system. While many people are familiar with visual acuity, or the sharpness of your vision at a given distance, our visual system is very complex and uses a variety of skills to help us …
Early Childhood Self-Care Milestones
What is Self-Care? Self-care involves all of the basic activities children do to care for themselves, such as feeding, dressing, bathing, and toileting. Sleep is also included in this category, because it is important for a child’s well-being and functioning. Why Is Self-Care Important For My Child? Self-care skills are important, because they promote independence! As your child develops self-care …
What are Primitive Reflexes?
Primitive reflexes are the reactive actions that a newborn baby uses to survive in the beginning stages of life. These reflexes are essential in allowing the body to develop properly, and in order for this to happen, these reflexes must be integrated before childhood. If these reflexes are retained and milestones of development are missed, the child may experience some …
Exercises for Core Strength
What is Core Strength? Core strength comes from the muscle group that control the front part of the belly, also known as the torso. Core strength helps the human body turn, reach, balance, stabilize, sit in a tall posture and use arms and hands for fine motor tasks. When a child has decreased core strength, lots of tasks can be …
What is Sensory Processing Disorder and How Does it Impact Participation in Daily Activities?
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) occurs when a person’s sensory systems (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory, vestibular, and proprioceptive) are unable to effectively receive sensory information from the environment and process it to create an appropriate response. While Occupational Therapists (OTs) do not diagnose SPD, they are considered the experts in how sensory processing issues can impact a person’s ability to …
What is Sensory Processing?
Our sensory systems are made up of seven senses: Visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory, vestibular, and proprioception. Sensory processing is the way our bodies use these senses to interpret and interact with the world around us. Our nervous systems receive information from our environments (e.g., a sight, a sound, a smell, a touch) and that information travels to our brains …
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy is a unique discipline that is centered around the belief that engagement in everyday activities (i.e., occupations) is essential to health and wellbeing, and a vital source of joy and happiness. Occupational therapists work with their clients to identify occupations that are difficult to complete due to injury, illness, or varied ability and collaboratively find unique ways to …
Mastering Gross Motor Skills in Early Childhood
Motor skills involve the coordination between muscles and the nervous system to create movement. Motor skills are essential in completing everyday tasks and routines. Strengthening gross motor skills is important as they are the building blocks for the development of fine motor skills. What are Gross Motor Skills? Gross motor skills use the larger muscle groups in the arms, core, …
Strategies for Tackling Grooming Tasks in Children with Sensory Processing Challenges
It can be challenging for children with difficulties in sensory processing to tolerate routine grooming tasks, such as hair cutting, bathing, nail trimming, and tooth brushing. This may be caused by tactile hypersensitivity (i.e., aversions to messy/wet textures), auditory over-responsiveness (e.g., aversion to sound of bath water running), and more. Below are strategies developed by occupational therapists that can be …
