Libraries build healthy brains

Libraries build healthy brains

Here in Calgary, we are very proud of our new Calgary Central Library –  Architectural Digest even named it “One of the 12 Most Anticipated Buildings of 2018.” As a self professed library nerd, I made it to the new facility within a week of it’s opening. What I found was a truly world class facility, one that has ushered Canada into the forefront of information sharing and community building. While there, I bumped into a friend. Tanya McFerrin has a Education Degree from University of California – Berkeley and uses that expertise in her role as a day home provider, parent and a founding member of “On a Velo” – a […]

3 unexpected benefits of being a “therapy family”

3 unexpected benefits of being a “therapy family”

Editor’s note: We are thrilled to have an experienced therapy parent write a blog post for us today. While she is not named, she writes this with support for our clinic and profession and for all families near or far.  Three of my four children have received one form or another of therapy support, which means I have spent my fair share of time in a clinic waiting room. I mean, a lot. We have been to the clinic 1-2 times weekly for the past three years. While sitting in those waiting rooms my thoughts have ranged from deep gratitude, to political rants on healthcare solutions, to creative ways to […]

Creating sensory spaces

Creating sensory spaces

  As Spring Occupational Therapy’s summer intern, I was tasked with transforming our basement to include three new therapeutic features for our kids: a messy wall, a scheduling wall, and a sensory retreat cave. Read on to learn why these are so beneficial and how you can create them in your own home.     Messy Wall So what is a messy wall and why on earth would anyone want to purposely make one? Good question! The answer is there are many benefits to messy play. It helps build fine-motor skills, develops hand-eye coordination, and improves body control and balance. The freedom to explore texture, colour and consistency aids in […]

Not your average summer camp

Not your average summer camp

  I consider myself to be sort of a summer camp expert. Having attended camp for eight years and working as a counsellor for four, I thought I knew all there was to know. But while teaching our extraordinary campers at Spring OT’s Explorers Camp, I learned just how valuable one week at the right camp can be.   Explorers Camp focuses on behaviour management and life skills for kids with disabilities. It is designed so each camper receives one-on-one attention with an occupational therapist (OT) and a speech-language pathologist (SLP) throughout the week. With the addition of a camp counsellor and supplementary volunteers, there is a one-to-one camper-to-counsellor ratio […]

How to talk to your child about their developmental challenges

How to talk to your child about their developmental challenges

“Why is this so much harder for me than for other kids?” Questions like this from your child can strike straight at your heart, often making it difficult to answer well in the moment. Here are some suggestions for talking to your child about their developmental challenges—being prepared will help you calmly and positively work through worries and fears together.   Talk about Feeling Different Convey to your child that differences are something to be celebrated. Ask them to imagine how it would be if everyone in the world was exactly the same: looked the same, spoke the same, liked the same things. Get them to think about how boring […]

Wonder what pediatric OT is like?

Wonder what pediatric OT is like?

Introducing 9-year-old  “Z.” Z began occupational therapy 2 1/2 years ago to improve his emotional regulation and impulse control. Let’s hear the inside scoop on what it’s like to be a child and a parent experiencing pediatric OT. What do you do in a session? Z: “We do lots of activities, like swinging around. I can get very hyper. OT teaches me how to calm down. We made a fortune teller that gives me activities to do. It will tell me to do a secret handshake, or have a staring contest. This way, I’m not running around all crazy. Being at OT makes me feel like I’m floating on a […]

Why occupational therapy? An intern shares her thoughts

Why occupational therapy? An intern shares her thoughts

Posted by on May 14, 2018 in Occupational Therapy | No Comments

My name is Nicole, and I’m excited to be an intern at Spring OT this summer. I will be a counsellor at Spring OT’s therapeutic summer camp, and I’ll also be spear-heading some projects, like writing for this blog! I’m currently in the beginning stages of building an incredible new sensory clinic space, complete with a sensory-retreat cave, perfect when the little ones need to hide away for a bit. I’m going to be trying a lot of new things this summer, with the hopes of learning more about the inner-workings of Occupational Therapy. The moment I was introduced to OT Does anyone else think it’s a LOT to ask […]

Potty training the challenging child – Where to start?

Potty training the challenging child – Where to start?

Parents have been successfully potty training their children for years. Often, taking away underwear and spending a few days close to home and potty is enough to teach a child to successfully use the toilet. But, what about the trickier child? Whether it’s a diagnosis of Autism or Sensory Processing Disorder, or the skills are just not clicking by preschool age, here is exactly where to start with potty training a challenging child. Tracking for pee training If your child is struggling with using the potty for both pee and poop, start with pee training. In my experience, most children learn this skill first. Step one is to track your […]

Ready, Set … Impulse Control

Ready, Set … Impulse Control

‘Tis the season of the busy four year old child! Each year, we seem to have waves of children working on the same issue. This year, other than challenges with potty training, (so much poop!), we are seeing loads of children with a similar profile. Bright, sweet and goes a mile a minute. Does Aiden understand the word stop? Sure he does! Does Aiden have the ability to stop? Nope. This is where OT’s look at the baseline building block of impulse control. Without it, Aiden keeps running in gym class and can’t follow the simple hoola hoop game. But, how do we teach it?     For more ideas […]

Oprah touts healing through relationship

Oprah touts healing through relationship

When the Guru Oprah touts her latest report for 60 Minutes as a “game changer,” you sit up a take notice. When that report is about childhood trauma, healing through relationship and features a Therapy Guru who influences one’s daily pediatric work, you write a blog post about it! Healing children through relationship Oprah’s report featured the research of Dr. Bruce Perry, the founder of the Child Trauma Academy, and who pioneered the approach of healing children from trauma by using relationship. Insight from a Calgary-based behaviour therapist Sarah McMillen is a Calgary-based Behaviour Specialist with 20 years experience. Currently, she is a consultant with children aged 18 months to 13 years […]