Achieving Goals through Therapy at Home and in the Community

by Sarah Hall

Therapy is often a part of life for many parents and kids. Its purpose is to assist the child in becoming more independent in an activity or goal that they have set. We all know, though, to be effective, it must be functional, motivating, and meaningful to the child. The strategies and activities used to facilitate therapy must carry over into your child’s daily activities in order to be successful. And often, this part might be left up to the parents.

If the idea of doing therapy at home with your child might seem like a daunting task, and definitely not one that you feel prepared for, you are not alone. Many parents can feel stressed when therapeutic expectations are placed on them, as well as everything else. But, as parents, you can reinforce the skills that are being learned in therapy, while doing daily tasks with your child. For example, if your child is in physical therapy and has set a goal to climb stairs, then this can and should be practiced each time that he or she encounters stairs. Often times, it is all too easy to coddle your child by picking them up and carrying them upstairs. But, by giving your child the opportunity, you are helping them practice this skill as well as reinforcing what is being learned in therapy.

As parents and professionals who work with kids with disabilities, we know that it can be unrealistic and difficult to reenact a therapy session at home by doing stretches and other such activities. But, think about the goals that you have in mind for your child. What skills can they develop by going to the playground and swinging on a swing, playing “Ring Around the Rosie,” or doing hopscotch? Often times, it might be the simplest games that will help your child improve some basic therapy skills like balance and hand-eye coordination.

Below are some ideas to help get you rolling with therapy in or out of the home. In addition to these activities, on May 17th from 6:00 - 9:00 pm, UCP Kids will be holding a workshop and tradeshow featuring different recreational and therapy providers in the area. Please consider attending this event to discover more unique therapy activities.

Remember, these activities can be fun for both you and your child. While some of the suggestions are geared toward younger children, some may still be fun for older kids and/or they may spark additional ideas for age-appropriate activities. So, try them at different times during the day, to avoid burnout. And remember, having fun with you is important to your child, no matter what activity you decide to try. So, give it a shot, and enjoy the time spent with your child!

Oral Motor

• Use a drinking straw to blow in a cup of water
• Promote music time by blowing a harmonica or kazoo
• Serve fun snacks with various textures, especially crunchy or chewy foods

Tactile (touch)

• Keep hands busy with fidget toys - stress balls, bendable figures, pop beads, for example
• Rub lotion into each other's hands and arms
• Smash and roll Playdoh
• Fill a cookie sheet with dry beans, rice, or sand and use fingers to dig for objects or trace shapes and letters

Therapy Suggestions:

• Deep pressure (touch)
• Use a blanket to make a 'kid burrito' - roll your child up in the blanket (making sure they have no difficulty breathing) and lightly press for deep pressure
• Massage squeezes - starting at shoulders, use slight pressure and squeeze the joints of the body Accompany this with a major muscle massage (This is as fun as the tickle monster for children who are under sensitive!)

Movement (vestibular)

• Go outside and play! - run, slide, and swing
• Sing songs that have action - "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" for example
• Create an obstacle course that allows moving over, under, and through objects

Looking and Listening (audio-visual)

• Listening to music of all types - lively, soothing, rhythmic
• Bright and dim lights - turn the main lights off and make shadows
• Listen to stories on tape - follow along in the book and talk about the illustrations

Heavy work

• Blanket drag - have your child pull his favorite (heavy) toys around on his blanket
• Go outside and ride bikes - pedaling is heavy work
• Jumping in place or on a mini-trampoline - this is fun and good exercise, too

Therapy suggestions were taken with permission from “Occupational Therapy Sensory Activities for Parents to Do at Home with an Autistic Preschooler” (August 13, 2009) by Lisa Schaffer.