Empower Tomorrow Therapy Services, LLC

02/02/2026

AurPlace is a low-cost group providing sensory and disability friendly drop-in play spaces for folks living in the Tacoma area. They have been targeting largely kid populations, but are gathering more info on tween/teen interest. I highly encourage our client families to fill out the survey below to let them know folks might be interested in!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-dWgp-QJX5rrYxritXIjuAFiDtQLEG3TJyLeq5nQ1C1JJVA/viewform

02/01/2026

February 17th is Chinese New Year, and this year is Year of the Horse! 🐎 One of the coolest things about Chinese New Year is that in Tacoma, it’s Monkeyshine Season!

Monkeyshines is an annual, community-driven scavenger hunt in Tacoma, Washington, that began around 2003-2004 to spread joy during winter. Founded by “Ms. Monkey,” local artists hide thousands of handmade, lunar-year-themed glass orbs and medallions (monkeyshines) in public spaces around Lunar New Year.

In addition to glass medallions and orbs, each year citizens also hide other surprises, commonly referred to as “rogues”.

Emma and Mikayla both have been lucky enough to find several Monkeyshines throughout the years, including a glass orb during the Year of the Tiger a few years back!

Hunting for monkeyshines is a great way to get outside with family and friends. You might get lucky and find something cool! No need to wait until February 17th, there are plenty of things to find all month long. Anywhere within city limits of Tacoma is fair game!

01/28/2026

“Steal The Bacon!” 🥓

This fun card game is great for working on sequencing and impulse control! Players take turns flipping their cards in a circle while chanting, “Steal the Bacon!” and if their breakfast plate matches someone else’s, they race to steal the bacon! There are some special cards that also appear, granting anyone the chance to steal the bacon, or barring the group from touching the bacon at all. It’s been a popular choice this past couple of weeks!

01/26/2026

✅ We know there is a big increase in autism diagnoses

✅ We know the *biggest* increase in autism diagnosis is in adults

✅ We know Autism is primarily genetic (80%+ according to twin studies), and this can include de Novo mutations

✅ We know the diagnostic criteria for autism has broadened significantly since it was first identified

✅ We know autism awareness and acceptance continues to grow, including the fact that autism is more than stereotypes

❌ What we don’t know (for sure) is if there are actually more Autistic people in the world- or if just more people who are autistic are accessing a diagnosis.

And yet, so many people are ignoring all of the facts we DO know and at the same time, pretending the last statement is a scientifically known fact- when it’s not.

Now, do I personally think there are more Autistic people now than there was 100 years ago? I actually do. I also think the biggest reason for the increase in autism prevalence is increased knowledge (which we still have a long way to go) as well as *some* decreased stigma (also have a long way to go). And as a result, I predict the prevalence will continue to increase, and this will be expected and not a “crisis”.

01/26/2026

💖 Valentine’s Day celebration started a bit early this year at ETTS, with this peer duo making and decorating Funfetti cookies and cupcakes. 🧁🍪

They couldn’t decide between following the cookie or cupcake recipe so they opted to 1/2 the mix and recipe and made 6 of each! ❤️

01/22/2026

Happy Workaversary, Kim! 🥳

Kim has been part of our team for one year now! We love the cool games and activities that she often brings in to share! When you see Kim, be sure to wish her a happy one year!

01/18/2026

01/16/2026

Children with excessive screen time before age 5 have a higher risk of emotional disorders as teens because early, heavy exposure to digital media disrupts the development of essential self-regulation skills, alters brain network maturation, and reduces crucial in-person social interaction. This creates a long-term pattern where children rely on screens for emotional comfort rather than developing internal coping mechanisms, which can lead to higher rates of anxiety, depression and poor emotional regulation during adolescence.

🗂️Key Reasons for Increased Risk:

📑Delayed Development of Emotional Regulation: Instead of learning to handle frustration or boredom, children with excessive screen time often rely on devices for distraction. This habit prevents the development of self-regulation, resulting in lower emotional control, higher impulsivity, and increased irritability as they grow older.

📑Altered Brain Development (Pre-Age 2 Sensitivity): High screen exposure before age 2 is linked to premature, “accelerated” maturation of brain networks involved in visual processing. This rapid development comes at the expense of slower-developing, higher-level cognitive control networks, which are essential for managing emotions.

📑Reduced Social-Emotional Learning: Time on screens displaces face-to-face, real-world interactions that are necessary for children to learn how to read facial expressions, interpret body language, and practice empathy.

📑Dopamine Desensitization: Constant, fast paced, and intense stimulation from screens can desensitize the brain’s reward system. This leads to a need for more intense, constant stimulation to feel satisfied, contributing to lower stress tolerance and increased anxiety or depression when not engaged with technology.

📑Sleep Disruption: Excessive screen use, particularly before bed, inhibits melatonin production and disrupts sleep patterns. Poor sleep quality in early childhood is a significant predictor of behavioral problems, mood swings, and anxiety/depression in later years.

SOURCE: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2025/06/screen-time-problems-children; see also PMID: 37476119

01/16/2026

A friendly reminder from our mascot Skelly that we are OPEN on Monday, January 19th, and look forward to seeing everyone then!

01/14/2026

Hike the Hill is a yearly event where OTs from around the state join together in Olympia to advocate for occupational therapy and the patients we serve.

This year we advocated for three bills aimed at expanding scope of practice, giving OTs more authority in L&I cases, and taking a step forward in insurance fairness for small practices like ours! I’m greatly appreciative of our OT lobbiest as well as District 25 Representatives Jacobsen and Keaton for taking the time to chat today!

01/09/2026