Children’s Therapy Connections March Newsletter

Is this a concern you are having about your child. Do you feel he/ she is not performing as they should be? It’s great that you’re addressing this problem now, while your is just beginning his/ her schooling. Kids who struggle in school year after year have a harder time getting back on track once their learning problems are addressed. You need to get to the root of the problem to learn how to help your child.

So, ask yourself:

Does your child struggle to see the blackboard? He could need glasses. Is he anxious about going to school? Maybe there’s an underlying sensory processing difficulty. Does your child have difficulty following directions? He may auditory processing difficulties. Is handwriting and fine motor control difficult for your child? He may have weaker arm and hand strength, coordination issues along with proprioception difficulties. Is your child getting in trouble for not keeping his hands to himself or moving around all the time? There could be a underlying sensory processing difficulty.

Trust your gut:

If you believe your child is experiencing difficulties at school, listen to yourself. Don’t wait, or fall for such often used statements as, “You know how boys are,” or “She’ll grow out of it.” Act on your feelings even if your child has been deemed eligible for school services. You want your child functioning at their optimal level, not just doing good enough. You need to seek help outside of school.

It’s time to get help:

At Children’s Therapy Connections, (serving Orland Park, Tinley Park, Homer Glen, New Lenox, Lemont and Palos areas and more) we have experienced, competent therapists that can assess your child, and offer treatment. We are experienced with working with children who are struggling in school, or have been diagnosed with a learning disabilities, as well as many other issues that influence a child’s development. We can determine what type of evaluation your child needs. Some of the areas an occupational therapy evaluation will assess is how your child’s neurological system is processing information, such as auditory processing and visual processing. Ocular motor function, eye hand coordination, visual motor integration, and strength are also part of an overall evaluation. Sometimes a speech therapy evaluation may be warranted. A Speech Language Pathologist evaluates how a child processes auditory and written language, along with receptive and expressive language skills. All of these components directly relates to a child’s performance in school.

Support your child:

Academic discouragement is debilitating to children and families. Connecting with your child’s natural strengths and letting him know that you are both on the same “team” can make an enormous difference. Creating some quality time with your child, outside of homework time, can have a valuable impact on your child’s self esteem.

It is so important for parents to understand how the educational system can help their child be successful. Often times the most involved parent ends up playing a more passive role in the educational decision making process when their child enters the school district. Children’s Therapy Connections would like help families feel like an equal, effective team member from the start of their child’s education career.

Lynne Wester (B.S. M.Ed.), CTC’s Education Advocate Consultant, has been working with special needs children in schools for the past 16 years. As a special education teacher, general education teacher, and special education teacher consultant, she has become a valuable resource for parents trying to navigate through the educational process. During this time she has created hundreds of IEPs addressing a variety of children’s needs. Her knowledge base extends into training other teachers on how to make necessary accommodations and to structure lesson plans so children can be successful learners. Lynne has a full understanding of a properly developed IEP, creating realistic measurable goals and how they should be implemented in the classroom.

Ms. Wester assists parent advocacy by preparing the parent with the information they need to be a effective, contributing team member at meetings that concern their child’s educational plan, which may be a Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) or 504 accommodation plan. Understanding your child’s strengths as well as the areas they need additional support is crucial to help your child be a successful learner.

Tip! Having your child’s individualized educational plan in place prior to the upcoming school year is imperative. There are many steps to achieve a successful outcome.

We provide your child and your family with valuable connections to help your child reach their maximum potential. Collaboration between all intervention services your child is receiving ensures a whole child approach. Additionally, during your child’s therapy sessions, our therapists focus on your child’s strength’s, and help build confidence in their abilities. Movement and play based therapy are some of the methods CTC uses to assist with function, strength, and skill development. Our clients have so much fun, they often don’t want to leave when therapy sessions are finished.

CTC children are having so much fun with this activity at the clinic, they don’t even realize how it is improving their motor planning abilities, visual motor integration and executive functioning skills!

Chrono Bomb® is a super-secret spy mission game where kids use the included clamps and 27.5-ft string to create a “laser” field. The bomb is counting down…tick, tick, tick! So, you have to hurry, carefully, and make it to the end of the laser field to defuse the bomb and be the hero! If you touch the laser, the bomb will tick down faster! Play over and over again, building new courses each time or trying to beat your friend’s time.