Sassafras Therapy + Wellness Center

08/25/2023

https://www.parents.com/study-shows-screen-time-harm-in-infants-7814272

Toddlers who received screen time in infancy experienced developmental delays, per a new study. Experts shared advice on engaging a baby without screens.

08/16/2022

Metacognition -- the human brain's ability to think about what you're thinking about -- is a really fascinating and really emerging and studied branch of neuroscience.

A lot of adults have a lot of inappropriate expectations of how much metacognition their children already have.

Asking young children "Why did you do that?" is often asking them to guess or invent a reason after the fact, because what they were thinking of before the fact was as simple as "impulse entered brain > followed impulse".

Even on up into teenage and adulthood this can happen! I distinctly remember a time when I was about 16 years old and I was chatting with my mom in the kitchen. While talking (so my brain was distracted and involved in whatever we were talking about), I saw an apple on the counter and picked it up and began fidgeting with it. It's common for me to fidget with my hands or objects while chatting. There were also scissors on the counter. I picked them up too and idly went to snip the stem off of the apple, again, no real thought process involved here. Because of how I was holding the apple, I snipped the palm of my hand with the scissors! Literally in the middle of a perfectly normal conversation. I knew how to use scissors, I knew how to eat apples, I knew how to have conversations, I knew that none of these things really went together. And if somebody had asked me "what the heck were you thinking?"...the only answer I would've had was, "I wasn't thinking. I was just doing things while I thought about something else."

A 6-year-old might not have the ability to even say, "I just *wasn't* thinking" (either because they don't know that they weren't, or because they haven't been allowed to give that sort of a "non-answer" by the adults in their life.)

It's tough to keep that in mind when you're talking with an eloquent small person, because they seem so capable of talking about what they're talking about. But their brains are still so new!

[Image description: A long, single-panel Calvin & Hobbes comic in which at the left side of the image, Calvin's mom and dad are dressed in sleepclothes and pushing open a bedroom door with squinted, sleepy eyes. At the right side of the image, Calvin is sitting in bed with a pair of drums and a horn and an angry look on his face. He is saying, "Geez, I gotta have a REASON for everything?!" End description.]

04/08/2022

Love this reminder, esp for morning routines at the end of the year! 😆 Not everyone is an auditory learner - in fact, only 30% of people learn best through what they hear. Get down on their level, show them, and then "pause" and give some time for processing to happen.

It's not something that always comes easy in my household, but it is one of my top recommendations too! From babies to 99+!

An updated post.

Of all the sensory strategies I teach families, this one is probably taught the most. It's also one I use every day in my practice, and in my own house.

As parents, we’ve all been there:
“put your shoes on…..
put your SHOES ON…..
PUT YOUR SHOES ON!!!

Are their ears broken? Why won’t they listen to me??

At that moment, maybe they’re not able to hear you. Their hearing is fine…it’s just that the words aren’t getting in. We rely so heavily on verbal directions...but often, our kid's auditory system is not their most efficient sensory channel.

Instead of getting louder, frustrated, aggravated, or completely dysregulated yourself, USE A DIFFERENT SENSORY CHANNEL to communicate!

If they won’t put their shoes on when you ASK them (auditory), change the channel! HAND them a shoe (touch), get down on their level (vision) and repeat the request. You may be surprised how effective changing the sensory channel can be!

If you think you child is experiencing sensory overload, hit the “mute” button temporarily, and re-visit the expectation when they’re regulated.

Need a guide? Ask an Occupational Therapist!

Greg Santucci, Occupational Therapist

If you SHARE this tonight, maybe tomorrow morning there will be less yelling in households all over the world. =)

04/07/2022

Interesting, not surprising. Parents, if you need help with reevaluating your child's use of social media, changing your child's ( & maybe your own) habits and routines, and working with your kiddo to promote health and wellness without screens, give me a shout and we can set up a consult.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2022/03/02/bipartisan-state-ags-investigating-tiktoks-impact-on-kids-and-teens.html

The investigation into TikTok is the latest evidence of momentum behind the push for greater protections for children online.

03/21/2022

❤️

12/14/2021

Did you know that there is a learning disability specific to WRITING? It's called Dysgraphia. I think most people have heard of Dyslexia, which is specific to reading, but this one affects a child's ability to write... and, they are frequently found together.

There are two other related disabilities as well... Dyscalculia, which affects the ability to learn math, and Dyspraxia, which affects a child's physical coordination.

Image credit:

12/06/2021

From October we are inundated with Christmas decorations and festivities. Unfortunately this can have an adverse effect on children who struggle with change and sensory overload. The stress of it all can build up for a child. They may not react straight away and it can show up several days later as difficult behaviour. This behaviour is easy to label as "naughty" or "defiant" but this time of year can just so overwhelming that we need consider the impact on our little people. Blinking lights, glittery objects, sound making trinkets, changes in routine, these can wear down the senses over time without anyone even realizing what it was.

More information on my blog

https://www.thetherapistparent.com/post/managing-christmas-meltdowns

12/03/2021

Stressors this time of year can cause an upswing in your tics! Days are busy, routines are lost, and excitement is in the air! But this holiday season, instead of trying to suppress your tics, or waiting until you feel out of control, try these strategies to help manage the mayhem, and tics.

Need more help? CBIT is the go-to behavioral treatment program for managing tics. Book an appointment today. Teletherapy available for MS and LA clients.

12/03/2021

Behavior is communication...

When it comes to behaviors that appear to be a form of acting out, particularly in children who have not yet learned regulation strategies... there is almost always an underlying condition/unmet need.

So, instead of getting frustrated/angry and being reactive... try and figure out what's causing the behavior. Then, you can help find solutions that actually work. 💞

Image credit:

11/02/2021

What is CBIT?

Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics is an 8-10 week treatment program where...

An Occupational Therapist (me!) works with a client once a week to teach him/her to become more aware of the tic and the behaviors that cause it to occur

I'll introduce a competing behavior that will allow him/her to better manage the tics.

Not only will the client complete the habit reversal program, but will also receive functional intervention to determine triggers and make modifications to daily activities in school or at home, as well as learning stress relieving strategies to implement when needed.

This carefully planned treatment is client-specific to address each person’s unique needs and symptoms.

In order to be as effective as possible, CBIT requires additional practice time outside of the treatment sessions. Throughout the program, the OT will work to embed the competing responses into the child’s routines and daily behaviors, with the help of a support person (mom, dad, grandparents, etc).

Schedule an evaluation or intake call by emailing sassafrastherapy@gmail.com.

10/21/2021

Good morning! Here's a fun, simplified way to look at sensory processing. What cup are you? 😘

This is SUCH a cute way of framing the four sensory profiles -- in technical terms, and in order from left to right, top to bottom, they would be "low regulation", "sensory seeking", "sensory sensitive", and "sensory avoidant". But who doesn't prefer to visualize those things as adorable mugs??

Everybody falls into one of these categories. People who are far out enough on the spectrum of one of the categories that it causes dysfunction in their everyday life are considered to have sensory processing difficulties/disorder.

"Big chill vessel" (aka low registration) means that you have a high threshold for sensory stimuli, and you're passive about it -- you don't do much to seek it out or run away from it. It just happens and it doesn't bother you much.

"Tall mug" (aka sensory seeking) means that you have a high threshold for sensory input, and you're active about it. You want the mug "filled" and you'll seek it out!

"Small handbuilt mug" (aka sensory sensitive) means that you have a low threshold for sensory input, and you're passive about it. You're noticing everything and it might sometimes be overwhelming -- or it doesn't take much to be overwhelmed.

"Little tea cup" (aka sensory avoidant) means that you have a low threshold for sensory input, and you're active about seeking out the comfort level. You likely know exactly what is too much, and you're likely to retreat away from it.

Credit to .therapy for the art!

10/05/2021

With CBIT treatment, you and your child will gain an understanding of the process of how tics occur and impact the brain and body.

Your child, as young as 5 years old, will detect when the tic is about to occur and use a specific movement to block the tic from happening.

We will work together to identify potential triggers that influence tics and use effective strategies to decrease tics in various environments and situations that are important to your child's daily living.

See a significant reduction in tics, no longer bothering or impacting daily life. And you will have resources at your fingertips to use throughout the years.

09/28/2021

I like to say “anxiety and tics are two best friends that feed off each other and energize one another.” 👯They can live independently of each other, but more often than not, I see them working together disturbing the person they’re living in. 🤯

Part of my job is figuring out WHICH CAME FIRST? It’s kind of like the chicken or the egg 🐣, but I can usually detect who is the “bossier of the friends.” Once we decide that, the plan of action is to take down the strongest influence first. 🤺

If you have tics, do you also experience anxiety?

09/24/2021

My 5 yo little dino expert is going to love this.

OT consult, stat!

09/09/2021

Happy to be back in LA after that little unplanned getaway. 😬🌀 Therapy sessions will resume next week. Mom & baby group will be condensed into Tues/Thurs morning sessions for last two weeks of September.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone back in the office or online! ❤️Kat

09/02/2021

🌟Every child has a unique sensory profile which may effect their activities of daily living which includes going to the toileting. Children who have sensory processing disorders may have trouble with toileting skills. These sensory differences may be identified and worked on with the help of a pediatric pelvic floor occupational therapist.

➡️There are many ways that sensory processing dysfunction may present itself. It may be as simple as a child having an aversion to a hard toilet seat. An example of easing this sensory differences is implementing a padded toilet seat to create a comfortable sitting position for the child.

➡️The article, “Toilet Training Kids with ASD,” by Jodi K Wenger, MD discusses the link between Autism Spectrum Disorder and enuresis or encopresis. 11% of children diagnosed with ASD experience enuresis while 6.6% are affected by encopresis.

➡️Sensory processing plays a large role in toilet training. This relationship indicates that children who experience sensory processing dysfunction would benefit from the customized care of pelvic floor OT.

🌺To further discuss toileting for children with sensory processing dysfunction and any questions you may have, schedule a 15 min complimentary video consultation. Link in our bio!⁠

**p **pproblems

09/02/2021

https://monadelahooke.com/toddler-tantrums-help-neuroscience/

Most children with persistent tantrums aren’t purposefully misbehaving. They are experiencing stress responses.

08/26/2021

If you are looking for a few things to keep your littles entertained during hurricane season, whether you evacuate or your power is out...check out these printables for little Louisianians! https://www.sassafrastherapy.com/store/louisianalittles

Here are few more simple, low-tech ideas if you lose power:

Beans and rice fun:
-Fill a plastic shoebox with beans and rice and add small toys (we love dinosaurs!) or pom poms for a "dig".
-Use tongs or tweezers to find and sort special "painted" beans.
-Write uppercase letters and have your child form the letters with beans.

Flashlight fun:
-Flashlight tag - try to catch your partner's beam
-Letter post-its and partner calls out letter for you to find with flashlight
- Flashlight letter formation - make upper and lowercase letters with your flashlight

Stay safe!

A fun workbook for everyone to enjoy as your child develops pre-writing skills. Louisiana-based pictures and activities with suggestions for parents to look beyond letter-writing. (But don't worry, there are pages for that too.)