Fine Motor Skills Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Carolina Therapy Connection

The Pyramid of Learning

The Pyramid of Learning was developed by Occupational Therapist Kathleen Taylor and Special Educator Maryann Trott. The Pyramid of Learning is an easy-to-understand illustration that depicts a general idea of a child’s foundational skills, and what other skills build upon those. Think about it: You can’t place stones on the top until the foundation stones are in place… every block relies on the ones underneath to be strong and stable. This pyramid explains why the sensory systems are so incredibly important to support academic learning. In other words, kids NEED routine sensory input for their bodies and their brain! Our central nervous system processes and organizes the sensory information we put into it each day. Adequate sensorimotor development for things like motor planning, postural security and body awareness are built on adequate modulation and processing of sensory information that we take in every day! Sensory input can be anything such as, smells, tastes, sounds, movements, pressure, and textures.

When a child is referred to occupational therapy, it is usually for things like attention to task, handwriting difficulties, picky eating, self-care tasks, tolerating routine changes, or school readiness skills. These functional difficulties are in the “Cognition and Intellect” categories at the top of the learning pyramid. The role of an occupational therapist is to determine underlying causes of these issues and utilize specific interventions to address them. Often times, it is hard for parents to fully understand why their child is not performing at the level at which they would like them to be. Some parents may see their child become frustrated when they are trying their best to be compliant, listen and learn, but their sensory processing abilities are hindering them. These frustrations root from the child working throughout the day just to do the simple things, the things that should be automatic and unconscious for them. This may include things like listening to the teacher, keeping their balance on the stairs, standing close to their friends in line, trying a new snack, or engaging in messy play. It all begins at the bottom of the pyramid!

Understanding Our Sensory Systems

Proprioception is our ability to sense the location, positioning, and movements of our body and its limbs. It allows us to navigate a crowded area without bumping into people and furniture in our path.
Vestibular sensation is housed in our inner ears and uses gravity to sense spatial orientation and movement. This system is responsible for maintaining balance during movement. If you or child is a victim of motion sickness, you have the vestibular system to blame!
Tactile sensation comes from receptors in our skin found all over the body. Tactile sensation includes sensations of pain, temperature, pressure, and textures.
Gustatory includes specific tastes (spicy, sweet, minty, bitter) and specific textures (crunchy, chewy, mushy). Taste also involves knowing the difference between food items and non-food items.
Olfactory or smells involve the ability to distinguish, detect, tolerate and object certain scents.
Visual includes noticing and tolerating visual patterns, colors, shapes, bright and dimmed lights and moving objects.
Auditory involves the ability to distinguish and tolerate loud sounds (fire alarms, sirens or loud music) and soft sounds (finger snapping, repetitive tapping, hearing others breathing).

How Sensory Processing Difficulties Affect Behavior

As a parent, it can be difficult when our children are having difficulty with negative behaviors. Let’s say that you receive a call from your child’s school reporting that they often seem distracted and don’t pay attention in class, bump into kids in the lunch line, can’t hold a pencil correctly, become upset when asked to switch from one activity to another, or melt down during circle time. Although these seem like behaviors that are caused by the child seeking attention or not getting their way, sometimes it can root from difficulty with sensory input. It is important for parents to work with an occupational therapist in determining the root of the problem. Sensory integration therapy or a sensory diet may be the key to diminishing these behaviors. Sometimes, just some simple routine changes can allow the child to regulate themselves. Regardless, it is important to have an occupational therapist on your team to help make those adjustments.

Sensory Integration

Sensory integration refers to how your body recognizes, processes, and responds to information received by our sensory systems on an individual and combined level. This includes our traditional 5 senses, sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing; however, we also have proprioceptive and vestibular sensory systems. Occupational therapists use sensory integration therapy by exposing a child to sensory stimulation in a structured and organized way. The goal of sensory integration therapy is to adapt the child’s brain and nervous system to process sensory information more efficiently. The OT may use a sensory gym to engage the child in these repetitive and stimulating activities.

Sensory Integration Strategies

Messy play – mud, dirt, water, food play, finger paints, shaving cream, bath bubbles, etc.
Noise cancelling headphones or ear plugs
Window shades or adjustable lights
Include your child in meal preparation process – encourage them to help whether with their hands or using cooking utensils to interact with the many food textures and smells
Food play – Encourage your child to interact with new foods in the most basic manner; the SOS Feeding Approach, used commonly by Occupational Therapists, encourages the following progression with new foods: See –> Touch –> Kiss –> Lick –> Taste –> Chew & Swallow. It is important to allow your child to move at their own pace and allow them to clean off hands or spit out food at any point along the continuum.
Sensory toys – check out Ark Therapeutic, a leading manufacturer of innovative therapy tools and special needs products! They have great sensory toys, chews and fidgets that can help your child deal with sensory overload.
Finger painting – also try bathtub paint to reduce mess and give child control over cleaning off their hands
Listening to music
Having a clear visual schedule posted with plenty of preparation for transitions.
Providing sensory breaks such as walking in circles, jumping on a mini-trampoline and sucking on sour candy.
For the child who needs to move a bit, you might try an inflated seated cushion or a pillow from home so they can both squirm and stay in their seat.

How can Carolina Therapy Connection help?

At Carolina Therapy Connection, we offer Sensory Integration Therapy and play-based treatment intervention that is specifically designed to stimulate and challenge all of the senses. Sensory Integration involves specific sensory activities (swinging, bouncing, brushing, and more) that are intended to help your child regulate his or her response to incoming sensory input. The outcome of these activities may be better focus and attention, improved behavior, and even lowered anxiety. Our therapists may work on lowering a patient’s negative reactions to touch, help them become better aware of their body in space, and work on their ability to manage their bodies more appropriately (run and jump when it’s time to run and jump, sit and focus when it’s time to sit and focus, etc.). Various techniques include swinging, deep pressure therapy, which may include squeezing, rolling, etc., jumping on a trampoline, or gross motor play such as wall climbing, balance beam, etc.

Carolina Therapy Connection now has the largest and most state-of-the-art sensory gym in all of Eastern North Carolina! Check out our 360° view of our sensory gym HERE. Our sensory gym is fully equipped with a zip-line, monkey bars, slides, scooter board ramps, ball pit, trampolines, rock climbing wall, and an expansive set of swings to offer a wide-variety of sensory experiences for each child.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule a screening for your child, call our clinic at (252) 341-9944 to learn more about what you can do and how we can help!

References:

Pyramid of Learning by Taylor and Trott (1991)

Amy Hathaway, OTR/L DEVELOP, LEARN, GROW

Kids First Children’s Services

Why is learning shoe tying so important?

Parents typically think about tying shoes just before, or around Kindergarten. However, many children are around age 6 or older when they are ready to learn this task. This is because this task requires fine motor skills of dexterity, in-hand manipulation, and bilateral coordination. That is why it is important to make sure the child is ready for the task before introducing something too challenging or potentially discouraging. Knowing all the skills that shoe tying incorporates should also bring to light what a great opportunity shoe tying is – you can work on dexterity, in-hand manipulation, and bilateral coordination every single day! No matter what method you use, tying shoes requires learning and recalling several steps in a row. This helps to build sequencing skills, visual memory, motor planning, focus and attention to complete the task.

Why does my child want to give up on shoe tying?

When putting your shoes on, it’s typically when you need to go somewhere. In the routine of trying to get to school, a play date, the doctor, or even therapy sessions, sometimes you may be in a rush. Parents tend to buy their children shoes that have permanently tied laces, flip flops, crocs or velcro straps. Parents want to make things easier for their children. If you can avoid a struggle, why not? Although getting through the days can be tough for a parent, patience is a beautiful thing to foster in a society that can’t seem to wait for anything. Making something easier might seem good now, but not necessarily in the long run. When a child is learning how to tie their shoes in therapy, we ask that they practice a lot at home as well. This is because one time a week isn’t going to make much of a difference. The more they practice and the more they are encouraged by parents, the faster and stronger they’ll be with this challenge.

What shoe tying tips will help my child learn?

1) Learning step by step on a shoe placed in front of them (tabletop level) – It is easier for children to learn how to tie their shoes on a tabletop level before learning how to tie it on their own foot. Some children practice in a long sit on the floor with a jump rope tied around their knees so that the movements are bigger and easier to understand. Your child can also practice on your shoes to make it more fun and motivating.

2) Having different colored laces (ex. 1 black lace 1 white lace) – This way, when explaining step by step, it is visually easier on your child to understand the difference in the laces and see each step visually.

3) Practice, Practice, Practice! – It takes time! Do not think it will happen overnight. Continue to practice and they will begin to get the hang of it! Don’t give up!

4) Use Backwards Chaining Techniques

Backwards Chaining is a technique used to teach difficult tasks by breaking them down into smaller parts. Backwards chaining occurs when an adult does each step of the task and allows the kid to do the very LAST step on their own. Essentially: breaking down the steps of a task and teaching them in reverse order. This gives the child an experience of success and completion with every attempt.

Below are the verbal cues we use at Carolina Therapy Connection for each step to teach the kiddos how to tie shoes! You can substitute your own steps for alternate methods:

Criss Cross or Make an X
Black Under White
Pull Tight
Make a loop or bunny ears
Push through
Pull tight

5) Laces are important! – Short laces are infuriating and difficult to manage when first learning this task because the child doesn’t plan ahead to leave enough room. Round laces easily fall untied, so flat ones are usually easier. Practicing with wire ribbon or pipe cleaners can help because it keeps its shape better than laces and allows the child to loosen their grip between each step.

The Takeaway Message

There are going to be some children that just can’t master this skill, and might they have other things that are much more important for them to be working on. In those situations, adaptive laces or shoes are a wonderful option. For many children, it’s simply about finding the right way to teach them, and following through with the practice it takes to master it. If your child is struggling with their self-care or fine motor tasks, call our clinic at (252) 341-9944 to set up a FREE screening! We will be happy to help you in whatever way we can.

Category: Fine Motor Skills

Making “Sense” of Our Experiences