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My Child Isn’t Job Hunting. How Can They Benefit From Occupational Therapy?

My Child Isn’t Job Hunting. How Can They Benefit From Occupational Therapy?

In the early intervention world, occupational therapists serve children by providing the services they need to support educational skills like handwriting, self-care activities like putting on and taking off their backpacks, and emotional regulation skills like learning to remain calm.  Occupational therapists are truly like Swiss Army Knives in that we have a diverse range …

What Matters to You? Occupational Therapist’s Role in School-Based Practice

What Matters to You? Occupational Therapist’s Role in School-Based Practice

“So you help people get jobs?” The dreaded question that occupational therapists (OTs) hear all too often about their role as a practitioner. To us, the word ‘occupation’ is our pride and joy, and it is often misunderstood. In occupational therapy, “occupations refer to the everyday activities that people do as individuals, in families, and …

Children’s Books to Help Process Trauma

Children’s Books to Help Process Trauma

ACES, or Adverse Childhood Experiences, come in many forms, from physical and mental abuse to neglect and household dysfunction. In 1998, CDC-Kaiser Permanente published a groundbreaking study that investigated the impact of ACEs on physical and mental health problems in over 17,000 adults.  Now that we understand how toxic stress affects the minds and bodies …

Early Childhood and Summer Reading at the Library:  Why It Is Essential

Early Childhood and Summer Reading at the Library: Why It Is Essential

What we love most about a library’s summer reading program is that it brings the community together.   Everyone has the same goal, which is to read, of course.  And no matter what you read or how you read it (listening to audio books, e-reading, shared reading), everyone can participate and be included.  Children with special …

Literacy Is Essential for Youth

Literacy Is Essential for Youth

Every important social issue is impacted by literacy. When individuals learn how to read, write, do basic math, and use computers, they have the power to find sustainable employment and ultimately change their lives.  One question one of our social work interns wonders is: “Is it ever too late to learn literacy skills?”  To some, …