Hyde Park Kids OT

Raise your hand if you are the parent of an...
🦉extreme night owl
🐥early bird
😴always tired
😵‍💫always wired
🌙midnight awakener, or
🦹🏽‍♂️bedtime escape artist kinda kiddo!

We’ve been there! It's exhausting isn't it?

It can feel like a never-ending battle to get everyone the sleep they need when raising kids-not least for you the parent!

Watching your kiddo have a
1) hard time going to sleep,
2) pop up much earlier than you are ready for, or
3) just seem poorly rested throughout the day

can be a source of confusion and leave you feeling like there's nothing to do but wait a few years for it to get better. SCREECH. A few years?!?! Who says we can’t make it better now?

My view as a therapist? You don't have to stay stuck there. 🙌🏼 The good news is, noticing and *naming* it is the first step to *taming* it (to paraphrase The Whole Brain Child)!

So instead of throwing in the towel and labelling our kids "Bad Sleepers," getting a little more specific about what in particular is hard for them can get you headed in the right direction for a solution. Then? Take a look at the next post for some tricks to make it better!

So which one is it for you?

Hey there! It’s been a while since I introduced myself so I thought I’d give it a go!

I’m Maggie, the OT and creator behind Hyde Park Kids OT. The name of my practice comes from my neighborhood of Southside Chicago where I grew up and now help families of children with unique needs find the tools to thrive. ✨

I love working with kids and families, helping them discover their unique strengths, and finding the particular support that they need to make all the difference, because no two are the same. It’s always creative and I’m always learning something new.

One of the new things I added this year was outdoor nature sessions which have been SO fun. Think tree climbing, scavenger hunts, and nature crafts. 😍 They’ve been going strong through summer and fall, but I don’t know how much longer the weather will allow us to keep going-fingers crossed for a few more weeks. 😉

I had to snap this this morning to document one of the last clear cold mornings of play we have and to remember how refreshing having nature as an ‘office’ is!

Happy Tuesday!!
Maggie

Kid woke up on the wrong side of the bed? Wanting to pre-empt an after-school meltdown? Need a sensory reset halfway through the the weekend?

Sensory snacking is one of my family's go-to’s. It's an easy way to reset our kiddo's bodies, lift them right out of their funk, and get them back to their happy-go-lucky selves. And how do we do this you may be wondering? By harnessing the power of t e x t u r e !

Just like a weighted blanket calms and reset's a body, munching on something CHEWY or CRUNCHY provides deep pressure to our kiddo's jaws and mouths. Without them even knowing it, you can sneakily get some input in and get your tired, wound up, or stressed out kiddo off the fast-track to a meltdown. (Pro tip: this works for grown ups too. And spouses. 😏).

Does your family have a go-to crunchy or chewy snack that you now know why it's the best?!

Cheering you on, Maggie

One question I'm often asked is "Will they grow out of it?". I used to think that because ADHD and sensory processing disorders can be overwhelming, parents were looking for a light at the end of the tunnel. But they were actually getting at something else. These dedicated parents just want to know how best to support their child: "Is therapy what we need? Other supports? Or do we just need to 'ride it out?'"

The answer to 'will they grow out of it?' is (wait for it) both. Yes and no.

Yes these conditions will evolve as they grow.

No, they will not go away. And they likely won't get better without intentionality.

The best way to approach it given that information? Get help.

📖Read books
👩‍⚕️Find healthcare providers on instagram sharing information about your child's condition
💡Educate yourself
🤸Find a wonderful therapist
💞 Watch your child thrive

Lightbulb moments will happen. New ways of relating to and supporting your child that will become second-nature. And your child will grow in confidence AND the ability to self-manage independently for adulthood.

No, they won't grow out of it. Yes it takes intentionality. But it is so worth it.

After a long day of school, a super fun time with friends, or when bored at home, have you noticed your kiddo do some of these odd things? 🤔

They may be working through some feelings (whew! I’ve been sitting all day! OR boy that was fun! OR ugh I’m a little out of sorts!). Turns out, they’re just typical ways that kids intuitively know will help them to get feeling regulated in their bodies! (And actually quite similar to how we as adults do, too we just are a little more hung up on how we appear in public😆).

The trick is to know if and when to intervene.

Here are 3 questions to ask yourself to know if what they are doing will work or if they need some support from you!
⭐️ Is it working to calm them?
⭐️ Are they happy or starting to look agitated?
⭐️ Is what they’re doing ok in the setting you’re in?

If YES to all 3, then just sit back and watch the magic happen as your little one shows you what feels best for them and gets back to a calm state. 🧠

If no? Keep an eye out for the next posts with strategies you can help them do to calm down!

Have you ever thought about the impact that helping your child calm down when they are hyperactive, overstimulated or melting down can have over the rest of their life?

You can give them the tools they will use for years to come! What potential!

Beginning this week I’ll be doing a deep dive into how we can calm meltdowns, hyperactivity and overwhelm in our kids so stay tuned for the tips and tricks.

In the meantime, think about the gift we give our kids when we model and teach these skills!

Save this post so you can come back to it! 📌

What’s that you say? You want more ideas for ways to strengthen those fine motor skills while doing normal things at home? Don’t worry I’ve got you covered!

Handwriting, shoe tying, and buttoning struggles have one thing in common: weak hand muscles. Want to beef those up? Here’s the best 2-birds-with-one-stone deal ever! CHORES! 🎉

Yep-housework gets done WHILE strengthening little hands. 💯

Scrubbing the counters
Spraying the windows
Carrying in the groceries
Pushing that big ol vacuum

all target finger (and arm!) muscles, which are key for those tricky skills.

Throw a few of these into your routine and you’ll be off shoe-tying (and zippering...and buttoning...) duty before you know it.

Questions? Drop ‘em below👇🏼

Cheers to freedom! Maggie

So you don’t have time set aside for catching upon those pesky fine motor skills...who does?!

Here’s my number one way to work on those skills with NO extra time, NO reluctance from the kiddos, and NO one even knowing you snuck it in! 🎉

Hand your kiddo a hard boiled egg, a clementine or some pistachios and let them get peeling!

My kids love doing this-even if they don’t care for one of these foods-because it’s just fun. So sit back and watch those little fingers get stronger and more coordinated with every second.

And...that’s it! See what I mean? So. Easy. I’d say that’s a mom win!

Maybe your child’s handwriting is sloppier than you’d like, or they have trouble with zippers and buttons, or they’re STILL not tying their shoes.

But day after day goes by and there’s never time to sit down and practice! At this point you’re pretty much holding out hope that the Fine Motor Fairy will wave her wand and make it all better. 😜 It sounds ridiculous but as a busy working mom of 2, TRUST ME, I’ve been there.

So how do we get around it? When there’s no time for practice (or you’d rather use that extra time to just enjoy and connect with my kiddos 🙋🏽‍♀️) I’ve found some sneaky ways to get practice in WITHIN your daily routines!

Sound too good to be true? Keep an eye out for the next few posts on how you can (sneakily) do it all. From one mom to another-you’ve got this. 😏👊🏼

It's been a long day of school for the kids, work for the adults, and you haven't even started conquering the mountain of laundry/dishes/toys begging for attention. You've made it through the marathon of dinner and are staring down the rest of the evening wondering how.do.we.make.it.to.bedtime.... when you look down and see those big eyes looking up at you begging for connection.

Your first instinct is to turn on their show/game/device and go tackle the dishes (or stare at your phone until bedtime). But the voice in your head reminds you that they grow up fast or someone said something about screens being off for 2 hours before bedtime improving sleep. With a herculean effort, you manage to look back into those eyes and say YES. I want to spend this time with you.

First of all, YES! YOU ARE THE PARENT YOU DREAM OF. Give yourself a pat on the back.

Second, what in the world can you do together that can help settle them in for the night while also filling their tank with the connection they crave??

These are simple ways to gently calm our little ones' bodies so that by the time bedtime routine rolls around they are so centered they practically put themselves to bed! And-bonus-you come away refreshed from the kind of connection that warms your heart.

Remember these small moments might not seem like anything revolutionary, but they are the things your children will remember for the rest of their lives. They add up! And that's worth leaning in for after a long day.

Cheering you on, Maggie

Easter is just around the corner and as I shopped for my boys’ outfits I realized there were a LOT of sensory factors I was trying to work around. Most kids don’t like being stuck in uncomfortable dress clothes for long but when there are sensory sensitivities at play, it’s a whole other level of tricky. If your kids are like mine, they’re not huge fans of stiff collars, scratchy fabric, long sleeves/pants when there could be short ones, and tight shoes (or maybe any shoes!).

Of course the last thing we parents need when spending time with family for a holiday is added sensory stressors-so here’s what I’m doing to make life easier.

1) I picked out the outfits (sorry kids!) so they aren’t getting a choice this time but I will set aside time to show them and talk through any concerns they have.

2) Making a point to acknowledge that “I know this isn’t easy for you” or “I know this is asking a lot of you” goes a long way.

3) Process through feelings of worry, anxiety or anger that may come up with acceptance. They’ll feel heard and know you’re still on their team.

4) Make sure to limit the amount of time the outfit will be worn. All day is not likely a good idea. We will shoot for 1-2 hours during our celebration-(including enough time to take a family picture of course☺️).

5) Compromise by limiting the uncomfortable features of the outfit. If you require close-toed shoes, allow for shorts. If you want long pants, allow for short sleeves. If you want long sleeves, skip the button down shirt and collar. Like they say with being a working parent, you can have it all, but not at the same time. 😊 Look carefully at what aspects of the clothing your child may find irritating (or ask them if you’re not sure!) and limit it to 3, maybe 4 if they’re flexible.

5) Consider a reward as a way to honor their effort. And when it’s time to be done, let them get out of those clothes as they can and hop into the sweats/shorts/pajamas of their choice!

I shared in the last post (and in stories-see the Senses highlight) that there aren’t just 5 senses that give the brain info. There are more-3 in particular-that give the brain information about what is going on INSIDE, from hunger to toilet needs to emotions.

But just knowing that is not necessarily helpful in the moment. We need to know what to DO when our kiddo is having a rough day.

As a parent when your child is over stimulated, bouncing off the walls, or melting down, what can the internal senses tell you? A lot.

Maybe it’s a typical day at home but something seems off for your kiddo.
You know it’s not external sensory stuff so now what? Here’s where looking inside is so helpful.

1. Have they gotten to move enough today?
Make an obstacle course
Carry the groceries in together
Race the laundry baskets down the hall

2. Have they gotten enough propripceptive input today? (Pressure)
Roll them up in a blanket like a burrito
Make them into a pillow sandwich
Have them curl up in a weighted blanket or sit in a bean bag chair

3. Are they hungry, thirsty or just plain tired?
You know what to do!

Often our kids can’t tell exactly what they are feeling and need, and so knowing what to look for makes all the difference.

Tried any of these or have other favorites? Let me know!
Cheering you on, Maggie

Ever wondered any of these things? Or if they could all be connected?! 🤯
Explaining in my stories how our senses take in much more that just what is going on AROUND us, but actually equally importantly, what is going on INSIDE us.

For children with sensory struggles, these internal sensations play a key role but are easily missed since they are invisible.

Ready through my stories to find out how this all ties together-and points us toward solutions!

xo, Maggie

Handwriting has a looooot of components. Isn’t it amazing that kids can pick this stuff up and juggle it all in their heads while writing??

When a kid is struggling with messy handwriting, it can have to do with any one of these or a combination of a few.

The key for the parent or teacher is to take a close look at how your child writes and then break down which of these seem to be the culprit(s). Once you have a handle on that, you have much more clarity on how to proceed.

Have you ever noticed any of these popping up?

When a meltdown is set off, it can be an intense experience for both child and parent. Most experts would say that preventing a meltdown is better than trying to work through it and I’ve heard many parents say that once a meltdown has started, you just have to let it run its course.

📣BUT there’s more to the story. The good news is, even if your child is overwhelmed and melting down, it’s still not too late to do something about it! Of course if they’re overtired or hungry, a hug, snack and rest are what they need-stat!

But in all other cases, here are 3 quick steps to CONNECT instead of CORRECT what may look on the surface like a behavioral issue (spoiler: it’s not).

A meltdown is different than a tantrum in that the child is genuinely feeling overwhelmed and can no longer cope. Instead of a reprimand, they are in need of empathy and understanding in order to regroup. Reprimands and attempts to reason will only make them more agitated.

Use these 3 simple steps to stop your child’s meltdown in its tracks as they realize that you are coming to the rescue for their overwhelm. 💞

1. Give them words for what happened. calls this “telling the story.” Talking through what happened is an incredibly powerful calming force.
2. Validate their feelings and experience. Let them know you see them and honor what they are expressing.
3. Offer support so they feel less out of control.

Even if a child is too overwhelmed to speak, you can still go through these steps out loud for them and they still work.

And the best news: each time you repeat this process with a child, it builds on the experience so that meltdowns become less frequent, less intense and shorter over time.

I’ve seen it with my kids and my clients over and over and you can read about the neuroscience to back it up in The Whole-Brain Child. Great news for parents-because we can all do with less meltdowns amiright?

Pro Tip: These work for adult meltdowns too 😆

Happy meltdown-calming ❣️

Hello hello after a few weeks away! Today I’m sharing something that underlies a lot of important childhood skills: Bilateral Coordination🎉

This is just a fancy way of saying using the right and left side of the body together, whether that’s both hands 🙌🏼 both feet 🦶🏼or both eyes 👀.

This is a skill that babies develop through milestones like crawling and later leads to kids being able to do more complex tasks.

SWIPE to see the incredible things humans who develop this skill to a high degree can do!

SWIPE again to see all of the important things kids use this skills for:

💙Shoe tying (look Ma, both hands!)

💙Bike riding (both hands AND both feet which is why this is so challenging)

💙 Writing (both eyes)

💙 Reading (both eyes working together)

💙Sports (both hands or both feet)

💙 Swimming (both hands and both legs)

When kids struggle with one or more of these tasks, it’s usually because of a challenge with bilateral coordination and underlying sensory processing (more on that soon!).

If you have a child needing support with one of these tasks, breaking the task down into small, manageable pieces is the way to go. Then practice those pieces until you’re ready to put it all together. You’ve got this!

-Maggie

One challenge that MANY parents run into is when a child resists changing clothes. This can look like...

🌀Wanting to wear the same thing day after day, maybe even day and night!
🌀Refusing to get out of pajamas
🌀Resisting their clothing being washed
🌀Panicking when asked to wear special occasion clothing

Rather than seeing this as a behavior to address/punish, let’s reframe it and consider the sensory sensitivities that could be in play!

Take a moment to think about all of the sensory components involved in wearing clothing...

👕SCENT of the clothing (overwhelming if it’s been washed in a strong detergent)

👕FIT-looseness (can feel irritating to some children as it grazes the skin uxexpectedly with movement, like the sensation of a spider crawling on your arm-yikes!)

👕FIT-tightness on the other hand can irritate the skin by feeling restrictive

👕TEXTURE of the material: consider the differences of wool, nylon, cotton, fleece on the skin

👕The irritation of tags or seams rubbing on skin

Many of these things vanish with that one favorite item your child has on repeat:
💞The material is soft, there aren’t tags, the scent from the detergent has faded away after a day or two of wear, and the material continuers to soften with wear. Our kiddo is in heaven! 💞

What to do if you see this happening…

DON’T
🚫Purge the favorite item(s)
🚫Threaten to take away if your child doesn’t wear something else today
🚫Force wear of uncomfortable clothing when other demands are high (such as attending an event with other sensory triggers, needing high level focus for school day, etc)

DO
✅Ask them what feels good to them about this clothing item
✅Find out what their plan is for wear (every day? Or just on certain days when they need the comfort of it?)
✅Take note of the properties of this item using the above list

And DO keep an eye out for the next post in the series with strategies for helping your child with wearing a variety of clothes! 🎉

An in-depth look at how to support our kids when overstimulated
https://www.hydeparkkidsot.com/post/calming-sensory-strategies-for-home-and-school

Calming Sensory Strategies for Home and School Whether it's due to bad weather, remote learning, homework after school, or any other reason, sometimes our kids get stuck inside for long periods of time and start to show signs of overstimulation. Currently with it being winter, as well as a global pandemic, it's pretty evident that children and f...

Kids stuck inside? Online schooling? Cabin fever? Need a reset? Here are my go to strategies for calming and regulating an overstimulated kiddo (or maybe just yourself! 😅😂) even if you only have a few minutes. Pair it with deep breathing for maximum effect.

Link to Hyde Park Kids OT website where you’ll find the blog in profile!

Blog Post! 4 Simple tips for improving classroom transitions for teachers (or at home!) by looking through the lens of an OT. https://www.hydeparkkidsot.com/post/how-to-improve-daytime-napping

4 Easy Ways to Improve Classroom Transitions Try these tips for a smooth day It's another day in the classroom and everything is going smoothly. But at some point as you begin a transition to the next subject, maybe moving from Read Aloud to Math, it seems to fall apart. One student might start running around the room, or using a voice much to...

Anybody else majorly feeling this?? 😅🤪
Image cred:

Time management is something kids with executive function challenges struggle with.

What this looks like:
⏰Losing track of time
⏰Spending too much time working on one task and forgetting the others
⏰Struggling to START a task or STOP one once immersed leading to loss of time
⏰Being unable to accurately estimate how long something will take
⏰Struggling to meet deadlines or be ready/arrive on time
⏰Reflecting poorly on self because of this “invisible” disability that others don’t see and may assume is laziness or a personality flaw

I know it because I’ve lived it! Here are strategies that helped me and other kids like me.

Use a visual timer to show how much time is left for a task so doesn’t extend too long

Have a child estimate how long they think it will take

Perform the task for the allotted time and assess if it’s done, if more time is needed or if they should return to it another time

Discuss, non-judgmentally, how the estimated time compared how much time was actually needed. Facilitate awareness of whether their estimates tend to be high or low to help them adjust future estimates to be more accurate.

Share times where you failed at this. I’m serious! Even if you’re the most perfect deadline-meeter in the world, you must have at least one good story! Normalize these challenges for them because chances are they think no one else struggles and are tempted to see themselves as defective. Remember that this struggle has an emotional component.

Set goals, break them down into manageable chunks and work toward them, then CELEBRATE. Kids deserve to be held accountable for this-much rather face your consequences than those of the real world someday!

Pat yourself on the back for setting them up for success!

So you have a child struggling with Executive Function skills-now what?

These open-ended questions are a great starting point to help them start to grow their capacity for self-management. Asking these instead of telling them what to do and how to do (over...and over...) has MANY benefits!

⭐️Empowers them to take charge instead of feeling helpless

⭐️Combats discouragement by showing them the confidence you have in them!

⭐️Taps into their creative strengths: you might be surprised at the innovative solutions they come up with!

Games and other fun ways to work on this stuff coming up next! Questions? Comment below or book a free consult at the link in my profile. Cheering you on!

I was this kid! Challenges in these areas have a special pace in my heart because I know what they feel like firsthand. Supporting kids in this struggle is so important because it can quickly start to feel discouraging to them that they can’t do things as easily as their peers.

The children I’ve worked with over the years who struggle with these skills are bright but struggle in school because their executive function skills hold them back. They have no trouble completing the homework but forget to turn it in. Or they know the material but can’t see the homework through to completion due to distractions or lack of impulse control to avoid more fun things.

They often are seen as lazy or incompetent or apathetic when this could not be further from the truth. So how to we support them? Look for post 3 in the series.

Kicking off the new year with Execituve Functioning seems appropriate since it’s what underlies acheiving all those resolutions! defines EF skills as “the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully.”

Children aren’t born with these skills but are born with the ability to develop them. Parents and school professionals model, structure and support these skills but sometimes more support is needed. Keep an eye out for the next 3 in this series of posts on how to support a child in this area and what to do if it’s not clicking. Link in bio for a consultation if you have additional questions!

Hello and welcome to Hyde Park Kids OT! I thought it’s about time for an introduction! I’m Maggie, the pediatric Occupational Therapist behind . As a new entrepreneur, I wear the hats of therapist, CFO and customer service representative all rolled into one-and love it!

I’ve been practicing occupational therapy in the pediatric setting for 7 years and love connecting with children, parents, caregivers and teachers over how to help our kids succeed.

Follow along for tips and tricks for development and to see what I’m up to!

Hyde Park Kids OT updated their information in their About section.