Small Steps for a Healthier Life

Written by J Keenan on December 27, 2021. Posted in Preschoolers, School Aged Children.

Worried about your child’s health related to weight? “The most common causes of childhood weight issues are are genetic factors or family history of obesity; decreased participation in physical activities; unhealthy eating patterns or behaviors; and, in rare cases, medical conditions.” – AOTA. Do you have concerns about your child? Getting healthier doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Making small changes in activity level and making healthier food choices are a great way to start feeling good and reducing weight related illness.

What can I do to start making healthy changes?

Make conscious decisions about your activities. Start with making small changes like:
Adding a little movement to morning routine to get body ready for the day like animal walks or a walk around the block
Encourage activities your child and family enjoy. Do you like to dance or play sports?
Adapt evening routine to decrease screen time and prepare body for sleep like doing some fun yoga stretches

How can you make mealtime fun and healthy?

Make mealtime a valued time for socializing and sharing
Eat dinner together as often as possible
Make small swaps for healthier meals like quinoa for white rice
Let the kids select a healthy menu and help make it
Add some fun with trying a new fruit or vegetable

How to get some quality Zzzz’s?

Provide time for lots of movement throughout the day
Keep a consistent wake-up time every morning, and nap time for little ones
Have a consistent bedtime routine every night
Decrease screen time in the evening at least 1-2 hours before bed
Mealtime should be at least 1-2 hours before bedtime and include complex carbohydrates (fruits, veggies and whole grains)
Reduce simple carbohydrates like candy, cakes, cookies, juice, soda
Check temperature of room not too hot and more on the cooler side
Dim the lights, if child needs a nightlight use a pink light bulb
Make sure pj’s are comfortable, not itchy
Use white noise to drown other environmental sounds
Use lavender or vanilla essential oils for calming scents

Getting healthier doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Making small changes in activity level and making healthier food choices are a great way to start feeling good and reducing weight related illness. If you need support for a healthier lifestyle don’t hesitate to give us a call. BDI Playhouse Children’s Therapy offers free screenings and consultations through telehealth or at one of our child friendly therapy gyms in Aurora and Orland Park, IL. Our occupational therapists can help you curate culturally appropriate healthy food preparation and meal ideas as well as identify enjoyable physical and social activities for you and your child.

Written by Jessica Frederick, COTA/L

Bedtime Routines

Written by J Keenan on November 11, 2021. Posted in Infants, School Aged Children, toddlers.

Bedtime routines are essential for getting the appropriate amount of sleep each night. Lack of sleep within children can disrupt the important cycles their bodies go through to help with development, attention and so much more. Creating a bedtime routine doesn’t have to be difficult, just utilize these tips and your child will be snoozing in no time.

Consistency

Whichever tip you decide to implement, the most important is consistency. Providing a predictable bedtime routine that is consistent allows your child to understand the sequence of events that lead up to the point of going to sleep. Utilizing verbal reminders, prompts or a visual schedule of the tasks that need to be completed before bed, help with active engagement as well as relieving anxiety.

Calm Down Time

Relaxation is an important step in falling asleep. Provide a time before bed where your child is away from alerting stimuli like a TV, iPad, or phone screen. Reading books, picking up toys, or listening to calming music is much more appropriate for a bedtime routine.

Meditation

Meditation is a great way to clear the mind to decrease anxiety before going to sleep. Here are some examples to implement within your bedtime routine:

Deep breathing

Progressive muscle relaxation

Guided imagery

Environmental Changes

Changes to your child’s sleep environment is an easy and great way to make your child comfortable enough to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Weighted blanket/compression sheets: Utilizing a weighted blanket or compression sheets can provide the proprioceptive input children crave as they sleep. This simple change can decrease anxiety and provide a calming effect to better facilitate a good night’s sleep.

Light level: Utilize curtains to block out light. A dark room helps the body recognize that it is time to sleep.
White noise: Static noise can block out other sounds within the environment that may be disruptive.

Soothing Scents: Scents like lavender or other calming smells can help relax your child before bedtime.

If your child has difficulty following a bedtime routine or has continued trouble falling asleep, please do not hesitate to contact the office at BDI Playhouse Children’s Therapy to receive a free occupational therapy screening.

Written by Kiersten Robertson, MOT, OTR/L

Hypermobility in Children

Written by J Keenan on October 29, 2021. Posted in Preschoolers, School Aged Children, toddlers.

What is Hypermobility?

Hypermobility is a term used to describe joints that move more than normal and can place the joints in increased stress.

How can Hypermobility affect my child?

Risk of Injury

Increased joint movement can cause joints, ligaments, and tendons to be at higher risk of injury. Joints are less stable and can strain all the structures attempting to make the joint more stable. In addition to joints moving more than normal the signals to the brain about where the body is in space can be impaired due to the ligaments requiring increased stretch before the message is sent to the brain making it harder for children to know where they are in space and making it harder for them to correct the joint position prior to exposure to extremes of range of motion.

What are the common signs of hypermobility in children?

Knee Hyperextension

Elbow Hyperextension

Hands to the Floor with

Straight Knees

Flat Feet

NOTE: These are all postures that can occur in typically developing children with no cause for concern. However, when multiple joints are impacted and your child twists their ankles or knees frequently, or reports leg pain this may be a sign to follow-up with your physician.

Who can help my child?

BDI Pediatric Physical Therapists create a strengthening and proprioception program that can improve your child’s participation in recreational activities as well as lower their risk of injuries. Exercises consist of

strengthening the muscles around the joints
working on postural control
sport specific training

Next Steps

Do you think your child is at risk for injury due to hypermobility? Schedule a free screening with one of our pediatric physical therapists. When hypermobility is identified and treated with a proper development regimen, your child will report less pain, improve balance, strength, and functional performance. In addition, your child can prevent future pain.

Written by: Lisa M. Wood, PT, DPT

Potty Accidents

Written by J Keenan on October 28, 2021. Posted in Infants, Preschoolers, School Aged Children, toddlers, Uncategorized.

Why is my child having potty accidents?

Potty accidents aren’t fun for anyone. It can impact a child’s relationships with their family and friends. Here are 5 common reasons children have accidents

Constipation

Chronic constipation is the main cause of pee and poop accidents in children that have been potty trained. This is a great handout to see if your child has any of the main signs of constipation. Did you know that pooping every day doesn’t mean they aren’t constipated? “The Poo in You” is a video with a great explanation of what happens inside the body.

Lack of Awareness

Many kids may not have any idea that they have to go. They may not realize that they have to use the bathroom until it’s too late, or until they’ve already gone. Knowing what is happening inside the body can be a hard concept for kids with difficulty with sensory awareness.

Poor Potty Posture

Poor potty posture makes it hard to clear out the bladder and bowels. The Squatty Potty or other step stool helps support the feet which lets the pelvic floor muscles relax. Therapists can also help with postural awareness and strength to help with the proper potty posture for successful toileting.

Scary Bathrooms

The bathroom can be a scary place for kids! Sitting with dangling feet, the noise, and the smell can all make kids avoid the potty. Many children avoid public bathrooms because of these fears.

Medical Reasons

There could be a medical reason your child is having accidents. If you have concerns about your child’s accidents talk to your pediatrician. They can help decide if a referral to gastroenterology or urology is needed.

Who can help my child?

If you think your child might have constipation or is struggling with accidents, please reach out for a free screening! Sometimes, you may need the help of a physical, speech, or occupational therapist to help identify the reasons for your child’s accidents and/or constipation.

Pediatric Therapists

Therapists trained in pediatric incontinence can provide treatment with:

- Core strengthening
- Biofeedback
- Bladder re-training
- Behavior and diet strategies
- Body awareness to help realize the urge to go
- Posture training
- Increasing fiber rich food intake
- Increasing variety of foods

Halloween Activity

Written by J Keenan on October 1, 2021. Posted in Preschoolers, school, School Aged Children, toddlers.

Happy Halloween month! At BDI, the therapists have been incorporating Halloween vocabulary throughout their sessions! This simple activity of stickers and real image vocabulary card can be used to target all different areas of communication, fine motor skills, and visual processing. Targeting holiday specific vocabulary can help your child communicate in their community. Why? Because our kiddos are seeing Halloween items everywhere (i.e pumpkins on walks in their neighborhood to spooky spider displays at the grocery store)! The following are examples of ways to achieve different developmental goals by using the same activity.

Matching

Starting out, simply matching the animated sticker to the real image is a perfect way to help teach reality vs. fantasy and to make sure the child isn’t just memorizing one specific image!

Imitation

The child imitates the vocabulary word and receives the sticker to mark as “complete”.

Independent labeling

The child labels the Halloween card or sticker independently

Receptive identification

If your child is a great talker but needs to work on his/her listening skills, you can ask your child questions! For example, you can ask your child “where is the cat?” or “which one is round and orange?”. Columns or rows can be covered to reduce the amount of items he or she is scanning.

Image description

After basic labeling is mastered, you can have your child be more descriptive with their request. The child can request the “black cat” sticker, “scary spider”, “two bats”, “silly pumpkin” etc.

Simple requesting

“I want + vocabulary word” or “Can I have + vocabulary word”

Complex requesting

“I want the purple hat”; “I want the scary ghost”

Articulation

Try finding all the final /t/ sounds in these fun Halloween words!

Are you looking for more ideas on how to make every day activities a little more festive? Join our Talk and Groove class to learn about more ways to help your child develop their language and fine motor skills at home!

Successful Classroom Set-up

Written by J Keenan on August 11, 2021. Posted in Preschoolers, school, School Aged Children.

Classroom setup is more important than ever. A properly set-up room can increase focus, increase a student’s ability to sit still, and even decrease problem behaviors.

1. Less is best

The first step to a successful classroom is embracing “less is best”. A crowded classroom can cause over stimulation. This can cause challenges with attention or following directions. When too many visuals are placed on the walls of a classroom, students can become easily distracted. Start by simplifying the classroom. Use uniform colors. Place limited posters on the wall. If educational posters are a must, it is important to keep those areas defined by placing similar visuals together towards the back of the room.

2. Dynamic seating

Noticing students having challenges with sitting still? Alternative seating options provide an opportunity to increase self-regulation, attention, and productivity within the classroom. Offering flexible seating choices, allows teachers to enhance their learning environment while providing control and comfort for students. Here are a few dynamic seating options:

wiggle seats
stools
wobble chairs
cube chairs
floor rockers
bouncy bands
bean bag chair

Besides utilizing dynamic seating options, it is important to make sure their current desk and chair fit. Make sure both feet can touch the ground. The desk height needs to allow their arms and hands to rest on top.

3. Organization

Another tip is maximizing organization. Organization is key within a classroom learning environment. Messy desks or a cluttered space causes difficulty focusing or turning work in on time. Desks should hold limited supplies and should be cleaned out regularly. Color coded folders for certain assignments or subjects can be utilized as a visual to increase task engagement, participation, and attention. Organizing the room in a way where students know where items are, by utilizing labels is a great way to assist with independence in the classroom.

4. Lighting

The next step to consider is utilizing natural lighting. Natural lighting has benefits for attention and task engagement. Bright fluorescent lights can cause distractibility, discomfort, and decreased regulation. If natural lighting is not an option, utilize a cozy shade or fluorescent light filters during classroom set up is a great way to enhance regulation within the learning environment.

5. Visual boundaries

Finally, the last recommendation is using visual boundaries within the classroom. Doing so can provide order and success within the learning environment. They are helpful for students who have difficulty with spatial awareness, eloping, or other difficult behaviors. Utilizing painters tape on the floor to set the boundaries for a play area or a reading space is a great way to help with task engagement and to decrease roaming around the room during center time.

If you notice a student or child who still has challenges with attention, self-regulation, or organization within the classroom even after implementing these strategies, BDI Playhouse offers free screenings and can help improve executive functioning skills, task engagement, and participation.

Written By: Kiersten Robertson, MOT, OTR/L

My Kid Keeps Hitting

Written by J Keenan on August 11, 2021. Posted in Preschoolers, School Aged Children, toddlers.

Does your child keep hitting others when he wants what they are playing with? Grab toys away from other children? Kick over other’s toys? These are all considered undesirable behaviors and can be frustrating to watch your child do at home, in their community, or at school. Here are some strategies to help your child with undesired behaviors.

Step 1- Hands are not for hitting

Remind your child what their hands are for. Hands are for waving, washing, clapping, counting, drawing, doodling, holding, hugging and eating. Hands are not for hitting. Hitting hurts!

Step 2- Use these words

Teach your child the words to use when wanting something from someone else. Can I please have a turn? Could I see that toy? Let your child know they have to wait for the answer. This may be the hardest part. If a child will not share a toy provide suggestions for another toy to play with.

Step 3- Hitting hurts

If a child does hit, have the injured child tell that child,” I don’t like that, that hurts!”

Step 4- Don’t force apologies

Do not make your child apologize for undesired behaviors. Making a child apologize has no meaning behind it if they are just saying it because you told them too. Some children may use this to their advantage and think, “It’s OK to hit if I apologize afterwards.” Remind your child that it hurts others and our hands are not for hitting. We must use our words to ask for what we want.

If hitting persists or your child is unable to utilize the strategies, call to schedule a free screening with one of our pediatric therapists. Sometimes, hitting occurs when a child does not have an ample vocabulary or language to make requests or negotiate. It can also occur when a child excites easily or seeks input. Our trained therapists will be able to give additional recommendations unique to your child’s needs!

Written by: Jessica Frederick, COTA/L

Wrapping Presents for all Abilities

Written by J Keenan on December 9, 2020. Posted in Holiday, Infants, Preschoolers, School Aged Children, toddlers.

“Rocking (and unwrapping) around the Christmas Tree” – with Glee

You’ve been plotting, planning, shopping and ordering fabulous holiday gifts for your little one. Now, it’s time to wrap up that pile of goodies! Here are a few tips to make the unwrapping process by your child easier and more fun for everyone!

Use a single piece of tape while wrapping:
Little fingers have a hard time pinching and pulling long edges of perfectly secured wrapping paper, make the wrapping/unwrapping process easier on both you and your child by securing sides with a single small piece of tape. The easier to unwrap, the less you have to help and the greater independence you foster in your child!
Use festive bags:
Avoid the hassle and frustration of unwrapping challenges all together by placing your child’s gifts in holiday bags! The ease of reaching in and removing their special gifts makes the moment more magical!
Skip the wrapping, use a blanket, bag or box:
Instead of wrapping presents, allow for an “unveiling” of gifts done by the child or parent with a “cover and lift” method. Simple placement of a cover leads to easy removal, decreasing the frustration of small eager hands without spoiling the surprise!
Have toys and objects ready for use:
The morning of a holiday brings chaos. The anticipation of gifts can lead to high tensions in the home. Make the moment more enjoyable for both of you by setting up toys or gifts ahead of time for prompt use. This means ditching the cardboard boxes, cutting through the tough zip ties, and inserting batteries (when required) before wrapping. Your child will delight in being able to promptly play with their new items while you relax and soak up the smiles!
Scraps saved for learning:
When the gifts have been opened and the bags, wrapping paper and tissue paper have been strewn about the room, collect the remnants in a box for later use. These various textures, colors and papers provide an excellent opportunity to work on skill building such as digging/finding, texture exposure, cutting with scissors, ripping/tearing, sorting, color identification, and other fun play and learning activities!

Really let yourselves enjoy the holiday season by removing the stress of present unwrapping with these helpful tips! If your child is having difficulty around the holidays with motor skills for unwrapping and/or management of emotions or expectations impacting sleep, behavior or play, BDI therapists are here to help, offering free consultations for families all year round. We are wishing you the happiest of holidays!

Written by: Maggie Lord, MS, OTR/L

Gift Guide

Written by J Keenan on December 4, 2020. Posted in Holiday, Infants, Preschoolers, School Aged Children, toddlers, Uncategorized.

BDI Playhouse is thrilled to share its 2020 gift guide. This list is compiled by BDI Playhouse’s therapists specifically for children of all abilities. The toys are shown through an Amazon Idea List but shopping around and shopping second-hand is highly encouraged! A variation of each one of these toys can be found at BDI Playhouse’s clinics and are used on a daily basis. The first list contains items that can be bought at the store or sent straight to your house. The second list contains experience based gifts. Both are intended to help your child grow in many areas!

Gifts for Growing Minds and Bodies

Gifts that Keep on Giving

Season passes: zoo, museum, aquarium
One-time passes: movies, bowling, swimming, theatre performance, Disney on ice, circus, ice skating, roller skating
Subscriptions: KiwiCo, National Geographic Kids Magazine, Little Passports
Class/Season of Lessons: swimming, sports, gymnastics, dance, karate, musical instrument, pottery class, art class, craft class, horseback riding lessons

Thanks for stopping by! If you have any questions on the best way to use these toys, check out one of BDI Playhouse classes where we demonstrate how to use these materials or schedule a free screening to talk to one of our therapists!

TURKEY TIME TROUBLES?

Written by J Keenan on November 18, 2020. Posted in Feeding, Holiday, Infants, Preschoolers, School Aged Children, toddlers.

Turkey Time (as referred to by many of our kiddos) is just around the corner and it is either met with happy or anxious anticipation by children and adults! A family member announces every Thanksgiving that this is her least favorite holiday because of how overwhelmed she feels with all the food options. She says the anxiety starts weeks before the big day. She has the ability to identify, process and express her anxiety related around a holiday. Imagine, now, a child with the same feelings. What might his or her anxiety look like?

Anxiety signs in kids:

Crying
Fleeing the table
Poor Sleep
Upset/outbursts more frequently or higher intensity than is typical
Irritability
Grimacing
Sweating
Yelling
Wide eyes
Gagging or vomiting
Decreased appetite
Tense or jittery body
Frequent urination

So, what can you do to help make this time less anxious for your child?

How you can help:

Take the pressure off! No need to focus on or force the idea of sitting down for a large meal with relatives! Keep it casual for your kid
Validate feelings of discomfort around the holiday
Brainstorm food avoidance strategies for use at the Thanksgiving table with your child
Interact with Thanksgiving foods without eating them
Talk about it- set expectations and boundaries for the holiday festivities
Take breaks from the commotion
Turn the focus- make the focus of the holiday less about the food and more about family, crafting/decorations, gratitude, whatever is important to your family!
Engage in calming strategies throughout the month. Examples of calming strategies include heavy work, deep pressure, auditory supports, movement strategies, deep breathing/relaxation strategies, tactile bins, lighting adjustments, and visual toys. These strategies can be used around meal time and outside of meal time.

Turkey time can be a successful holiday for your entire family, especially if you identify and prepare for the day ahead of time! If you’d like additional resources, please set up a free screening with one of our occupational therapists at BDI playhouse!

Written by Maggie Lord MS, OTR/L, and Jessica Keenan, MA, CCC-SLP/L, CLC

What can I do to start making healthy changes?

How can you make mealtime fun and healthy?

How to get some quality Zzzz’s?

Consistency

Calm Down Time

Meditation

Environmental Changes

What is Hypermobility?

How can Hypermobility affect my child?

What are the common signs of hypermobility in children?

Who can help my child?

Next Steps

Why is my child having potty accidents?

Constipation

Lack of Awareness

Poor Potty Posture

Scary Bathrooms

Medical Reasons

Who can help my child?

Pediatric Therapists

Matching

Imitation

Independent labeling

Receptive identification

Image description

Simple requesting

Complex requesting

Articulation

1. Less is best

2. Dynamic seating

3. Organization

4. Lighting

5. Visual boundaries

Step 1- Hands are not for hitting

Step 2- Use these words

Step 3- Hitting hurts

Step 4- Don’t force apologies

“Rocking (and unwrapping) around the Christmas Tree” – with Glee

Use a single piece of tape while wrapping:

Use festive bags:

Skip the wrapping, use a blanket, bag or box:

Have toys and objects ready for use:

Scraps saved for learning:

Gifts that Keep on Giving

Anxiety signs in kids:

How you can help:

Learn More

Locations

Orland Park

Naperville - Aurora

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