Kids Corner Therapy

Did you know....Occupational therapy was established during World War I, and even in its earliest stages, included mental health initiatives. Towards the conclusion of the war, when so many American soldiers were coming home with panicked mindsets (a condition later coined “shell shocked”), the United States War Department employed reconstruction aids (RA) to assist wounded and worrisome soldiers in their recovery.

These RAs were civilian women who served in military hospitals, at home, and abroad to help reconstruct the realities of the lives the soldiers had known before becoming disabled. Occupational therapy RAs taught crafts and vocational skills to distract the injured while increasing their productivity and morale.

X was tricky! But this is one area I see a lot of kids struggle in, my own son included.

The ABC's of OT:

X is for eXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING 🧠

Executive functioning skills help kids plan, organize, and get things done.

They include:
• Attention
• Memory
• Organization
• Impulse control
• Task initiation

When kids struggle, you might see:
• Difficulty starting tasks
• Forgetting directions
• Trouble staying focused
• Poor organization

OT supports executive functioning by:
✔️ Breaking tasks into steps
✔️ Teaching routines and strategies
✔️ Building independence over time

Strong thinking skills = more success at home and school 💛

The ABC's of OT:

W is for WEIGHT-BEARING 💪

Weight-bearing is when kids support their body weight through their arms and hands.

It’s essential for:
✏️ Hand strength
🧠 Body awareness
💪 Upper body strength
✋ Fine motor skills

When kids struggle, you might see:
• Weak grasp or poor endurance
• Difficulty with writing or coloring
• Avoiding activities on hands

OT builds weight-bearing through:
✔️ Animal walks 🐻
✔️ Wheelbarrow walking
✔️ Crawling and climbing
✔️ Playing on hands (planks, obstacle courses)

Strong foundations = stronger skills 🙌