THE CHILDREN'S THERAPY LEARNING CENTER
A PLACE WHERE ALL CHILDREN SHINE!

Challenges Related to Sensory
Processing or Modulation:

• Craves movement and/or constant motion; is impulsive in actions
• Has difficulty maintaining attention, staying focused, and is easily distracted
• Avoids getting messy or smears messy textures all over self
• Takes risks and lacks safety awareness, or fears climbing, swinging, moving fast or roughhousing, etc.
• Is sensitive to noise, smells, food textures, touch (tags in clothing or tooth brushing)
• Purposefully bumps into others / objects or falls onto the floor; is aggressive with peers

Challenges Related to Gross Motor / Postural Skills:

• Seems weaker than their peers, i.e. fatigues easily
• Is clumsy, i.e. falls frequently or has poor balance
• Avoids playground equipment and prefers playing in the sandbox or with a group of children on the side
• Has / had difficulty learning how to ride a bike, skip, or jump rope
• Has difficulty or avoids playing team sports that require coordination

Challenges Related to Fine,
Visual Motor, and/or Perceptual Skills:

• Avoids or dislikes writing, drawing, arts and crafts; has difficulty drawing shapes
• Presents with messy drawing and handwriting; holds the pencil incorrectly
• Has difficulty with cutting or coloring within given lines and using utensils
• Has difficulty with buttons, snaps, zippers, tying shoes
• Has difficulty learning the alphabet and letters
• Has difficulty putting together puzzles

Challenges Relating to
Oral Motor Skills/Sensory Processing:

• Is a picky or messy eater
• Dislikes certain textures or dislikes brushing teeth
• Drools and/or overstuffs mouth
• Has difficulty learning to latch on / breast feed or transition to solid foods
• Chews with mouth open
• Has poor speech articulation

Challenges Related to Social Skills:

• Has difficulty making and keeping friends;
• Has difficulty reading social cues
• Has difficulty initiating and maintaining conversations with peers; becomes overly silly or shuts down
• Has difficulty playing games, losing or working as a team
• Has difficulty sharing, taking turns, or waiting in line
• Has poor eye contact and ability to stay attentive during games / conversations, etc.

Challenges Relating to Underlying
Cognitive Processing Weaknesses:

• Has difficulty with Math, Reading, Spelling, Reading Comprehension, Writing, or processing auditory information
• Seems smart, but is not able to apply self to the fullest and earn appropriate grades
• Homework takes too long; has poor organizational skills
• Has difficulty with multi-step directions and forgets what is told to them

Challenges Relating to
Underlying Ocular Motor Weakness:

• Avoids reading and writing or is a slow reader
• Complains of their eyes hurting or being tired during reading / homework
• Skips words / lines or misreads words while reading
• Has difficulty catching a ball coming towards them and may have difficulty playing sports
• May have challenges with writing neatly

Challenges Relating to Activities of Daily Living and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living:

• Has difficulty dressing/ undressing; has poor grooming and hygiene skills or tolerance
• Has decreased awareness of clothing on their body, i.e. leaves shirt half out, pants tucked in socks, etc.
• Has difficulty learning how to hang and fold clothes
• Has difficulty organizing time to get ready in a timely manner
• Has difficulty opening and closing containers, zip-lock bags, etc.
• Has difficulty sequencing steps to make a simple sandwich or to make a bed

Possible Signs of Nutritional Imbalance

• Has Autism, ADD/ADHD, hyperactivity, depression or aggression
• Experiences skin upset such as eczema, hives, rash, or constant itching
• Has itching of lips or tongue, sores inside mouth
• Suffers from gastrointestinal upsets such as diarrhea, bloating or constipation
• Has dark circles under eyes, red cheeks or ears
• Experiences unusual fatigue or headaches after meals
• Craves starchy, refined carbohydrate foods
• Has a constant runny or stuffy nose

Challenges Relating to Speech

• Is delayed in talking / using expressive vocabulary
• Has difficulty following simple directions / Receptive Vocabulary
• Has difficulty understanding auditory information / Auditory Processing Challenges
• Uses poor articulation (i.e., saying sounds or pronouncing words correctly)/ has Apraxia
• Has difficulty carrying on a 2-way conversation
• Has difficulty understanding conversations
• Has difficulty retrieving words when talking

If you are concerned..

If you are concerned about your child's development in any way, it is recommended that you do not wait to obtain a comprehensive assessment by a licensed occupational therapist. Research has shown that the earlier a child is identified and begins therapeutic intervention, the greater the success!

Dr. Kari Thompson is incredibly knowledgeable, professional, and dedicated. She spends the time to communicate personally after each visit, gives us help and ideas for home, and has made a huge difference as an advocate for our daughter at school. Every session with Dr. Thompson is personalized and completely new, and often incorporates our child's communication and scholastic needs into the motor skills activities she is working on. It is awesome! –Amy, mother of 10-year-old