Nature's Path Occupational Therapy

16/07/2025

➡️OT or gymnastics coach? 🤣 You better believe if I can get a child into a handstand position we are gonna be doing all the handstands in our OT sessions.

➡️It’s a powerhouse activity that provides so much sensory input and strengthening. If you want to up the ante, do the handstands on the bosu ball.

15/06/2025

➡️Your child gets referred to occupational therapy for challenges with social emotional regulation and this crazy OT is working on core activation activities 🤔

✨The core and emotional regulation are actually more interrelated than most people are aware!Here is a brief breakdown of how…

1️⃣Nervous System RegulationThe core muscles (like the diaphragm, pelvic floor, and deep abdominals) play a direct role in breathing and vagus nerve activation. The vagus nerve is a key part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms the body and helps regulate emotions.Deep, diaphragmatic breathing, often supported by strong core stability, activates this calming system, which reduces stress and
anxiety.2️⃣ Posture and Brain Feedback. A stable core supports upright posture, which is associated with greater self-confidence and mood regulation. Poor posture (slumped, collapsed chest) can send feedback to the brain that reinforces negative emotions like sadness or defeat.Body alignment affects how the brain interprets and manages emotional states, this is part of what’s called embodied cognition.3️⃣ Mind-Body Connection and InteroceptionCore-focused practices like static/dynamic holds, pilates, martial arts, or breathwork enhance interoception—your ability to sense internal body states. Better interoception is linked with improved emotional awareness and control.For example, recognizing early signs of anxiety (tight chest, shallow breath) gives you a chance to regulate emotions before they spiral.4️⃣ Stress Resilience and Physical EmpowermentEngaging core muscles often requires focus, control, and mental presence—qualities that also help in managing emotional responses.People with better core strength often report reduced physical stress symptoms, and improved coping mechanisms under pressure.

🌳If your child has challenges with managing emotions, throw in some core activation activities!

11/06/2025

➡️Just because I operate outside and not in a traditional clinic, does not mean that I don’t utilize traditional clinic based modalities.

🌳I think a common misconception is that nature can do all the therapeutic work. FALSE! It wouldn’t be considered skilled therapy services if I was just sitting back not providing skilled intervention.

➡️Kinesiotape, estim, cupping, weighted vests like you see on this little guy in the picture…all these modalities can be used in nature! Nature is awesome, but it’s important that we don’t forget about all the other treatment modalities that could bring a ton of value to the treatment program!

10/06/2025

✏️Visual motor integration, eye hand coordination, intrinsic hand muscle strength, shoulder girdle strength, core strength…the list goes on. ⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️All these skills are required for handwriting, and guess what???? They can be strengthened and worked on without even holding a pencil 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

12/05/2025

🌳”To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.” -Maria Montessori🌳The environment we choose for our children to operate in is one of the single most impactful factors of their development. 🌳Can I share a little secret with you? A lot of what I do regarding skilled intervention is setting up the environment so it intentionally targets the developmental gap. 🌳The environment draws the child in, and I standby with one of the most powerful therapeutic tools…a voice of encouragement. 👊🏻

12/05/2025

Click below to read the full article ❤️

With research demonstrating the benefits of time in nature, a Space Force spouse occupational therapist takes her patients outside.

12/04/2025

👋🏻Hey Y’all, I’m Kim. A pediatric occupational therapist who took a leap of faith over 3 years ago to take therapy outdoors. This little account has had some spurts of growth over the years so I think I am a bit overdue for a reintroduction.

🌳I believe kids of all abilities are pretty awesome. More than that, I believe they are made in the image and likeness of God. Jesus loves them. Their life has a plan and a purpose. They are worthy. Period.

🌸This practice of mine isn’t just a business, but a mission field. Loving these kids and speaking truth over them, specifically that they are fearfully and wonderfully made isn’t just a tagline, it’s biblical. Because of that, I view it ALL as kingdom work.

🧠If the faith thing isn’t your cup of tea, know that we don’t have to agree on that for me to love your child well and deliver a top notch OT program. But please do understand, I will be praying and petitioning for your child to the one, true, LIVING God.

🌳I take therapy outside and speak on the benefits of nature not because I worship “Mother Earth.” Rather, I believe that nature, created by the Creator, points children to a God who loves them, cares for them, and has a plan for them. I worship Jesus, the CREATOR of nature, whose DEATH and RESURRECTION were for us. There is a difference. Let’s not get it twisted.

🧠I have advanced training in trauma informed care (TBRI), reflex integration (MNRI), brain/body integration (PACE), neuro-rehabilitation, feeding therapy (SOS), vision, and soon hope to be pursuing certification in dynamic movement intervention (DMI). Ultimately, utilizing all of this to support successful participation in occupation. I am also a homeschooling mom to 6 kids of my own, so child development is kind of my jam.

🧐I see myself as a wayfinder, not easily intimidated by exhaustive lists of things that haven’t worked, but rather finding a WAY in the midst of what may feel like the impossible. ❤️

02/03/2025

📚A valuable reminder…your child’s academic skills aren’t everything. In fact, multiple studies have shown that soft skills are where success is at.

🤔💭When we give children the space to wonder, we are encouraging creativity, problem solving, empathy, adaptability, flexible thinking.

16/02/2025

✨”The nervous system is an intervening variable in any physical or mental health condition.” -Dr. Stephen Porges

❓These might be the 2 most important questions of any treatment program because it will decipher where you need to start.

➡️If the children we are working with are in a chronically defensive state, we can do all the treatment planning and programming in the world and their bodies still will not be accessible for any real change to occur.

➡️If this is the case, you HAVE to start with the regulation of the nervous system allowing their bodies and minds to become accessible to the OT programming.

➡️When our mind goes into states of threat, our body goes with it. When our body goes into states of threat due to illness, disease, or disability, our mind goes with it.

🧠👤Indepent operation is not how we are designed. We must bring both their bodies and minds out of a chronically defensive state for forward progress ❤️

27/01/2025

⬇️SLEEP, NUTRITION, & CHILD DEVELOPMENT⤵️

😴💤Recognition of sleep disorders is important among children as they adversely affect the academic performance, cardiovascular health and cognitive functions. In addition, sleep disorders among children have been found to be associated with metabolic complications, obesity and psychiatric disorders (self-harm and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.) 😳

Tan HL, Gozal D, Kheirandish-Gozal L. Obstructive sleep apnea in children: a critical update. Nat Sci Sleep. 2013 Sep 25;5:109-23. doi: 10.2147/NSS.S51907. PMID: 24109201; PMCID: PMC3792928.

Sadeh A, Pergamin L, Bar-Haim Y. Sleep in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analysis of polysomnographic studies. Sleep Med Rev 2006; 10:381-98

🧠Cognitive development is influenced by many factors, including nutrition. There is an increasing body of literature that suggests a connection between improved nutrition and optimal brain function. Nutrients provide building blocks that play a critical role in cell proliferation, DNA synthesis, neurotransmitter and hormone metabolism, and are important constituents of enzyme systems in the brain. Not only that, but brain development is faster in the early years of life compared to the rest of the body which may make it more vulnerable to dietary deficiencies.

Black, M. M. (2003b). Micronutrient deficiencies and cognitive functioning. J. Nutr. 133, 3927S–3931S.

Lozoff, B., and Georgieff, M. K. (2006). Iron deficiency and brain development. Semin. Pediatr. Neurol. 13, 158–165

🔥Suboptimal is actually an understatement.🔥