Don Earl Parent Blog

May: Sensory Issues/Sensory Diet for Home What is a sensory diet? “A “sensory diet” (coined by OT Patricia Wilbarger) is a carefully designed, personalized activity plan that provides the sensory input a person needs to stay focused and organized throughout the day.”  Think about yourself for a moment, imagine sitting in a meeting at work, or waiting in the doctor's office. After a short time you may start to tap your pen, or foot, twirl your hair, crew gum, or bite your nails or pen cap. You are providing sensory stimulation to yourself to help you focus. The same is true when it comes to children. There are specific types of sensory input; proprioceptive, tactile,visual auditory,vestibular, gustatory and oral motor. It is important to know that an occupational therapist should oversee a sensory diet specific to your child. Too much or too little stimulation at the wrong time of day for your child can defeat the purpose of its calming effects. Parents often struggle with ...

April: Screen Time for Preschoolers This is a hot topic in the field of education right now. How much time is too much screen time? Does the age of the child determined the appropriate amount? Once the amount is determined,  what counts as screen time? Face time with grandma and grandpa? Homework? Television programs? Educational apps? There are so many “dos and don'ts” when it comes to determining screen time where do parents being? CNN recently posted an online article on this very topic. The article opens with referring to the American Academy of Pediatrics conference this year hosted presenters on topics of screen time, social media, and cyberbullying. “ Previously the Academy set a general screen time limit: no more than two hours in front of the TV for kids over age 2. Today, in a world surrounded by digital media 24/7, defining screen time is difficult.” (CNN 2018). The article goes on to discuss that defining how much screen time is appropriate for every child cannot b...