Hands on Play Pediatric Therapy

03/20/2026

We ❤️ our OTs!!

What this in a .pdf to download and print up to a poster size for a daily affirmation of how awesome your skill set is or as a gift for your favorite OT? Drop a 🙋‍♀️ and we will send you the link!

03/18/2026

03/18/2026

03/18/2026

The sensory struggles you may be seeing in a child if…

…a child one or more retained Primitive Reflexes.

Retained reflexes can disrupt the entire sensory system, which can disrupt the child’s ability to function on a daily basis. You may not realize a reflex is retained, but you will notice behaviors that seem confusing or inconsistent.

Some of the sensory disruptions you may see include the following:
🤯 Overreacting to sounds, lights, touch, or movement
🤯 Constant fidgeting or inability to sit still
🤯 Difficulty with body awareness (seems clumsy or crashes into things)
🤯 Fight-or-flight responses to everyday situations

…and several other signs. When primitive reflexes remain active, the nervous system can stay in a stressed, protective state making it much harder for a child to feel calm, safe, and ready to learn.

To learn more about sensory disruptions and even more signs caused by retained reflexes, leave a comment below and we’ll send you the link.

03/17/2026

Kindergarten readiness is not just letters and numbers.
Activities like this help build the brain and body skills children need to succeed in the classroom.
In this activity we are working on
• crossing midline
• color sorting
• bilateral coordination
• visual motor skills
• attention and focus
Crossing midline helps both sides of the brain work together. This supports important school skills like writing, cutting, reading, and completing classroom tasks.
And the best part?
To kids it just feels like play.

03/12/2026

Before they can write letters they need to be able to draw lines and shapes. https://www.theottoolbox.com/pre-writing-lines-fine-motor-activity/

03/12/2026

Big behaviors are not defiance.
They reflect dysregulation and lagging executive function skills.

When we shift our lens from compliance to capacity, everything changes.

We stop asking, “How do I stop this behavior?”
And start asking, “What skill is missing? What state is this nervous system in?”

That shift changes our interventions.
It changes our tone.
It changes our outcomes.

This is the heart of my upcoming conference session on managing big behaviors through a regulation first, executive function lens.
Because behavior is communication. But it is also capacity.

03/12/2026

Why executive function is needed in the classroom for higher learning development...https://ilslearningcorner.com/2016-07-8-executive-functioning-skills-child-cant-complete-tasks-stay-organized-school/

03/11/2026

When people talk about kindergarten readiness, academics tend to get all the attention. But the skills kids really need to be successful in the classroom come long before worksheets.

Let's break down the foundational skills that support learning, participation, and independence, including:
• regulating emotions and calming the body
• transitioning between activities
• using the bathroom and washing hands
• managing clothing and lunch containers
• attending, listening, and following directions
• sharing, waiting, and taking turns

These are the skills that help kids function in a classroom—and they develop through play, routines, and supportive experiences over time.

Want the FREE Printable Checklist? Drop an 🍎 in the comments and we'll send it your way!"

03/10/2026

POV: The OT shows up at your front door like… “Hi Barbie!” 😄
One of the questions we get all the time is:
“Wait… you come to our house?”
Yes. We do. 💗
Hands On Play Pediatric Therapy is community based, which means therapy can happen where your child actually lives, learns, and plays.
We meet families: 🏡 At home
🏫 At daycare or preschool
📚 At libraries or community spaces
🛝 At parks and play spaces
Because skills build best in the places kids really use them.
We currently serve families across:
📍 Roanoke
📍 Salem
📍 Vinton
📍 Franklin County / Rocky Mount
📍 Botetourt County
📍 Lynchburg
If your child needs support with sensory processing, regulation, fine motor skills, feeding, executive functioning, or daily routines, we would love to help.
📞 Call or message us to learn more about starting OT.
ADHDKids RoanokeParents LynchburgVA NeurodiversityAffirming

03/10/2026

🧠✏️ ADHD and Motor Skills: What This Visual Helps Us Understand ✏️🧠

This graphic highlights something many educators and therapists see every day but do not always have language for.

👉 ADHD is not only about attention. Motor skills matter too.

🔍 Up to 50% face motor challenges
Research summarized in this image reflects findings that up to half of children with ADHD show clinically significant motor difficulties, even when there is no separate motor disorder. That means motor challenges are often part of the picture, not an add-on.

✍️ Fine motor skills are most affected
The image calls out fine motor skills for a reason. Tasks that require precision and speed, like handwriting and manual dexterity, are consistently impacted. Writing is not just an academic task. It is a motor task layered with attention, planning, and endurance.

🪑⚖️ Balance and posture matter
Many children with ADHD show reduced postural stability during seated work. When holding the body upright takes effort, there is less energy left for attention and learning. This can show up as fidgeting, leaning, or frequent position changes.

🚶 Why movement supports learning
The bottom section of the image gets to the heart of practical support. Movement is not a distraction. For many students, it is a tool for regulation and engagement.

Here are strategy-focused takeaways aligned with this image 👇

🛠️ Offer alternatives to writing when fine motor demands interfere with showing understanding
⏱️ Adjust task length to reduce motor fatigue without lowering expectations
🪑 Provide seating options that support posture and stability
🚶 Build movement breaks into instruction, especially before or after desk work
👀 Use visual models and cues to reduce motor and cognitive load

✨ The big takeaway
When we support motor demands, attention often improves. This is not about fixing students. It is about designing tasks and environments that support participation.

💬 Let’s reflect together:
Have you noticed students who attend better when movement or motor demands are adjusted? How does this image match what you see in your setting?

👇 Share your thoughts or tag a colleague who would find this helpful.

03/09/2026

When you teach kids emotional intelligence, how to recognize their feelings, understand where they come from, and learn how to deal with those emotions, you teach them a valuable skill that they will use for life!

If you would like a free printable emotional regulation activity to help kids identify and label their own emotions and others’ emotions, drop an emoji describing how you are feeling today! 😀😃🙂😊🥰😌😐😕🙁😢😭😤😠😡😱😨😰😬😳🤔😴😎🤩🥳😇🤗