Resources

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects motor coordination in children and adults. While it is commonly identified in childhood, its impacts can continue into adulthood. DCD is also sometimes referred to as “dyspraxia.” Characteristics of Developmental Coordination Disorder Individuals with DCD often have difficulties with: Causes and Diagnosis The exact cause […]

Regulation Arousal is the level of alertness in the body. Optimal arousal is when the alertness level is ‘just right’ for the situation (e.g., optimal arousal at night is low enough to sleep, optimal arousal at school is high enough to concentrate and learn). Regulation is the ability to adjust the arousal level to match […]

Why is this important? Children who have difficulty with in-hand manipulation may need to use both hands for activities that would typically require only one, or they may need to stabilise an object against their body or the table to get the job done. They may appear clumsy when handling objects or be slow to […]

Backward Chaining Technique When teaching a new skill, we often start at the beginning. This can be challenging for children sometimes as they get frustrated. You can give your child a sense of achievement by using the backward chaining technique. Backward chaining is particularly useful when learning self-care skills like dressing. It can also be […]

Before a child can start learning to write letters and understand what they mean, a number of other skills must be learned. Pre-Writing Shapes Being able to interpret, imitate and copy a design is important for learning writing skills. The pre-writing shapes below can help children to learn this. The shapes are arranged in developmental […]

The pincer grip is the ability to pick up very small items using the thumb and index finger in opposition.  The development of this grip can follow a developmental sequence and should end up looking like this: This grip is essential to develop as it is the basis for many functional tasks such as fastenings […]

Cutting skills take time for children to develop. Being able to use scissors to cut well is important for many preschool and school activities including art and craft. Children may have the skills to use small scissors by three to four years of age, but scissor skills are not fully developed until 6 years of […]

Sensory circuits have three elements: alerting activities, organising activities and calming activities. They should always be done in this order. Alerting section: These activities prepare the brain for learning. They activate the vestibular system and provide proprioceptive stimulation. The vestibular system is our sense of balance and proprioception is our sense of where our body […]

Sleep Information In terms of sleep, if your child has Autism this could frequently have an impact on their sleep routine due to heightened sensory input and difficulties with self-regulation. The excitability before bed may be linked to sensory overload or an inability to effectively calm down after a stimulating day. It is important to […]

Therapeutic Putty Exercises for Strengthening Muscles of the Fingers, Hand and Forearm In order to carry out these activities playdoh can be used; however Therapeutic Putty is also useful as it is firmer and can bought in different strengths. A number of companies sell therapeutic putty. ‘Thinking putty’ is also available from some online stores […]