Eric Carle Activities for Fine Motor Skills! We often introduce the activity by watching the Brown Bear Brown Bear video (link provided below). This helps increase motivation for task completion! First, complete the dot to dot! Then, color the formed picture (at this step you can address coloring in the lines and [...]
Speech vs. Language: What's the Difference? Language is different from speech! Language is made up of socially shared rules that include the following: What words mean (e.g., "star" can refer to a bright object in the night sky or a celebrity) How to make new words (e.g., friend, friendly, unfriendly) How to put [...]
Age-Appropriate Skills for Children with Autism Understanding which skills and behaviors are age-appropriate for autistic children is very important. It helps family members understand which games and toys the kids will enjoy playing with and understanding that, can be significant treatment tool to further physical and mental development. The following information covering age [...]
3 Speech Therapy Strategies for the Holiday Break We all know how stressful the holiday season can be - parties, traveling, visiting family members, and the list goes on! These ongoing events can certainly change up your regular routine. Now imagine tackling the entire holiday season without knowing which event was coming up [...]
5 Autism ABA Tips for Adjusting for the Upcoming Season Since a person with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) thrives on being in a familiar environment with routine and structure, it can make breaks from their accustomed daily/weekly schedules. With the holiday break coming up, we thought it’d be a good time to [...]
Practice OT Exercises ast Home with our December Tips Theme: Winter/Snowmen and Friends/Family Gross Motor: Balance beam Crossing a balance beam is an excellent way to build core strength and increase balance and coordination. Our kiddos love balance beam tasks! Using the beam within an obstacle course or as part of a multi step [...]
We are proud to announce that Expertise.com awarded First Leap "Best Speech Therapists in Austin" for 2016! Expertise analyzed 203 speech therapists in Austin based on: 1. Reputation: A history of delighted customers and outstanding service. 2. Credibility: Building customer confidence with licensing, accreditations, and awards. 3. Experience: Masters of their craft, based on years of practical [...]
November's Occupational Therapy Workouts for Kids November's Occupational Therapy Workouts for Kids Occupational Therapy Workouts # 1 - Fine Motor: Color by number- this activity is both fun and an excellent way to address many fine motor and attention skills. It will help increase grasp strength, fine motor endurance, and gives the opportunity [...]
Components of Social Cognition Social Cognition The development of social-cognitive ability, and a child’s understanding of the cognitive and emotional underpinnings of human behavior, is necessary for successful social interactions and for the fostering of meaningful relationships. Social cognition has two important aspects: ‘theory of mind’ (ToM) and ‘emotion understanding’ (EU). Both are [...]
Sensory-seeking vs. Attention-seeking Behaviors How do you tell if your child is engaging in sensory seeking or attention seeking behaviors? Sensory processing the way that our brain observes, analyzes, and responds to sensory input from and through all of our senses. A child can be either over responsive or under responsive to the sensations that their body is [...]
