Therapists often receive this question from parents of little ones ready to begin their journey into school. You may be asking yourself, “Is my child ready for preschool?”, “Am I ready to send them to preschool?”, or “Does my child need to attend preschool?”

The preschool environment sets a foundation for your child’s academic success by providing opportunities to interact and engage with peers, participate in structured learning activities, and increase independence. Here are five social-emotional skills to encourage as you prepare your child to enter this new environment.

1) Interaction with peers

Children learn how to engage and play with peers appropriately (sharing, turn-taking, compromising) during classroom interactions. You can encourage appropriate peer interactions within your current surroundings by seeking out opportunities that allow your child to practice engaging with peers. Some ideas include: playing simple turn-taking games with siblings or friends, bringing chalk or bubbles to share at the park, or attending a neighborhood play date.

2) Separating in familiar surroundings

If your child feels comfortable separating from you in familiar surroundings, he or she will have an easier time separating when it is time to enter the classroom. To prepare your child for this transition, begin to schedule short periods of time throughout the week that provide opportunities to practice.

3) Following simple directions

Preschool teachers will provide simple directions throughout the day to support learning. Your child’s ability to follow adult-directed activities, such as listening, understanding, and following simple directions is necessary for success. You can help prepare your child by giving simple directions throughout the day and helping them follow through (i.e. “go wash your hands” or “bring me your shoes”).

4) Anticipating routines

Preschool classrooms often follow a daily routine (circle time, story time, free play, and snack time). Building predictability into your daily schedule will help your child anticipate this. For example, create and follow a consistent bedtime routine or read a book together each day after breakfast.

5) Caring for simple needs

The preschool setting requires children to demonstrate basic self-care skills, such as washing their hands or eating meals without assistance. Build your child’s confidence in his or her ability to do things independently by providing opportunities throughout the day to practice self-care skills.

If you have concerns about your child’s emerging skills in these areas, consider enrolling them in a class through your neighborhood park district or attend our social-language playgroup where we target these specific preschool readiness skills.

Take a look at our Playgroups!

Why is it important for parents/caregivers to participate in Early Intervention Therapy sessions?

It is pretty obvious that Early Interventionists love working with your adorable little ones, but we love working with the parents/caregivers, too! The hour we spend with your child every week is incredibly valuable, however there are 167 more hours during that week that you can expand upon! Most, if not all, of the activities therapists do with your child can and should be repeated throughout the week to ensure your child getting the most out of their therapy. You may see therapists use certain strategies or language during sessions that could be helpful in another part of your child’s routine.  We encourage you to ask your therapists how you can adapt these approaches into your daily life.

What counts as a transition? 

Transitions are the times in the day that your child moves from one activity to the next. When looking at a typical daily schedule, transitions occur from the moment your child wakes all the way through his or her bedtime routine. Examples of transitions include:

• Getting dressed
• Leaving the park
• Sitting down for a meal
• Cleaning up
• Preparing for bed

Why does my child have difficulties with transitions?

It is important to first determine that your child’s basic needs have been met; is my child hungry, tired, or sick? If you answered “yes”, then the expectations at that time may be unrealistic for your child to follow. Before beginning a behavior routine, ensure that your child is at his or her best ability to successfully participate.

Many children struggle with transitions as their environment moves at a quicker pace, and their desire for independence grows. The demands placed on your child become stressful, developing frustration for both you and your child. This is when a power struggle begins!

Children with disabilities, such as autism, may have a greater need for predictability, difficulty when a pattern is interrupted, or trouble with understanding what activity is coming next.

How do I turn my child into a transition master?

There is great news – trouble with transitions is NOT a new problem. Many therapists, teachers, and parents use tried and true methods for helping children move from one activity to the next.

Consistency: If a transition occurs frequently (e.g. bedtime, brushing teeth), it is important to make the transition as consistent as possible. For example, if your child avoids brushing his or her teeth, make the expectation known that brushing teeth occurs as soon as your child wakes up and before reading a book at night. Once your child knows the routine, the difficulties following it disappear.

Provide (limited) choices: When it comes time to clean up an activity, you can ask your child “Do you want to clean up by yourself or would you like me to help you?” At first, your child might ignore you or begin to tantrum. When this happens, calmly use hand-over-hand assistance to help your child put their toy away. It is essential for your child to learn to follow your directions! At first, you may become more upset; however, your child will quickly learn to successfully follow instructions.

Use visuals: It is often helpful for a child to understand what is coming next. A visual schedule using pictures of each activity for the day will prepare a child for what is coming next. A timer will allow your child to understand what “two more minutes” means and prepare accordingly.

Allow your child to feel heard: When your child is upset, explain that you understand. For example, you can say, “I can see that you are feeling sad.” I know that you were having fun with your cars! Right now it is time for lunch. We can play with your cars tomorrow”. This not only allows you to demonstrate empathy, but also gives your child a model for appropriate language to express him or herself.

If you have further questions regarding transitions or other behavior concerns, please contact a social worker at Playworks Therapy to help meet your needs!

My child doesn’t have an occupation, why does she/he need occupational therapy?

Occupations can be defined as “activities that people engage in throughout their daily lives to fulfill their time and give life meaning” (AOTA, 2008). For young children these occupations can include activities of daily living (dressing, eating), play, rest and sleep, and social interaction. If something is preventing a child from participation in these occupations such as a diagnosis or developmental delay, occupational therapy can help. Occupational therapists are trained to modify the environment, develop skills, and promote meaningful engagement in all the areas of occupation for children.

References: Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (2008). The American Occupational Therapy Association, Bethesda, MD.

By Brittney LaTurno, MS, CF-SLP

As a parent, do you feel like you are constantly making multiple meals at each sitting to accommodate that “picky eater” in your home? Many parents and care takers report they have difficulty getting their child to try new foods and that their toddler may only have four or five types of food that they will eat on a daily basis.

It may seem like there is a constant battle at meal time, but it is important to remember that shifting from a full liquid diet to pureed and table foods may be a difficult, overwhelming transition for your kiddo. Listed below are some helpful tips to increase your child’s interest in trying new types and textures of food!

• Introduce a new food with food your child already enjoys.
• Do not introduce more than one new food at a meal.
• Continue introducing food if your child refuses it the first time (this will help he/she become comfortable with it).
• If child prefers one type of consistency (sticky), introduce other foods with the same consistency – this will help them feel comfortable with the foods they are eating while trying new flavors.
• Allow your child to be involved in the preparation of food. For instance, they may help warm food in microwave, put food on their plate, etc. Also, let them pick out their own utensils.
• Serve as a good model for your child’s eating. Show them that you enjoy eating the foods that you want them to try.
• Give your child small servings of food (1/2 tablespoon for each year of child’s age). An abundance of food on the child’s plate may be overwhelming.
• Make meal time a relaxed atmosphere, do not pressure your child to finish all of their food. Try to talk about other enjoyable things during meal time.
• Serve foods at different temperatures (hot, cold, warm). Talk about how each temperature feels and see which temperature he/she enjoys most.
• Serve your child milk during meal time. However, try to give water between meals so he/she is not full when it is time to eat!
• If your child enjoys soft foods, mix foods in applesauce or yogurt to give food a softer consistency.
• Allow your child to practice “playing” in the mouth with chew tubes or straws
• Allow your child to “dip” food into things they enjoy (Nutella, peanut butter)
• PLAY with food!
  • Bring your child’s favorite toy to the table to “try” the food. For instance, if your child enjoys dolls, bring doll to table and have your child feed the doll.
  • Allow your child to get messy with food! They can explore food by feeling different textures, “painting” with food, etc.
  • Allow your child to smell foods without forcing them to eat food.
  • Play with food away from the dinner table. This will help take some pressure off.
  • Let your child make art projects using food (dry pasta, cereal). You can use a sticky consistency as the “glue.” This will help make food exciting!

It is important to note that if your child demonstrates avoidance behaviors as strong as gagging, vomiting, coughing, or extreme discomfort through mealtime, your pediatrician should be consulted.  

How do I know whether my child’s speech and language delays are due to being “tongue tied?” When is surgery appropriate?

Tongue tied is when the child’s frenulum, the connective tissue that connects the bottom of your tongue to the floor of mouth, is either partially or completely fused to the floor of the mouth. The medical term for this condition is ‘ankyloglossia.’

When children have this condition, it impacts the range of motion of the tongue for tongue tip protrusion (sticking the tongue out past the teeth) and elevation (tongue tip to palate). Decreased lingual range of motion can have negative effects on feeding; specifically, how a child chews the food and forms a food bolus and/or swallows. Many children with akyloglossia, however, do not present with speech or feeding difficulties and proficiently eat a variety of foods and liquids, elevate the tongue tip for speech sounds /t, d, n/, and protrude the tongue for the interdental sounds (voiced and voiceless “th”).

In effect, there is no clear evidence that there is a causal relationship between akyloglossia and speech delays, and it should not be assumed that a surgical intervention will solve speech sound disorders. For more information, please contact us!

(Reference: ASHA)

By: Danielle Kaplan, MS, CCC-SLP – Speech-Language Pathologist

Playtime is always a great learning opportunity for toddlers, especially considering that for the most part all waking hours involve play. Below are some of my favorite toys for eliciting and teaching speech and language skills to young children and strategies for educative play.

First, let’s review some recommendations for all toys.

Encourage your child to make choices. When it is time to play, give him/her a choice of two or three toys. Begin by labeling the items and then encourage your child to choose by pointing, naming, using a phrase, or simply imitating the first sound of the item requested (i.e. if saying “Mr. Potato Head” is too hard, suggest verbalizing “puh” or “tato”), or a combination of any of the above.

Keep toys out of reach or in containers that the child cannot open (especially your child’s favorites). This will help to support your kiddo’s initiation and spontaneous language/communication. Encourage your child to ask for “help”, ask to “open” the container, or name preferred items. This can also help to keep your space organized and keep toy parts together!

Don’t forget to play WITH your child! Toddlers’ spongy brains are ready to soak up what you have to teach them. Model the language you want him/her to use. Don’t be afraid to be silly and creative, toys do not have to be used in the exact way they were intended. If your toddler wants to use Mr. Potato Head’s hand as a shovel, go with it. Have fun!

Toy Recommendations

Mr. Potato Head 

Mr. Potato Head is a great toy for teaching body parts. Encourage your child to ask for body parts or choose the correct item out of two or three different parts. Tell the child to “push.. (push.. push)” pieces “in.. (in.. in)” and “pull” them “out”. Mr. Potato Head is also great for working on fine motor skills. If your kiddo has trouble getting the pieces in the holes, remind him/her to ask for “help”!

Animals with a Barn

Animal Planet Barnyard Playset is great for teaching animal names and sounds. Make the animals climb “up” the roof and “whee” go “down”. “Open” and “close” the doors while saying “hi” and “bye” to the animals inside. Can also work on action words by having the animals “run,” “jump,” “fly,” “eat,” “sleep,” etc.

Reusable Sticker Books

The Melissa and Doug reusable sticker books are great for encouraging creativity, working on following directions/comprehension, requesting, and learning to describe/give directions. Plus, kids love stickers! Encourage your child to request the sticker he/she wants (using the above requesting/choosing suggestions). Tell him/her where to put the sticker using location/color words (i.e. “put the girl on the blue train,” “put the hippo in the water” or “put the cow next to the horse”).

Other great toys include:

• Gum-ball Machine (B. Sugar Chute)
• Play Doh
• Puzzles
• Legos/Blocks
• Books
• Velcro food cutting set
• bubbles
• Baby Einstein Treasure Box
• Fisher Price Piggy Bank.