areas addressed

Tactile defensiveness occurs when the brain is interpreting everyday touch as noxious. Avoidance of messy activities, intolerance of clothing or getting dressed, difficulty standing in line or close to others and avoiding cuddles are all indications of the brain having difficulty interpreting touch.

Gravitational insecurity refers to an excessive fear of ordinary movement whether it means being out of an upright position or having their feet leave the ground. Children with gravitational insecurity often avoid playing on the playground, climbing and even walking on uneven surfaces.

DCD occurs when a delay in the development of motor skills, or difficulty coordinating movements, results in a child being unable to perform common, everyday tasks. We are able to perform assessments on a child to determine their motor abilities and provide you with a report to take to your pediatricain to determine if your child has DCD.

Executive functioning is the term used for the following skills:

1. Paying attention
2. Organizing and planning
3. Initiating tasks and staying focused on them
4. Regulating emotions
5. Self monitoring

It requires an adequate working memory, cognitive flexibility and self control.

Research has shown that a sensory diet can improve a child's ability to focus and stay on task, even in children with ADHD. Reflex integration can also improve symptoms of ADHD.

Handwriting is more than just forming letters on paper. A child needs adequate core and finger strength, good proprioceptive awareness (where they are in space), precise fine motor control, working memory and visual motor skills. Many children referred to OT for handwriting need improvement in their foundational skills and sensory processing skills before working on handwriting.