Practice OT Exercises at Home with our December Tips!

This bimanual task increases fine motor coordination by utilizing both hands independently to perform the activity of tearing paper. By addressing this skill in simple tasks such as this one, it will increase overall performance in Fine Motor (cutting/handwriting) and Self Care (utensil use/applying toothpaste) tasks as these too require bimanual skills.

In OT we build tolerance to these tasks by addressing the primary sense that is anxiety producing (ex. touch, auditory, visual, etc).  Using this sensory component we expose the child to this sensation in small degrees using demonstrations/videos and slowly increase the exposure time/depth of participation. We often pair these non preferred stimuli with reinforcing activities in order to gain participation.

We teach self regulation by first exposing our patients to novel socially acceptable sensory activities and then selecting a replacement activity for their preferred self stimulatory behavior.  By using these adaptations the patient can transition what they learn in OT to the school and home settings in order to maintain attention and decrease non preferred stimulatory behaviors.  The key is to assess the type of sensation they are seeking then provide breaks/opportunities using a similarly matched sensation (adaptation) in order for the child to initiate these adaptations on their own.