Behavior Archives

Social Pods

September 5, 2020

I Get It, We Have All Had Enough

socially distant family pods, men women and children in masks

We can no longer avoid talking about what this pandemic is doing to our:

- - children
  - families
  - selves

We are being tested to our core.

- - Frustration and impatience dangerously cloud our judgement.
  - We are loosening our masking and distancing habits.
  - Treading a very thin line between social needs and health.
  - Potentially endangering our families and communities.
  - Concern over children’s overall well-being and development.

I get it, we have all had enough.

I wish that were a good reason for relaxing our standards, but it’s clearly not.

This dangerous and highly contagious virus thrives on our frustration.

The vast majority of cases are traceable directly to our inability to maintain and be mindful of recommended precautions. With schools opening we’re seeing the increases that were expected.

kids in school with masks and wings for social distance

As a professional, with years of service to children and families, I’d like to discuss a possible avenue of management.

Create a pod

All families are in the same situation as you.

Discuss with your partner who you’d feel comfortable including.

Contact those people to identify who else is willing to limit their exposure to only two or three other families in the social pod. A pod should be small but big enough, that if a family opts out of an activity the other families won’t feel left-out or abandoned.

Be clear, the responsibility of a pod member is to be total and absolute to your commitment to limit exposure.

In this way, you and your children can have meaningful interaction with others while staying safe.

Children thrive in all areas of development when surrounded by people who care and other children.

The social pod can do anything and everything together: prepare and eat meals while the kids play, watch movies, parents can do things together while kids play in another room… the possibilities are endless.

In keeping a pod, everybody benefits. Life will be more normal, and the confinement will feel less oppressive for everybody.

You need to take care of yourself in order to survive this and make good choices for your family. This may include:

- - Personal time
  - Exercise
  - Phone and virtual social contact
  - Time outdoors
  - Recognize that we are living in unprecedented times and everyone is traumatized.

I hope you find the idea of creating a pod for your family helpful & empowering.

We at Listen For Change Tomatis New York are taking this pandemic very seriously in terms of our responsibility to our clients and local communities. Please talk to us about our specialized programming for this time. For more information about me or what we do here follow us on Facebook.

Motor Planning

August 28, 2020

Playing with Purpose

Motor Planning is the ability to move your body in ways necessary to accomplish a task.

- - Delays in accomplishing motor milestones.
  - Issues performing new or novel tasks that should be within the child’s repertoire. Such as, circling arms forward but not able to circle backward. They can jump but can’t jump in a circle.
  - Trouble stringing together a succession of movements or actions, like on an obstacle course. They have each skill such as jump, hop, and squat, but can’t figure out how to do them in rapid succession.
  - Issues making the two body sides work together in a coordinated fashion at the same time (like jumping) or reciprocally (like skipping).

After a brief period of learning, it should come naturally and the child shouldn’t need to think hard about how to accomplish the new motor tasks.

If you have trouble motor planning, the large actions of your body, you’ll also likely have issues with the finer actions of your hands, mouth and/or eyes. In general, we work in a developmental progression, which means we deal with the large body actions first.

Here are some fun possibilities for working on motor planning at home:

- - Use scooter boards and pull your child as fast as they can tolerate in many different positions, such as sitting or lying on their tummy. Attach a rope to a stable object, such as a door, and let them pull themselves hand over hand.
  - Try Jumping-Jacks
  - Ride on a sled while trying to maintain stability and your path
  - Have a dance party and teach each other moves
  - Play on the Monkey Bars at the park
  - Follow the leader as you move your bodies in different positions and patterns

The activities we’ve emphasized are whole body motor planning activities. When the brain gets the message of how to do these full body activities, we frequently see a trickle effect to other types of motor planning. Such as, fine motor control for the hands, eyes, and mouth.

Many academic pursuits are based on motor planning accomplishments. Reading, for example, requires that your eyes move together smoothly across the page. Learning the alphabet and number concepts require you to follow a left to right progression.

Working on motor planning can be a whole family activity. Don’t think about the work you’re doing, just think about the fun! (Pic: ice skating, family dance party)

If you need help with specific activities for your child, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Keep up with our most current ideas and information by following our Facebook page.

Sensory processing problems, frequently underlay issues of postural control and motor planning. Consider a Tomatis sound training program. During the pandemic, our home programs are especially popular. We love having the opportunity to take these extended periods of time at home and turn them into productive time for the children.

Creating Sensory Fun

August 12, 2020

With Your Child During Pandemic Times

Let’s start with some ideas for tactile play:

Water play- fill up your sink or any tub with water, and get out a variety of Tupperware, measuring cups, and any toys appropriate for bath or water play. For more fun, you can put in a drop or two of food coloring, and your child will be playing with their favorite color, you can even extend this to making various colors by mixing the drops. Pouring water between different sized containers is great fun by itself, and can also turn on the imagination to be creating things such as tea parties. Bubbles can be a nice addition. Keep it light for easy cleanup!

Play with sand, or make kinetic sand (without sand)- Kinetic sand is super simple to make or buy, and is easy to cleanup. Making the kinetic sand together is one activity, and playing with it is another. You can put a variety of things in the sand, such as cookie cutters, sand or playdough molds, plastic utensils, toy cars, buttons, figurines, or anything solid. Finding the items, you’ve hidden and placing them in a designated bin can be a secondary game.

Make slime- Here’s a great, simple “fluffy” slime recipe. Slime can keep your child’s attention for extended periods of time. If you mix shiny things or glitter into the slime, be mindful of choking hazards. Hint, be sure to keep it in an air tight container to ensure you can use it more than once.

Baking- If you’re baking for sensory reasons, you’re going to want to bake things your child can touch. Baking bread is particularly wonderful because of the folding and kneading process. Be sure to set aside enough time. A wide variety of recipes are available online of varying degrees of difficulty and healthiness. Try to pick a recipe that’s not too rapid and will require kneading. Make a point to enjoy the smells as they fill your home. I also love roll and bake cookies or cookies cut with cookie cutters for other tactile baking ideas.

Sensory isn’t only touch, there’s also motion and gravity activities.

Hang upside down off the edge of a couch

Jump on a bed/trampoline,

Roll up in a blanket or sandwiching between two pillows

Play in a beanbag chair,

Wheel-barrow walking,

Commando crawling,

Have fun playing with your child and know that you are choosing impactful activities! Look for our next blog on fun activities to encourage body strength and postural control.

If you need more explanation of why these are helpful to your child, or need more ideas specific to your child, feel free to leave a comment or email us. We’re happy to help.

12 Things To Know About Tomatis®

April 25, 2020

1.) What is Tomatis®?
Tomaits is a sound training program that helps your brain to function optimally.

2.) How does it work?
Musical programs are designed for individuals to listen to with special headphones. The music is altered to work on the ear and the brain based on your needs.

3.) How do you assess my needs?
Assessment is a thorough intake which can be done in person or online.
In person testing is available but not required.
We discuss the results and determine goals together.

4.) What is the music like?
The music is mostly Mozart, but there are also waltzes, Gregorian chants, & marches.
At times the music may sound distorted or scratchy to you, but that’s a result of the programs.

5.) What’s the time commitment?
A typical program is 14 days, 80 minutes a day, a break of 4 to 8 weeks, and another 14 days, 80 minutes a day.
However, there is tremendous variability which may include less time and fewer days.

6.) Where do I listen?
Many clients choose to do their listening in my office especially when Occupational Therapy is needed.
Others choose to listen at home, school, or other location.
We also can combine home and office listening.

7.) What is the equipment like?
Programs are encoded onto a proprietary MP3 type player. Included headphones may be wired or wireless. The music is heard through the ear, as well through a small amplifier at the top of the head.

8.) What can I do while listening at home?
You can really do almost anything that does not involve a screen or reading.
This means no cellphones, iPads, computers, tablets or TV.

9.) What will I feel while I’m listening?
You may feel more attentive, grounded, relaxed, organized, and alert.
These leave your brain in a better state to develop and learn.
There are occasions where people feel oppressed or regress as nervous system changes are occurring, but they usually pass quickly.

10.) Who will benefit?
Almost anyone can benefit from Tomatis® training.
A wide variety of individuals ranging from infants through elderly, high functioning to severe issues.
Specific issues can include:

Attention- ADD or ADHD
Sensory motor integration
Postural and motor control
Behavior issues
Articulation
Speech & language
Academic skills
Developmental issues
Memory
Energy
Pregnancy programs for maternal relaxation and best developmental outcomes
Wellness

11.) Who is my Tomatis® consultant?

Sue is an Occupational Therapist with decades of experience in service for people with special needs.
Her practice is now focused exclusively on Tomatis® training with/without Occupational Therapy.
She is a level 4 Tomatis® consultant, which represents the highest level of training available. (A level 4 requires a minimum 4 years of training and mentorship. It confers programming possibilities not available to lesser trained professionals.)
Sue does all programing and provision of services herself.
Many people present themselves as credentialed Tomatis® practitioners. Please check credentials on the Tomatis® website.

12.) Does insurance cover Tomatis® training?
There are instances where face-to-face training may be reimbursable to you.

Now a question for you: Want to learn more about Tomatis® straight from people who’ve tried it? Check out our client testimonials

At Your Wits End?

April 19, 2020

Having issues productively engaging your child?

I can help. Let’s have a chat.

Perhaps you have stacks of reports you’d like me to review. They can seem unrelated.

I will provide you with:
an easy to understand and comprehensive summary
suggestions for fun and relevant activities
ideas of other areas worth exploring

I’m hearing from parents at their wits end. They’re having trouble keeping their kids productively engaged. Do you need individualized recommendations for your child? I welcome the opportunity to consult with you, review your child’s records and provide you with a succinct analysis of your child’s needs and specific recommendations for constructive activities that your child will love and grow from.

Schedule a consult today.

The 10 Days of Tomatis

May 8, 2018

We hear all the time how difficult it is find the time for a traditional Tomatis Training. It’s hard to consider a 30 day program. We have heard you! After careful research and consideration, we have developed an exciting new alternative just for you.

Families are under such pressure these days. Working parents, after school activities and the need for some down-time doesn’t leave much room for Tomatis. Yet, something is happening that requires attention. Maybe your child is having difficulty in school, language, or social skills. Maybe you are trying to work through some personal issues yourself. Trying to find the time to engage in solutions can seem like another obligation.

New for 2018 we are offering: Tomatis Listening Programs 10 days at a Time.

Do your Tomatis Program for 10 days, then we’ll review, and together we will evaluate:

Where we were when we started the program
Where are we now
How we should proceed

One of our recent clients, was a child named Daniel with ADHD and oppositional-defiant behavior. His family considered Tomatis for quite some time. When he was not able to be educated in school any longer, they finally decided to move forward and start a Tomatis 10 day Training. This was the remarkable beginning of Daniel’s journey through Tomatis. He is now back in school, better able to meet the academic and social challenges. Daniel is now ready to learn!

So if you have been considering Tomatis, but have not been able to work out the time commitment, let’s talk!

Amended fee structure for 2018

You may qualify for medical insurance support

We can tailor a program specifically for you!

Category: Behavior