This is an old blog post from January 31, 2016 on the benefits of movement and various sensory exercises to improve focus and attention. We’ve updated this article as of January 22, 2024 to include more resources and strategies to support attention. Exercises for focus and attention depend on the individual’s unique needs, but there ... Read more

Bilateral motor coordination skills is the ability to use and coordinate both side of the body in a symmetrical manner. In order to have bilateral motor coordination skills, you must have control at your shoulder allowing your hands to come together to midline to perform a task. The most common fine motor activities you will … Bilateral Motor Coordination Fine Motor Activities for Pediatric Occupational Therapy Read More »

Wondering what is visual scanning? Use these occupational therapy resources to work on visual scanning skills in kids.

X15simple and fun hand strengthening exercises for kids to help build the muscle strength and coordination needed to carry out fine motor tasks.

In occupational therapy, play is the primary means for helping children achieve independence and development.

These visual tracking games and toys support development of visual tracking skills and the visual processing skills needed for function.

Dressing Skills is a 24 page booklet that provides visual directions of how to: put on a shirt put on pants in standing put on pants in sitting put on a coat put on a coat with the flip method. The pictures and step by step directions are either 3″ by 5″ images or 2″ by 2″ images. Using task analysis, each dressing skill has been broken down into simple steps. Create visual sequences for the children to follow along each step of the task. Also included is a tip sheet on how to teach dressing and a small book to read entitled “I Can Dress Myself”.

An activity analysis checklist for the skills needed to complete all basic self-care tasks (feeding, grooming, bathing, toileting, upper body dressing, lower body dressing, and donning/doffing footwear), created by an occupational therapist! This is a great resource for OT or COTA students or any rehabilitation professional that assists patients with their ADLs (Activities of Daily Living). This can be used as a study aide, to create patient goals, or as a patient education handout during evaluation and treatment planning.

The Z axis As therapists, we recognize the importance of mid-line crossing to help with primitive reflexes. Reaching lateral outside…

Kids need dexterity in the hands for daily fine motor activities. These important hand skills help with control to improve handwriting.

Symbol Cancellation Task Target 3 10×10 Symbol Cancellation Task3 10×10_001 Symbol Cancellation Task3 10×10_002 Symbol Cancellation Task3 10×10_003 Symbol Cancellation Task3 10×10_004 Symbol Cancellation Task3 10×10_005 Symbol Cancellation Task3 10×10_006 Symbol Cancellation Task3 10×10_007 Symbol Cancellation Task3 10×10_008 Symbol Cancellation Task3 10×10_009 Symbol Cancellation Task3 10×10_010 Symbol Cancellation Task3 10×10_011 Symbol Cancellation Task3 10×10_012 SymbolAttention Worksheets Worksheets site for rehabilitasion.There are many free worksheets.

Discover occupational profile examples and expert tips to enhance your OT practice. Learn how to create a comprehensive occupational profile.

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If you use cones in therapy for reaching and/or balance exercises, check out the following 3 low and no cost ways listed below to help you get more out of them: 1. Add colored targets for reaching/placing tasks. Cones already come in different colors, so it is a natural extension to add colored targets (red, yellow, green, blue, etc.). The use of colors makes it easy to add matching elements. For example, ask patients to place cones on matching targets, e.g., place blue cones on the blue targets, green cones on the green targets, etc. If you are crafty, targets can be easily made from laminating construction paper or painting pie plates. If you’d rather not make targets, or want more durable targets, rubber ones are a low cost alternative. The balance challenge comes not from the cones, but from placing the targets in locations that challenge the patient (high, low, across midline, etc.). The further the targets are placed away from a patient, the bigger the balance challenge, e.g., it is easier to reach in front of the body than it is to the ground or overhead 2. Add balance games by using combinations of colored cones and targets. Balance games engage patients through cognitive challenges (memory, visual discrimination, pattern recognition, etc.) and motivational enhancements (patients want to complete games properly). Three common balance games are noted below (additional games listed in Haas Balance Book: 100+ Exercises for PTs and OTs or viewed online at www.ADLbalance.com): Match Maker: Using a diagram as a guide, the patient selects and places items on corresponding targets, e.g., items shown on diagram are placed on targets. It is possible all available items will not be used. At end of game, the items that are not used will remain in front of patient. Line Up: Using a diagram as a guide, the patient retrieves cones. In the same color order, or “lineup,” as shown on diagram, patient places cones on flat surface (counter, table, etc.). Cashier: Therapist explains the assigned values for colors to the patient: Red = 1₵, Yellow = 5₵, Blue = 10₵, Green = 25₵. The therapist then picks an arbitrary value between 1₵ and 123₵ (range of available values based on number of items) and instructs the patient to place the equivalent value in cones on the flat surface in front of patient (counter, table, etc.). For example, therapist picks 7₵ and patient sets 1 yellow & 2 red cones on flat surface. 3. Add equipment that incorporates use of cones. Instead of using bolsters, boxes, or stools (to set cones on), get more from equipment that is designed to challenge balance through reaching/placing tasks. Below are 2 pieces of equipment that emphasize use of cones, targets, and reaching/placing tasks: ADL Reach Trainer: A portable frame with four fixed-position targets. Place it on a table to simulate high reaches (cupboard, cabinets, closets, etc.) or set it on the floor for low reaches (shower, dishwasher, shoes, etc.). With four colored targets, the ADL Reach Trainer is compatible with balance games. ADL Balance Trainer: A large and sturdy frame with four adjustable-position targets. Adjustable targets allow for easy set ups (reaching high, low, across midline, or toward areas of neglect) and to grade/adjust levels of difficulty (turn knob and slide target higher, lower, nearer, or farther away). With sturdy construction and versatility for therapist to closely spot/facilitate patient, the ADL Balance Trainer is ideal for early reaching challenges in patients just learning to stand and balance again without help. Stop the menial madness of making and moving random stacks of cones in therapy. Rather, get more from your cones, targets, colors, games, and equipment and provide patients a better training experience by following the 3 tips above the next time you work on reaching to improve balance.

Classroom yoga is known for all of it's benefits including concentration, memory, and increased attention. Start with these 5 classroom yoga resources.

X15simple and fun hand strengthening exercises for kids to help build the muscle strength and coordination needed to carry out fine motor tasks.

Partie 7 : Les relations visuo-spatiales Âge : 6 ans et plus Avec ses belles couleurs et son format pratique, ce livre est une ressource idéale pour les enseignants spécialisés, les orthoptistes, les ergothérapeutes, les orthophonistes, les parents et les instituteurs ou institutrices qui veulent aider les enfants à développer leurs compétences. Il présente une série d’activités qui construiront et amélioreront leurs capacités de perception visuelle d’une manière agréable et interactive. La conscience visuo-spatiale consiste dans la capacité à comprendre les concepts spatiaux et les orientations, indispensables pour interagir avec l’extérieur. Elle consiste aussi à traiter des informations vues et à les utiliser, à les manipuler en se les représentant mentalement. Avec les compétences quantitatives et verbales, elle joue un rôle clé dans le développement de l’apprentissage et de la résolution d’exercices, ainsi que dans la compréhension de l’orientation, de la latéralité et de la direction. Des déficits visuo-spatiaux peuvent mener à de faibles performances dans le domaine du sport, à des difficultés dans les activités rythmiques, à un manque de coordination et d’équilibre, à de la maladresse, ainsi qu’à une confusion des formes (par exemple entre “o” et “8”) ou des lettres/syllabes (par exemple entre “te” et “et”). Les capacités de perception visuelle influent sur le développement de l’enfant, car elles sont liées aux capacités motrices, aux compétences d’apprentissage et, plus largement, à des compétences essentielles dans la vie. Dans ce livre, vous trouverez entre autres : 135 pages d’exercices, des exercices qui consistent à repérer des éléments avec ou sans points de repère, des exercices dans lesquels il faut reconnaître des lettres dans différents types de grilles, des exercices dans lesquels il faut trouver la forme qui correspond à des mots de deux ou trois syllabes, des exercices qui consistent à suivre des consignes pour tracer des lettres et des chiffres au bon endroit dans des grilles, cinq jeux interactifs.

This resource covers how to help kids become independent with self-dressing and self-care skills so they can complete everyday tasks.

Curious about scaffolding in occupational therapy? Here is what it is and how you can use it and teach it in your practice.

Choosing the right occupational therapy school can be a daunting task. With so many options to choose from, it can be challenging to determ...

As part of rehabilitation after injury, illness or disease, occupational therapy activities for adults often include strengthening and fine motor tasks.

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Setting up data sheets for all my OT students is a big part of my back to school prep each year. Having a system is so important!

Hole punch activities provide a fun and engaging way to build hand strength and fine motor skills. Find lots of printable hole punch activities for your kids in preschool, kindergarten, and

Occupational therapy in the acute care setting can be fast-paced, exciting, and intense. Here's what you can expect in this OT setting.

Our team of therapists created Maze Book Activity Worksheets that target individual occupational therapy goals and incorporate unique learning style.

This packet of activities (Multi Step Directions) was designed for use during OT teletherapy or telehealth. There are fifteen worksheets to share with your students, teachers, and families. These will easily load onto a computer to show on a screen, or to be printed out. Areas addressed include: initiation (ability to get started with a task), working memory (capacity to carry out or follow multistep directions), and task-monitoring (ability to correct minor errors). Time management can easily be incorporated as well by first asking "How long do you think it will take to finish this worksheet?" This packet is visual perceptual/visual scanning rich and is graded for all levels. The theme of this packet is "SUMMER." It is a perfect packet to introduce during the approach or in the midst of warm weather. It can be done throughout the year! In addition, this packet can also be useful for those OT's who see kids in person. No worries about copyright and easily shared with others as well. This product is intended for single therapist use.

Discover the areas that are addressed on a handwriting assessment in occupational therapy including skills and areas of development.

Bilateral integration information and ideas to build bilateral coordination skills in kids. These occupational therapy activities are so fun!

Occupation based treatment ideas feel like they should come easy, but sometimes we find barriers to getting creative and finding the occupations that are

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Resources for organization to keep your therapy items and materials neat, orderly, and accessible, as well as time management tools for prioritizing, scheduling, and completing tasks.