Hand therapist Josh Albarado, OTR/L shares his go-to hand therapy interventions with protocols, treatment ideas and resources in this guide
These theraputty exercises are fun and engaging ways to build pinch and grip strength in the hands using therapy putty.
In-hand manipulation skills resource addressing its importance and how occupational therapy can help. Includes 25 easy to implement exercises
These hand therapy exercises and hand strengthening exercises make effective additions to your hand home exercise program.
I am always looking for ideas to shake up my OT treatments and try to get creative with activity tolerance activities, because it is just NOT functional or
Hand therapy putty exercises can help you regain strength and dexterity in your hand with a simple, affordable accessory. Before we dig into the exercises, we will discuss how to get the most from your hand therapy putty exercises. Getting the Best Results from Hand Putty Exercises Hand therapy putty exercises will strengthen hand function […]
Common handwriting problems like spacing, letter formation, sizing, illegible writing impact learning for students. Here's how to help.
My favorite go-to to mention first is the Probe. For feeding therapy, I dip it into purées and let kids use it as a “dipper spoon.” The bumpy nubs work well to hold yogurt, applesauce, some baby foods, etc. The bumps/ridges on the tip add texture to the purées to help encourage texture acceptance.
As an OT, you'll likely see patients with decreased fine motor skills. Here are the best functional fine motor coordination activities
Don't you wish that after driving your child to endless therapies you could just be done when you walked through your front door. I'm totally guilty of callapsing on the couch (after 15 min of taking off AFO's from Sadies feet) and closing my eyes and pretending mommy isn't home for just a moment or three. The fact is, when we get home it's harder because now we are mommy, house cleaner, cook, wife, and therapist. Beebsism: When kindergarten first started Sadie could already read all the kindergarten words and even spell most. When it comes to writing she has a difficult time. At first her primary problem was applying pressure to the pencil or crayon she was using. For a child with CP the simple task of even coloring can be very difficult on many levels. Sadie's upper body has low tone. I realize there are so many kids out there that have it worse then Sadie but theres things she still struggles with. She's not only challenged physically with weakness but also challenged mentally with perception. Our solution:If we were pushing something that wouldn't budge we would push harder. Its a natural reaction. We have to train Sadie's brain to have that reaction. By making different sizes of theraputty balls she has to learn to apply different amounts of pressure. After a few months of regularly practicing this her pencil pressure greatly improved. You can do this at home with regular play dough too. The theraputty comes in different strengths depending on what you need. Another way to practice pressure perception and exercise (I think I just made up that term) is hiding things in the putty then have your kiddo find them. Sadie's getting a bit bored with bingo chips so I think I need to move on to plastic bugs with a check list to make it more fun.
Software developers, like pianists, rely on their hands to practice their craft. I've used a keyboard and mouse obsessively since my early teens. Fortunately, I have never had any problems with hand or wrist pain – nor have I experienced any Repetitive Stress Injury, which includes carpal tunnel syndrome. But others aren't so fortunate. So what can you do to keep your hands and wrists strong under the duress of extreme computing?* Get some exercise Real exercise. Surprisingly, this stuff
Handwriting legibility and hand strength are closely tied. You might say they go hand-in-hand. (I had to go there!) This easy fine motor tong activity is designed to build some of the muscles needed for managing a pencil. The intrinsic muscles are the muscles in the hand that define the arches of the hands, bend the ... Read more
If you're an occupational therapy practitioner or student looking for cognitive intervention ideas, check out our article covering the all the basics here.
Hand strength is essential in many aspects of life, and many kids come to preschool lacking hand strength. Many teachers and parents struggle to motivate kids to work on developing their hand
Arthritis can be so debilitating to our clients because it is often not always the direct (or only!) reason we are seeing them. Occupational therapy
Does your child seem more active than their same-aged peers or pursue movement? Does your child have a hard time sitting in their chair at school or during ...
The theraputty programme is for children who have fine motor difficulties and have poor postural motor control.
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!
How to make theraputty for occupational therapy to improve fine motor skills and hand strength.
This past fall we made the decision to seek out occupational therapy (OT) for Caroline. She was struggling a great deal with the act of writing and we also suspected she had some midline issues. With her permission, I'm going to write about our experience with occupational therapy for dysgraphia or writing problems. We strongly
Snipping paper is an important first stage of cutting with scissors, and one that paves the way for scissor skills in kids.
Hand strength is essential in many aspects of life, and many kids come to preschool lacking hand strength. Many teachers and parents struggle to motivate kids to work on developing their hand
How to make theraputty for occupational therapy to improve fine motor skills and hand strength.
My name is Marc, and I am a vision therapy graduate. I was your typical kid, except that I could not pay attention in school and hated to read. Luckily, my second grade teacher requested that I get an eye examination, and the optometrist recognized that I needed more than glasses. I was referred to an optometrist that specialized in learning-related vision problems, including visual efficiency and processing disorders. I immediately started a vision therapy program and saw tremendous improvement in my symptoms and success in school.
In room occupational therapy treatment interventions are a necessity when a patient is isolated or you are working with limited supplies.
Many stroke survivors experience shoulder problems after stroke. Practicing shoulder exercises for stroke patients can help relieve pain and improve movement and strength of the shoulder joint. These improvements can help survivors return to completing their daily activities comfortably and independently. Both physical and occupational therapists are able to treat shoulder impairments and can guide […]
These bilateral coordination activities are bilateral movement strategies to help kids demonstrate bimanual coordination skills.
Curious about scaffolding in occupational therapy? Here is what it is and how you can use it and teach it in your practice.
Kids need dexterity in the hands for daily fine motor activities. These important hand skills help with control to improve handwriting.
