Sensational Minds: Pediatric Therapies And Early Intervention Services

Sensational Minds: Pediatric Therapies And Early Intervention Services Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Sensational Minds: Pediatric Therapies And Early Intervention Services, Occupational therapist, Hermon, ME.

Outpatient Early Intervention services which can be delivered in house while the child attends daycare at Sensational Minds: Early Learning Academy LLC, or appointments can be made through a Pediatrician referral.

If you are:-Hoping to avoid medication for your child as long as possible, or want to try everything possible first-Want...
06/20/2025

If you are:
-Hoping to avoid medication for your child as long as possible, or want to try everything possible first
-Want to help your child with self regulation skills
-Feeling stuck because you don’t know how to help your child’s anxiety
-Are stuck on waitlists for therapies but want to be able to do something right now

I have been a Safe and Sound Protocol Certified Therapist for years now, and I have seen firsthand, the positive impact it has had on children.
Ive seen:
-Increase in impulse control
-Enhanced language skills
-Decreased emotional outbursts and increased states of calm
-Increased motor control
-Increased sensory stimuli tolerance

I’ve used it with children who:
-Have ODD
-Have severe tantrums and outbursts
-Are Autistic
-Have ADHD

And there was at least one positive outcome for them all.

How this works:
1. You start with a free virtual consult with me, and we talk about your concerns and if the program is appropriate.
2. I send you access to the program and you fill out an extensive pretest so we can go back and compare the end results
3.You start the program on the individualized manner I provide for you
4.We check back in at the end of the program where you complete your post test and we decide how to move forward from there

What you need:
-Headphones that go over the ear
-A device such as a laptop, iPad, phone that you can download the app on
-A comfortable space within your home that is free from distractions
-A few items for your child to manipulate during the program: coloring tools, fidgets, play doh, etc.

If you are interested please message me or email at pinetreeot@gmail.com

I come at this issue with three different perspectives. The working parent, the daycare provider, and a concerned pediat...
08/16/2023

I come at this issue with three different perspectives. The working parent, the daycare provider, and a concerned pediatric OT.

Money has to be put into daycare for so many reasons, but we can’t even start thinking about focusing on quality care at a federal level when we don’t even have enough childcare for working parents in general.

We seem to continue to put money into helping parents pay for daycare, but soon there won’t be any spots for those children even if the family has received assistance. There has to be a balance of helping the existing daycares be better, supporting individuals who want to open daycares, and supporting the parents who need to pay for the daycare.

There are so many problems going on. 🤯

-People are taking things into their own hands and operating illegally which means no licensing rules are being reinforced and children are at greater risk for safety issues and being in unfit programs.
-Many daycares are fighting to keep their doors open and staff are burning out.
-People are going the right avenues but need heavy guidance to open daycares and then fail when they’re left to their own devices.

Daycare 👏 needs 👏 support 👏 now 👏

Clearly what’s happening right now is NOT working.

We can speak up and try to do our part.
Keep an eye out for links which I will be sharing on how to send emails to your senators and congresswoman and congressmen to press the issue.

Parents, keep pushing for quality. Supply and demand, as they say.

Providers, take responsibility in providing the best care you can within your bounds.

Daycare staff, you are absolutely amazing individuals who are doing a job not many people can do. You are appreciated.

OTs, PTs, SLPs, we can play a huge part in early childhood education if this is where your passion lies. There are so many unopened doors waiting for you. Childcare needs our perspective and if you can provide that on some level, figure out a way and go for it!

😂😂 I love my job but it’s not, NOT true 😂😂
08/09/2023

😂😂 I love my job but it’s not, NOT true 😂😂

I would have to say that one of the most rewarding parts of my job is to watch a child who once struggled with participa...
08/02/2023

I would have to say that one of the most rewarding parts of my job is to watch a child who once struggled with participation now participating and thoroughly enjoying daycare.

I have seen children go from adapted 3 hour days to 8 hour days (and very happy parents who could then pick up more hours at work).

I’ve seen parents emotional at drop off not knowing if they are hurting or helping their child turn into parents who chuckle and half heartedly say bye as their child runs into the classroom in excitement without looking back.

It’s all possible.

This cycle can be particularly difficult for neurodivergent children who may have sensory differences, need more support with transitions, and prefer routine.

What I have found to be true for the children I have witnessed is that often times they can seem to be “stuck” at certain times of day: drop off, rest time, meal times, transition from outside to inside. Almost as if it becomes a routine. And once it’s routine it becomes very hard to disrupt.

The key 🔑 is for the OT to be a detective and to figure out first what can calm that fight or flight down.

Quick tip: The biggest mistake staff can make is flooding the child with verbal redirections at this point. We want to connect and calm. And stay calm ourselves.

The next step is for the OT to dive into sensory processing and really understand a child’s strengths, what they like, don’t like, are sensitive to, etc.

Then the OT educates staff as well as provides any accommodations or modifications (ie.weighted vest, headphones, visual timer) and helps staff with a plan for when fight or flight kicks in for that child.

The best part though… is how sometimes just coming to OT is what they need to break up the day. Whether it’s to be alone for a little while, or the activities we do, the calm atmosphere… it always seems to help reset a child when they need it most and to have that safe space is absolutely necessary for so many children in daycare🤍

We cannot even fathom what a neurodivergent or autistic child is thinking and feeling. And we have to be aware that they...
07/28/2023

We cannot even fathom what a neurodivergent or autistic child is thinking and feeling. And we have to be aware that they are trying to conform to what neurotypical people want them to do at an extremely young age. This is why these children burst so often.

Imagine feeling pins and needles every time you touch paint, anytime you enter a classroom the noise flooding your ears as if you were front row at a concert, literally being able to see colors when music comes on, or still be able to feel when a friend touched your arm 10 minutes later. All the while, adults are telling you to stop, to sit, to do an activity on demand, to pay attention. This is unrealistic.

I am so excited to continue to hear autistic adults speak of their experiences and perspectives and for them to continue to push for change.

What we think we know of autism is ever changing and providers need to be flexible and accepting of this.

The info is slowly trickling down to providers, but here’s the thing:
1. We’re in Maine where we’re about a solid 5 years behind the rest of the country in just about anything. We have to be aware of that and choose to do our own research.
2. We need to empower and educate early childhood education staff to better understand neurodivergence in more than just a one sheet or slide about “typical” autism or adhd.
3. Physicians need to get on board with this change and be up to date on the research as well.

It’s simply not common practice to understand every piece and part of a child to best inform the way we care for them- and it’s nearly impossible to do so. But if we can start to understand that both neurodivergent and neurotypical children fall on a spectrum rather than some one perfect ideal child (that does not exist) then we can get somewhere.

Today it was a dinosaur egg. Yesterday it was a steam roller.Tomorrow it will probably be an obstacle.When you work with...
07/27/2023

Today it was a dinosaur egg.

Yesterday it was a steam roller.

Tomorrow it will probably be an obstacle.

When you work with small children you have to be able to find your imagination again, and sometimes it’s harder than you’d think.

When children use their imagination it helps them develop problem solving skills, they use creativity and they may even practice using life skills.

When adults use their imaginations they can help problem solve real life situations and come up with new and creative ways to do so.

When adults use their imagination WITH children, the children are engaged, they are happy, they are willing to persist even when something may be hard for them to do.

It’s a magical place to be when you can see the wonderful thoughts and ideas little ones can have. And it’s one of the best strategies when it comes to engagement in therapy and classroom activities.

The 🔑 is that the grown ups are present enough to participate.

Introducing the onion theory 😂Okay but really, it can be difficult to understand just exactly how OT can apply to your c...
07/26/2023

Introducing the onion theory 😂

Okay but really, it can be difficult to understand just exactly how OT can apply to your child’s life.

There are so many layers to each child and it’s an OT’s job to be able to understand and analyze each layer in order to best support that child and help empower their grownups to do the same.

We also apply these same skills to tasks. So we look at what is the requirements in order to complete anything- eating, bath time, getting shoes on, playing catch, building with legos, etc.

Imagine this little chart of the child’s baseline skills, plus activities that the child may need support with, some check boxes of which environment they need the support in, with a built in list of what their daily routine and schedule looks like- that’s essentially what my brain looks like. A bunch of open tabs with these files on each client😂

These layers that we all have are comprised of start at the central nervous system and work their way up. We have sensory systems, sensory motor, perceptual motor development, and then cognitive development at the tippy top.

We all have ways as adults that we’ve coped with and adapted to an extent, but some children need support with this part so that there aren’t maladaptive and survival mode behaviors as their little minds and bodies try to figure it all out. And their grown ups could definitely use support and help along the way as well.

Any questions about what OT can do for your child? Comment below!

Having OT provided throughout a child’s day during daycare can make them go from overwhelmed to having the ability to to...
07/18/2023

Having OT provided throughout a child’s day during daycare can make them go from overwhelmed to having the ability to tolerate and regulate in stressful and overwhelming situations.

I will do some case studies in posts to follow however I have had the privilege to watch children go from completely shutting down when task demands were to high to being able to not only participate in this task but excelling in it.

I have watched a child who is miserable in their adjustment to an overstimulating classroom completely unwind and let loose in the OT room so that they could then successfully transition back and be able to participate in play and activities with their peers.

In my opinion, OT in childcare should be viewed as a necessity. It is a necessary step in creating inclusive environments that support the needs of the children served and the staff supporting them.

✨THIS IS CHART IS FOR LICENSED FACILITIES OF 13+ children🔑First tip on choosing a quality daycare: Ask the provider what...
07/18/2023

✨THIS IS CHART IS FOR LICENSED FACILITIES OF 13+ children

🔑First tip on choosing a quality daycare: Ask the provider what their child to staff ratio is. If a director does not and cannot rattle these numbers off to you it’s a huge 🚩

Some other facts about ratios and Maine state licensing guidelines:
-The ratios are based off of the youngest child. So if you have a 6 month old with 4 year olds the ratio is still only 1 staff for 4 children.
-The group size applies the same. If you have a 18 month old with 3 year olds, their group max is only 10.
-The group max literally means you cannot have more children of that age in a room together. So, even if you had 10 babies and 10 staff, that’s illegal because you can never have more than 8 babies.

💡 Last tid bit—>Regardless of age, if there are 7 or more children present at a daycare there has to be a minimum of 2 staff in the building.

If a childcare center shuts down or has to downsize in case of emergency due to staffing this is a good sign in the way that they are being responsible and not illegally running their daycare. It can be very frustrating but please keep in mind that daycares EVERYWHERE are also feeling the staffing crisis we’re in right now.

Have any questions about ratios? Comment below!

My first milestone post is about navigating the playground!As an early intervention OT I like to emphasize how therapeut...
07/13/2023

My first milestone post is about navigating the playground!

As an early intervention OT I like to emphasize how therapeutic play can be and if you go outside and hit up the playground it can be an amazing resource for so many reasons.

-Being outside is regulating
-The body needs movement to understand where it is in space
-Climbing and exploring are the perfect ways to work on whole body strengthening.
-You can strategically use different equipment for different needs or goals.

Long story short it’s the perfect purposeful play experience.

✨Notice I did not include age!!

This is purposeful so parents and daycare staff can understand the progression rather than hyper focus on what’s expected for age. To truly meet a child where they are it doesn’t matter. What matters is where they are at and how you can facilitate what comes next🤍

✨Parent Support today:Something that I often have to explain to parents as an OT and daycare provider is the difference ...
07/12/2023

✨Parent Support today:

Something that I often have to explain to parents as an OT and daycare provider is the difference between Home and school.

Home for most children is their safe place. For neurodivergent children it is often their most predictable and controllable place. Their favorite toys, they get to watch their favorite shows, they have their safe people with them which is a stark difference from Daycare.

The easy answer would be let’s just avoid that place, but for a lot of children it takes a transition period that can be difficult but a necessary step to school readiness.

Other parents may be absolutely shocked because they learn their child is absolutely thriving at school, listen to every word that their teacher says, but at home they completely unravel and lose control. This is something else that is common because on another end of the spectrum these children often can keep it together all day but because home is that safest place- they let go.

Transitioning to Daycare can often be the first time a parent is told that someone has concerns for their child, and that can be hard. But, try to keep this in mind.

A quality daycare will:
-Allow for a transition period, be open and honest about this period and how to work together to make it go smoothly.
-If they have concerns, will bring them to your attention and work together with you to find a solution.

Is there a stark difference in daycare and home for your child? Comment below!

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Hermon, ME
04401

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