As a special educator with 45 years experience and training in Orton-Gillingham, I have always believed in the value of using multi-sensory tools and strategies to teaching reading and math. The Orton-Gillingham approach to reading is a language based, multi- sensory, structured, sequential, cognitive and flexible program. Orton-Gillingham is a well known and respected reading…
Summer Fun Supports Learning and Positive Behavior in Children
Why do children seem so much better behaved in the summertime? Is it because they are enrolled in camp and they “get all of their energy out?” Is it because being outside in nature, children are getting away from iPads and television and are less irritable without the screen time? Or maybe children are…
Part 2: Listening foundations: Beyond whole body listening
Listening with your whole body is a concept used in schools to teach what “active listening” looks like for students by demonstrating an attentive listening posture. It assumes that a child’s body is working well for them but they just need more support to follow the listening rules and routines of the classroom. But we…
Whole Body Listening in the Classroom
As a child in a busy classroom how many times do you hear: “Pay attention,” “Quiet down and listen up,” “I’m not going to tell you again; You should have been listening to the instructions,” “Didn’t you hear me?” Teachers use many different strategies to gain the attention of their students and get them to…
Preparing for Peaceful Mealtimes
Tips for Peaceful Family Mealtimes Tip One: Never force your child to eat or clean their plate, bargain, punish, threaten, reward, coax, negotiate, or strongly encourage your child to eat. By doing this, you are setting yourself up for a show down with your child and making extra work for yourself. Tip Two: Ignore refusals,…
Sensational Achievements is Hiring!
Are you committed to excellence and making a difference in the lives of others? We are looking for playful and dynamic occupational therapists who want to help children make “sensational achievements.” Therapists should have 3+ years of experience and knowledge in one or more of the following areas: Evaluation and treatment of sensory processing disorders…
Give Thanks for Picky Eaters
Give THANKS for Picky Eaters: Tips to help your holiday meal go smoothly Try:holiday foods BEFORE the big day! Introduce your child to the new foods they will have every 2-3 days in the weeks leading up to your holiday feast. Share stories and traditions your family may have around that food. Let your child have control…
5 Reasons to Support Our GoFundMe Intiative
All children can benefit from optimizing movement breaks to support learning in the classroom. Body Activated Learning is understandable and accessible for teachers, staff, and paraprofessionals without confusing terminology. It can be easily integrated with other “Brain Break” tools and customized to each teacher’s classroom needs. Body Activated Learning goes beyond supporting self-regulation to enhancing…
Eat the Rainbow With Your Child
Our March Open House and 5 year anniversary celebration was a success! We enjoyed the opportunity to share information about our programming as well as collaborate with other professionals who work with children with sensory processing disorders. Dr. K. Virdee, ND, a naturopath whose practice is located in Fairfield, CT, shared some great…
Listening is a Life Skill
We live in a multisensory world full of visuals and sound to the point that it can become overloading. It impacts our self-regulation, visual skill development, ability to filter out distractions, and the ability to actively and consciously listen to our friends and family in everyday interactions. This is especially challenging for children with sensory…
