PFG Therapy

10/24/2025

🎃 Fine Motor Halloween Craft Ideas for OT 🎨

Halloween season is the perfect time to work on fine motor skills while keeping therapy fun and engaging! Here are a few spooky-cute craft ideas you can try in your sessions (or recommend to families to do at home):

👻 1. Spider Web Yarn Weaving
Skills: Bilateral coordination, finger dexterity, visual-motor integration
How: Cut a paper plate into a circle, punch holes around the edge, and have kids weave yarn back and forth to make a “web.” Add a small pom-pom spider at the end!

10/22/2025

🗣️ October 22 is International Stuttering Awareness Day!

Stuttering is a speech fluency disorder where a person’s speech may include repetitions, prolongations, or blocks. It’s not caused by nerves or intelligence — and it’s nothing to be “fixed.”

💛 How to support someone who stutters:
Be patient — give them time to speak.
Listen to what they’re saying, not how they say it.
Don’t interrupt or finish their sentences.
Celebrate their voice — every word matters.
Communication is about connection, not perfection. 💬✨

If you or someone you know is looking for support for a fluency disorder, PFG Therapy is prepared to help! Reach out today to connect with one of our qualified SLPs! 815-905-7028

10/20/2025

✏️ How Can OT Help With Handwriting & School Readiness? ✏️
Starting school is a big milestone — and Occupational Therapy can play a huge role in helping kids feel confident and ready to learn! 🌟
Here’s how OT supports those early classroom skills:
🖐️ Fine Motor Skills: We work on strengthening the small muscles in the hands and fingers needed for holding a pencil, cutting with scissors, and manipulating classroom tools.
🧠 Handwriting Foundations: Before neat handwriting comes posture, core strength, hand-eye coordination, and proper pencil grasp — all of which OTs help develop through play-based activities.
📏 Pre-Writing & Visual-Motor Skills: Tracing, shapes, and pattern activities build the visual-motor integration skills kids need to form letters and numbers with ease.
👣 School Readiness Skills: Beyond handwriting, OT supports attention, self-regulation, following routines, and independence with tasks like dressing, snack time, and organizing materials.
✨ OT helps kids feel capable, confident, and ready to thrive from day one of school — and sets the stage for a positive learning!

10/17/2025

🎃👻 Trick or Treat… With AAC! 👻🎃

Halloween is an exciting time for many kids — costumes, candy, and community fun! But for some children, spoken words aren’t how they communicate. That’s where AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) comes in. 💬✨
Whether it’s a communication device, picture board, sign language, or gestures — AAC gives kids the tools they need to say “Trick or Treat!”, “Thank you!”, or “I love your costume!” in their own way. 💜

Here’s how YOU can help make trick-or-treating more inclusive:
✅ Be patient — give kids extra time to respond.
✅ Look for buttons, boards, or signs they might be using to communicate.
✅ Celebrate all forms of communication — spoken or not!
Every “Trick or Treat” deserves a smile — no matter how it’s said. 🧡🍬

10/15/2025

🎧 “Why Do Some Kids Wear Headphones?” 🎧
Ever wondered why some kids wear headphones — even when it’s not loud? 👂💜
It’s not always about listening to music. For many children, noise-reducing or noise-canceling headphones are actually a sensory tool! And in honor of Sensory Processing Awareness month, at PFG Therapy we want to celebrate those sensory differences!

Here’s why they can be so helpful:
🔊 Sound Sensitivity: Some kids’ brains process sounds more intensely. Everyday noises — like the cafeteria, hand dryers, or crowds — can feel overwhelming or even painful.
🧘‍♂️ Regulation & Focus: Reducing background noise helps them feel calmer, more focused, and able to participate in activities without becoming overstimulated.
🌟 Confidence & Independence: With the right support tools, kids can engage more comfortably in environments that might otherwise feel too challenging.
Wearing headphones isn’t about “tuning out” — it’s about tuning in to the world in a way that feels safe and manageable. 💜
When we understand and support sensory needs, we make spaces more inclusive for everyone. 🌈

10/14/2025

Check out my blog post https://wix.to/zclE8KL

Understanding, Supporting, and Celebrating Every Sensory SystemOctober is Sensory Processing Awareness Month — a time to raise awareness, build understanding, and celebrate the unique ways people experience and respond to the world around them. For many families, terms like sensory processingor se...

10/13/2025

💬 What is AAC? 💬
AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication — tools and strategies that support or replace spoken language.
That might look like:
A picture board a child uses to share their needs 🍎
A speech-generating device that speaks aloud what a person selects 📱
Gestures, signs, or even written words ✋✍️
AAC is communication. It helps people connect, share, and participate — whether they use spoken words or not. Everyone deserves a voice, and AAC is one powerful way to make that happen. 💜

10/13/2025

✨ Sunday Spotlight ✨

This week’s spotlight shines on Cooper. He is an energetic, fun loving little guy who has shown SO much growth in speech. He is an awesome example of how impactful early intervention can be!

✨ Sunday Spotlight ✨
Each week, we take a moment to celebrate growth — the kind that’s built step by step, choice by choice.

Cooper's mom Meghan shared "Cooper has been thriving since starting speech therapy 6 months ago. He looks forward to seeing Ms. Katie each week and runs to the door to see what toys she brings in her bag. My husband and I appreciate all of the helpful tips and extra information that Katie provides us to continue teaching Cooper throughout the week. He is finally able to communicate his wants and needs and it has been a game changer for our family!"

We are so lucky to have Cooper as one of our PFG Therapy clients and can't wait to see him grow even more! Go Cooper Go!💙⭐👏

10/10/2025

🎃 Spooky Friday Fun! 👻
Tongue twisters aren’t just silly sayings—they’re speech superstars!
💬 Practicing tongue twisters helps:
✨ Strengthen speech muscles
🗣️ Improve articulation and clarity
🧠 Boost focus and listening skills
🎶 Encourage rhythm and pacing in speech

Here are some fun options!
👻 :
Spooky spiders spin speedy silk silently.
🦇:
Brave bats bounce by the black barn.
🎃:
Ghostly goblins giggle and glide through gloomy gardens.
🧙‍♀️ :
Wicked witches whisk white webs while whispering.
🕸️ (Hard Mode):
Sneaky skeletons silently shuffle through shadowy streets

Can you say it five times fast? Tag us with your best spooky twist!

10/09/2025

🧠 Wisdom Wednesday

Did you know that speech therapy supports early reading and literacy skills? 📚
Speech-language pathologists don’t just work on talking — we help kids build the foundation for strong readers and writers through:
✨ Phonological awareness (hearing and playing with sounds in words)
✨ Vocabulary and comprehension growth
✨ Sequencing and storytelling skills
✨ Listening and memory for language patterns
These are the same skills children need to decode words, understand text, and express ideas clearly!

💬 When we strengthen speech and language, we’re also strengthening literacy. PFG Therapy has qualified SLPs who are ready to support literacy and language growth! . Call today 815-705-9028!

10/07/2025

Did you know that early support for pragmatic language skills can make a significant difference in communication? 🌟 Discover the importance of these skills in our latest blog post! Read more: https://wix.to/2bvaMfr

When we think about communication, we often focus on vocabulary, grammar, and speech sounds. But another crucial piece is pragmatic language—the social use of language. Pragmatic skills help children know how to use words and language in everyday situations, like taking turns in conversation, stay...

10/06/2025

❓ Parent FAQ:

“How can Occupational Therapy help my child’s verbal speech?”
👋 Great question! While Speech Therapy focuses directly on language and articulation, Occupational Therapy (OT) supports the foundations needed for clear, confident speech.
Here’s how OTs can help:
🧠 Regulation & Attention – Helping kids stay calm, alert, and ready to communicate.
💪 Core & Oral Motor Strength – Building posture, breath support, and coordination for speech.
✋ Sensory Processing – Supporting how kids process input so they can focus and respond.
🗣️ Play & Engagement – Encouraging turn-taking, imitation, and interaction—the building blocks of communication!
Speech and OT often work hand-in-hand to help kids communicate more effectively and confidently. 💬🤝