My Little Sunshine Pediatric Therapy

April is National Minority Health Month and Occupational Therapy Month! I challenge everyone to spend five minutes reading about how health disparities affect a minority in your region and how it influences health and rehabilitation outcomes 🙂

#otmonth #occupationaltherapy NICHQ - National Institute for Children's Health Quality #minorityhealthmonth #minorityhealth #investindiversity COTAD - Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity @cdc #actearly

grand rounds at Washington University Occupational Therapy Program about sensory experiences of babies in the NICU. Free 🙂 St. Louis Area First Steps

Sensory friendly Sunday coming up at City Museum, St Louis, MO! St. Louis Area First Steps

Sensory friendly Sunday coming up at City Museum, St Louis, MO on dec 2! #sensoryfriendly #citymuseum #specialneeds St. Louis Area First Steps

A Guide to Toxic Stress - Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

Toxic stress affects a child's ability to learn and grow and becoming increasingly recognized as one of the key social determinants of health. Learn more here:

developingchild.harvard.edu Chances are, you’ve heard or read something about toxic stress—maybe from the media, from a physician or other medical professional, or from a family member, friend, or neighbor. You may feel overwhelmed by all of the toxic stress information out there. And, unfortunately, it’s very easy to fi...

Tri My Best Adaptive Triathlon | St. Louis Children's Hospital

This event is really fun for the kids!

stlouischildrens.org We are excited to announce that the date has been set for our 2018 Tri My Best Adaptive Triathlon! The event will take place on Sunday, September 9, 2018 from 8:00am-12:00pm at the Washington University Athletic Complex. To register your athlete, complete the application and return. To volunteer, yo...

My Little Sunshine Pediatric Therapy - Recursos en Español

Need information for families about OT, child development, autism or Down syndrome? Here is a webpage with more a consolidated list of resources in Spanish for families.
Busca información sobre desarrollo infantil, terapia ocupacional, el espectro autista or síndrome de Down? Aquí hay un sitio con recursos en español.

sites.google.com

Perspective | What to know (and what to avoid) when transitioning babies to solid foods

Looking for tips of when to start feeding solids?

washingtonpost.com A pediatrician's advice for raising healthy, non-picky eaters, hopefully with fewer food allergies.

Early Childhood Thematic Webinar | NICHQ - National Institute for Children's Health Quality

Free webinar tomorrow on engaging families of diverse backgrounds in early childhood screening:

nichq.org Join NICHQ for an early childhood webinar: Engaging Families from Diverse Backgrounds with Developmental Screening and Child Well-Being Developmental screenings can change children’s lives. Screenings help ensure early diagnosis so that children with disabilities can receive the right care at the ...

Upcoming online talk on feeding and nutrition with pediatric OT Sara Kolb

Car Seats: Information for Families

Some tips from AAP Pediatrics on choosing a car seat for your little one and how to make sure they are safely buckled in. :)

healthychildren.org

Starting Solid Foods

You may hear lots of different things about when babies should start eating solid food. Here are tips of how to know when to start from the AAP Pediatrics.

healthychildren.org To help you prepare for your baby’s transition to solid food, read on for more information from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Perspective | We had a great day at the park with our autistic son, until someone called the police

Sometimes we celebrate small things, like being able to transition between activities without a tantrum, wear pants or play at the park.

washingtonpost.com The police were called on us because my son was having a bad hair day. What does this say about our society?

Home

New spot in St.Louis for parents and kids to hang out, kids can play and parents can socialize!
https://www.urbanfortcafe.com

urbanfortcafe.com Urban Fort Play Cafe: A Place for Kids and their Grown-Ups

A boy’s message to his classmates about his life with autism is warming hearts around the Internet.

A video by a little boy about what it is like to live with autism- worth the watch! #autism #earlyintervention #occupationaltherapy #OT

washingtonpost.com Lisa Jolley shared a video of her 9-year-old son George, where he describes his life with autism. In the video, George describes his favorite things, including Harry Potter and tacos.

CDC's Milestone Tracker Mobile App

New app for the day: CDC developmental milestones tracking app! (also has feature to keep track of doctor visits!)

cdc.gov Milestones matter! Track your child’s milestones from age 2 months to 5 years with CDC’s easy-to-use illustrated checklists.

COTAD - Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity

Check out the new OT-centered podcast, On The air, available on Stitcher and iTunes. On Episode 2, released today, Catherine Hoyt talks about advocacy and innovation in the field of OT.

American Occupational Therapy Association - AOTA

I love being an OT!

"The results are a child finding themselves."
Share this video of #WhatOTcando for children and youth.

Infographic: Play to Learn

Play is the main occupational of childhood, and an important part of learning and growing.

nichd.nih.gov Allowing your child to play is a must! A healthy balance between children playing on their own and having structured play with parents is important for early learning and development.

Upcoming 5K for pediatric stroke in StL! World Pediatric Stroke Association

Talking to children when hate makes headlines

Be proactive, not just reactive. Empower yourself and your children. Teach your children to abrace diversity and practice empathy.

cnn.com Parents and teachers struggle to know what young people see and understand about events like what unfolded in Charlottesville, Virginia. This advice might help.

Healthy Sleep Habits: How Many Hours Does Your Child Need?

Healthy sleep habits start at a young age. Do you know how much sleep your little one should get?

healthychildren.org ​While it’s true that sleep needs vary from one person to another, there are some very reasonable, science-based guidelines to help you determine whether your child is getting the sleep he or she needs to grow, learn, and play.​ Learn more here.

Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)

Are you worried about your child transitioning from Early Intervention (St. Louis Area First Steps) to school based services? Wondering what an IEP is? Know your rights!

kidshealth.org Some kids may be eligible for individualized education programs in public schools, free of charge. Understanding how to access these services can help you be an effective advocate for your child.

Back-to-School Tips

As St. Louis gets ready to start the school year, here are some back to school tips from Healthy Children and American Academy of Pediatrics

healthychildren.org There are many things you and your child can do to prepare for school that will make it an enjoyable experience for the whole family.

Upcoming events at ARC- sibling and family playgroup August 19 and free playtime at the Magic House.

Achieving the Promise of a Bright Future: Developmental Screening of Infants and Toddlers

Early and frequent screening of development is a top recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics and ZERO TO THREE, and children in poverty are less likely to receive screenings and are at higher risk for life long health complications. You can help advocate in your place of work, community, state or with national policy to support life long health and well-being-- which starts with a healthy beginning.

zerotothree.org Early identification of developmental issues, partnered with a system of supports to intervene, can prevent early challenges from compromising the child’s development.

Babies Sleep Better In Their Own Rooms After 4 Months, Study Finds

What is your opinion on sleep for babies?

npr.org The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants sleep in their parents' room for at least six months. But some experts say scientific evidence does not back up the guidelines.

Head Start in YWCA Metro St. Louis is now enrolling children 3-5 years.

We're Turning America Orange

June 2 is National Gun Violence Awareness Day. #WearOrange with AAP Pediatrics and Healthy Children to help keep our children safe.

wearorange.org Pledge to wear orange on June 2 and honor all the lives that have been stolen by gun violence.

Healthy Children

Love this!

Think you can spot a developmental milestone? Take the milestones quiz to find out! Developmental milestones are skills that mark a child’s development; things most children can do by a certain age. Milestones like babbling, finding hidden objects, and playing alongside or with other kids provide clues about your child’s developmental health. So, look for your child’s milestones regularly, celebrate them, and record them to share with your child’s pediatrician.

BBC Three

Yoga changed 9-year-old Daniel's life.

Just Say Hi Highlight Reel

How do you start a conversation with someone who has a disability? Just say 'Hi!'. !

vimeo.com This is "Just Say Hi Highlight Reel" by Cerebral Palsy Foundation on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

Sesame Street in Communities

Sesame Street is here to support the important work you do.

ZERO TO THREE

Reading and talking to your child can be one of the most meaningful ways you help your child learn.

A child’s brain undergoes an amazing period of development from birth to three—producing more than a million neural connections each second! The foundation for this rapid development is built through loving interactions with parents and caretakers like you. http://bddy.me/2pYC69r Learn more about the crucial role you play in building your baby’s brain, get your questions answered, and find fun “brain-building” activities to share with your little one here: http://bddy.me/2pYrs2C

ZERO TO THREE

Although tantrums can surely be unpleasant, it's important to try to see them as opportunities for a child to learn about critical skills for life: rules and limits, feelings, and self-regulation. Learn what you can do to prevent tantrums and how to respond when they do happen: http://bddy.me/2oGrQp9