SPRING PROGRAM!!

Writing For Fun Our spring small group writing program starts on Friday, March 9th at 4:00. This fun program is designed to improve writing skills for children in Kindergarten and First Grade. We use a multi sensory approach and elements of the Handwriting Without Tears program.

SUMMER PROGRAMS!!

Emerge is please to continue to offer a variety of innovative summer programs to address the developmental needs of children in the community. Typically up to ½ of the children participating do not receiving therapy at Emerge. Please share the attached fliers with any families whom you think might be interested. Listed below you will find a brief description of our programs with the age groups for which they are offered. Please feel free to call us at 928-0204 if you have any questions. And thank-you for helping us spread the word.

Preschool Power is one of our most popular programs focusing on developing classroom participation skills, effective communication skills, and appropriate peer interactions in a small group setting. Co-led led by a speech therapist and an occupational therapist. For 3-5 year olds.

Capable Kindergarteners and Ready Writers focus on developing writing, fine and visual motor skills using a variety of drawing, writing and craft activities are used to develop children’s skills. Appropriate classroom behavior and social skills will also be addressed. For rising K-2nd graders.

Recipe for Fun is Emerge’s popular cooking camp co-led by a speech and occupational therapist. Fun, communication and socialization, with newly gained and improved cooking skills in a nurturing and supportive environment, are the goals for Recipe For Fun. There are two camps offered: one for children ages 4-7 and one for children 8-12 years of age.

Cool Cats is Emerge’s innovative program using sensory input in conjunction with cognitive strategies to develop coping skills for children with anxiety. Designed for children ages 5-9 years old, Cool Cats includes relaxation activities, music and movement, arts and crafts, feelings exploration, and cognitive/behavioral strategies.

Creative Writers is a new small group designed to elicit imaginative, organized, and effective writing. During this group, students will have the opportunity to act as “journalists” and “detectives”, incorporating shared experiences and visual imagery into their writing. Co-led by a speech therapist and an occupational therapist, Creative Writers uses strategies from the Lindamood-Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing program. Geared to rising 3rd thru 6th graders.

Junior Explorers and Senior Explorers are our new social skills summer programs. Co-led by an occupational therapist and a speech therapist, our explorer programs focus on improving social skills, communication and self-regulation using sensory motor activities, games, and concepts from the “How Does Your Engine Run” program. Junior Explorers is geared to children 5-7 years old and Senior Explorers is for 8-10 year olds.

Instant Sno: Add water to a small amount of powder and the powder instantly erupts into a fluffy cool pile of artificial snow. Amazon. $4-10.

Body Sox: This is a Lycra rectangle that completely encompases your child (or you can leave head sticking out. Provides touch pressure input. Great for body awareness, and often calming and organizing. We have had children use this for sensory breaks in school, as well as at home. Some children like to be still inside the Body Sox, while others love rolling, crawling or walking about in the Body Sox.

Lentil Bin: Of all the sensory bins, lentils are my favorite, because of their soft, silky nature.

Oral: Pen Suspender: This has been a very popular and inexpensive chewy necklace for many for the children we work with. I feel like any child who chews on their hands or clothing should be provided with an alternative and this is a great one.(PDP Products) $2.

BloPens: Nice calming, organizing oral activity that is appropriate for older children. Pictures are created by blowing through special paint ‘pen’ to create a picture with or without stencils. (Amazon) $10-20.

Vestibular/Proprioceptive: Egg Chair: This cozy egg shaped chair includes a pull down cover and can be spun. (Spinning is an intense sensory input and is best done under the child’s control or the direction of an OT.) (Ikea) $80.

Sonic Scooterboard: We recently added these at our therapy office and they have been a big hit especially with larger children as we can connect 2 or 3 together. (Fun and Function) $31.

Gross Motor: Fisher-Price Bounce & Spin Zebra: Great ride on toy from children about 12-36+ months. Provides vestibular input promotes balance reactions. Fun. About $40.

Gymnic Hop Ball: Hoppity balls provide vigorous vestibular/proprioceptive input and develop balance, strength and endurance. The Gymnic line includes sizes to fit a wide variety of children. The largest can even be used by an adult. These can be used inside or out. One young man we work with hops around the block, at his home, as part of his sensory diet $25-40.

Fine Motor: Squiggly worms: Fun game that involves grabbing worms as they pop up out of apple. No batteries required. Easy to grade game up or down. For greater challenge, try catching worms with strawberry huller. $10.

Mancala: Good game for developing in-hand manipulation skills (dexterity) with older children. Comes in a variety of forms. $10-20.

String Along Lacing Kit: Very fun punch lace activity. Create your own design or copy one of the patterns. Reinforces mature grip and eye-hand coordination. $16-20.

We now have a large waiting room area and a separate parent library with computer access. All of our therapy rooms have one-way observation windows. We have lots of plans for growth as well. We want to be able to offer related programs such as art, music, and yoga. Outdoor play space is in our future plans.

You are welcome to call and arrange a tour of our new facility (same phone number: 928-0204). Or mark Friday, Dec 2nd on your calendar. That’s when we will be holding an official open house from 4-7 pm.

People who may benefit from use of the IM include children and adults with attention deficit disorders, motor planning problems, poor coordination, gross and fine-motor concerns, aspergers and high functioning autism, and some learning and language disorders. IM can also be used as a mechanism to enhance academic, music and sports performance.

The IM combines principles of the music metronome with the power of a computer to precisely measure and improve human performance. It is the only research-based technology program that uses interactive exercises and a patented auditory guidance system to measure and improve one’s rhythm and timing. By improving this fundamental ability, the individual learns to plan, sequence and process information more effectively.

The IM works by using special head phones and hand and foot sensors to measure how closely a participant responds to the computer generated beat. Participants are challenged to synchronize a hand and foot movements with a tone heard through headphones. Audio and visual feedback signal participants about their performance.

If your child has developmental delays, including communication challenges, Asperger’s or mild autism, social challenges or a sensory processing disorder, take a look at the following summer programs: Preschool Power, Creative Cooks, or InterACTing.

For the child struggling with the mechanics of writing and other fine motor skills: Capable Kindergarteners or Ready Writers would be a good choice.

For children with anxiety (and any related concerns) check out Cool Cats.

Creative Writers is for the older student looking to expand their writing skills.

The summer is a great time for an intensive program like Interactive Metronome (IM), an individual computer based program designed to improve focus, timing and motor planning. IM can be used to improve the foundations for sports and musical skills.

Yet this is what parents and teachers are unknowingly doing everyday with children who have sensory defensiveness. We expect them to learn, behave and get along with others. And we try negative and positive reinforcements, that are either not effective or are only of limited effectiveness. And that is because behavioral interventions are not addressing the child’s problem.

So what can you do?

First, is to recognize that this is a real disorder. Understand that your child is experiencing the world differently. Their nervous system is often in a state of survival (fight, flight, fright or freeze). The resulting ‘behaviors’ cannot be successfully addressed through behavioral interventions, because these behaviors are occurring as a result of your child trying to survive and cope the best they can.

Second, get help from an occupational therapist who specializes in sensory processing. There are specific intervention programs that can be set up and carried out at home, including a deep pressure massage program with a soft brush and a listening program. If done incorrectly, these interventions can make things worse, so professional guidance is critical.

Third, initially accommodate their preferences. Buy the seamless socks, the soft cotton clothing, etc. Avoid the self-flush toilets. Let your child wear sound occluding headphones at loud events. Instead of a large birthday party, maybe an outing with one or two friends. As therapy decreases your child’s defensiveness, they will begin to expand their comfort with various experiences.

Fourth, incorporate deep pressure and heavy work activities into your child’s daily routine, as they tend to decrease defensiveness. Bouncing on a hoppitty ball or mini trampoline. Pushing a weighted box, laundry basket or large package of paper towels/toilet paper. Create a large pile of pillows, cushions, etc. and hide objects beneath for your child to tunnel under and find. Consider a body sox (Abilitations) for child to wear while climbing or rolling over pillows/cushions. Try a small backpack when going out of the house with 5-10% of child’s weight inside. Fill with items that are calming for your child (books, favorite toy, blow toy, squeeze ball, etc.)

InterACTing

Led by a speech pathologist, InterACTing will use drama as the medium for helping young people expand their social and communication skills. For children 8-12 years old.

Creative Writers

Developed based on a request from a parent. Led by Kelly, one of our speech therapists, Creative Writers will help take older students to that next level of writing, incorporating shared experiences and visual imagery into their writing

Capable Kindergarteners and Ready Writers

Popular programs that Emerge has offered since its inception. These programs are designed for children who will be attending typical classrooms who need help developing writing skills, including fine and visual motor foundations. This year we are expanding these programs to be a full morning for 4 days. As a result, we will be able to incorporate more sensorimotor activities in the always popular OT gym.

Cool Cats

Our program designed to teach coping strategies for children with anxiety has evolved into a year round program. (Formerly known as Staying Cool).

Preschool Power and Recipe For Fun

Collaborations between Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy. They both include a strong language and social component and are appropriate for children with mild to moderate speech and/or language delays, sensory processing/ integration disorders, challenges with social interactions, Asperger’s Syndrome or high functioning autism, and/or mild developmental delays.