How to Get a Break From Your Child When You Need To Cool Down

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When you’re starting to, or already have, reached your limits with your child, how can you get away without fueling the fire?

Take Some Alone Time

Very Angry Mother And ChildWhen you get angry, it is usually best to wait until you’re calm again to have a productive talk about the issue. Instead of saying things like “go to your room”, tell your child that you need to go into your own room alone to cool down. Talk to your child about “alone time” and why it is a good thing and why everyone needs it sometimes. Explain to your child that “cool down” time helps you to think better and talk better.

Pick a name for your favorite spot to cool down, and call it something like “chill spot”, “cool down corner” or “cool chair” and tell them that this is where you might go sometimes to calm down. Tell them it is very important for you to be alone at this time, and it will be only a minute or two (as long as your child is able to be left without direct supervision). Your child should choose their own spot in the house also, and perhaps they can wait in their spot while you are taking your moment alone.

Start Out Small

If your child has a particularly hard time with this and feels overly rejected, try starting out with short increments of time and gradually increasing it as they handle it successfully. You can use a kitchen timer to set a minute or two, and let them know that when the timer goes off you will be back. I suggest giving them an immediate sign of physical affection along with verbal praise to reinforce their patience!

When you do this with your child, you are modeling extremely positive behavior! You are showing your children how to cope with anger and frustration in an appropriate way.

Teach A Lesson About Anger

When you reunite, be sure to give lots of love and praise! Show them that alone time is not about rejection, it is about making good choices. Always reinforce to a child that feeling angry doesn’t mean they are “bad” (a very common perception of theirs that I hear about often). The only “bad” part about anger is the “bad choice” they can make when feeling angry and do not take time to cool off. “Good choices” need to be taught and modeled, and what better way than to let them see you use this technique yourself!

Don’t forget to use your spouse as a resource when they are around. Have a special signal between you that lets each other know when you need them to step in, so you can take a break. Remember that you will be much more effective with your child once you are calm and that self-care makes you the best parent you can be!

How To: Teach Your Child to Write the Right Way

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Young Boy Writing On EaselHandwriting is a very complex process that requires many prerequisite skills and abilities before it can be done successfully and easily. Some of these skills and abilities include the development of the small muscles in the hand, pencil/marker grasp, eye-hand coordination, the ability to draw shapes and lines, and visual perceptual skills.

For beginner writers, emphasis is placed on learning how to hold a pencil or marker, getting accustomed to making strokes on paper and beginning to form meaning out of what is drawn (for example, a loop is defined as a circle). The early writer learns to write first by imitating various strokes (horizontal line, vertical line, circle) , then copying the same strokes from a visual example and eventually drawing and writing independently. Below are preparatory activities your child can do to help them begin to write the right way! Read more

How will health care reform affect pediatric therapy?

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Is this health care bill revamp a positive or negative move for families of children with autism and other predominant and growing special needs?  What will this do for children needing occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, applied behavior analysts, psychology?  Is insurance up for grabs now?  I hear everyone is going to have access to the best health care, the “same ones that the congressmen in Illinois have” is what someone just told me.  Like I said, I have no idea if this new insurance deal is yay or nay but I have some research to start doing very quickly!  Any cheat sheets you have to send me on this new bill and how it impacts therapy is much appreciated!  Please share whatever you know.  I want to hear what you have to say!  Here is where I am starting my research….Let me know what you find!

http://occupational-therapy.advanceweb.com/Article/Health-Care-Reform-and-Disability-Rights.aspx

http://www.amazon.com/Pediatric-Neurologic-Physical-Therapy-Clinics/dp/0443087644

http://illinoisaap.org/

Visual Perception

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Visual Motor Skills

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Visual Acuity

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Type II Diabetes

Type II DiabetesWhat is Type II Diabetes?

Type II diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. This form of the illness is a chronic condition in which the body is resistant to the effects of insulin or does not produce enough insulin. Insulin–a hormone produced by the pancreas–takes digested glucose from the blood and transforms this sugar into fuel and energy. People with type II diabetes, thus, do not get necessary energy from food during the digestion process and are at risk for glucose build-up in the blood. Type II diabetes is generally diagnosed in adulthood and is associated with family history, obesity, poor diet, decreased physical activity and ethnicity. According to WebMD, 90% to 95% of people with diabetes have type II diabetes.

What are some symptoms of the condition?

Symptoms of the condition include extreme fatigue, unusual weight loss, constant hunger, blurred vision, increased thirst and urination, slow-healing sores and areas of darkened skin.

How does the condition progress?

After diagnosis of type II diabetes, a doctor will discuss treatment options to control blood sugar levels. Type II diabetes is not curable, but it is manageable with proper care and lifestyle changes. Without careful self-management, however, an individual with type II diabetes can endure long-term complications like heart disease, kidney damage, nerve damage in the extremities, eye damage, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease and bacterial or fungal infections. These complications are minimized with efforts to be healthy, maintain daily physical activity, keeping blood pressure and cholesterol under control and routinely checking in with a doctor.

How can I help treat my child’s condition?

Treatment for type II diabetes includes monitoring blood sugar, regular exercise and healthy eating, and possibly diabetes medication or insulin supplements. It is important for people with type II diabetes to monitor their blood sugar level to make sure it is within a target range. In some cases, a doctor may recommend diabetes medication or insulin therapy. Oral diabetes medication lowers glucose production in the liver. A doctor may also prescribe insulin therapy in combination with diabetes medication. There are two options for insulin supplement therapy–insulin injections or an insulin pump. Insulin injections are done manually by means of a small needle or insulin pen which delivers insulin to the body. An insulin pump is a small device worn outside the body that connects to a catheter inserted under the skin, near the abdomen. The insulin pump automatically injects the body with insulin at a steady rate to regulate the sugar in the bloodstream.

Our approach at North Shore Pediatric Therapy

At North Shore Pediatric Therapy, we offer a variety of services that may be beneficial for children with type II diabetes. Specifically, our registered dietitians and licensed professional counselors will work with your child to create healthy meal plans and identify coping strategies, since we know how crucial it is for your child to make their physical and emotional health a priority.

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