Samara Therapy

Check out our monthly newsletter for news about the end of summer, the beginning of school, and soaking up the last bits of sunshine!

Summer, School, and Samara!🌞 Hello Samara families! We hope everyone is enjoying the last full month of summer and all the outdoor enjoyment that the summer brings! We have some news we would like to share with you!

Samara Therapy Specialists is seeking a caring, fun, people-person to join our growing team of pediatric physical and occupational therapists.

Do you love children?
Do you love families?
Do you want a job where you can help people?
Are you organized?
Are you detail-oriented?
Do you love to have fun?
Do you have a positive and cheerful attitude?

If you answered yes to these questions, we would love to talk to you!

Occupational therapy can help with a wide selection of sensitivities among children, specifically when it comes to sensory! From sensory swings to food therapy, occupational therapy can improve sensory processing skills while having fun. Signs that a child may have sensory issues include food or clothing aversions, poor safety awareness, poor balance, and hypersensitivity to sounds and/or lights. At Samara Therapy, we work with these sensitivities to enhance success in daily activities!

Meet Joel, Samara’s Head of Maintenance and Custodial Services. Thank you for making our space so clean and inviting!

The palmar grasp reflex is a primitive and involuntary reflex found in infants. When an object is placed in an infant's palm, the infant's fingers reflexively grasp the object. Eventually this palmar grasp will become more refined and evolve into a pincer grasp. Infants develop a pincer grasp, a fine motor skill that allows them to pick up food and other objects, between 9 and 12 months of age. This skill involves using the tips of the thumb and index finger to grasp objects. Babies may start with an immature pincer grasp around 8 months, when the pads of their fingers meet but not the tips. By 9 months, most babies can refine this skill to pick up smaller items like peas, grapes, or cereal. However, it can take time and consistent practice for babies to fully master the pincer grasp, which they'll continue to use into toddlerhood and beyond.

If your child is around 9 months of age, and they aren't using a pincer grasp yet, especially when grabbing food, it might be a good idea to have them evaluated by our PT and OT at Samara! Together we can help your child meet those important fine motor milestones that will keep them on the right track to independence!

A HUGE thank you to Knute and his family for donating 2 new strider bikes to our clinic! These are a huge hit with all of our patients! Striker bikes are a great tool we utilize at our clinic to improve motor planning and balance. These are also great in teaching kids many skills to prepare them to ride a pedal bike.

Climbing into the weekend!! Climbing and playing can help kids in so many ways such as strength and coordination.Another things that climbing helps with is helping kids plan their next move and coordinate moving their legs with the opposite arm. What a fun way to move and learn. Climbing=Fun!!

Man-o-man this guy can bike!! Ryker has been working on biking these past couple of weeks and now he is soaring. This guy can really move now and cannot wait to get on the bike as soon as he gets here. Keep up the great work Ryker!!

# fun

Do you love working with kids? Samara Therapy Specialists is hiring PT’s & PTA’s, OT’s & COTA’s and SLP’s. If you love working with kids and want to know more, we encourage you to apply today. We have lots of room for growth as well as flexible schedules. Excited to have you join our team!!!

With this warm weather, who wouldn't want to be in the pool! Aquatic physical therapy comes with many benefits and promotes many movements that are hard on land alone. Aquatic therapy is fun for the kids to go and do some swimming without even knowing they are getting therapy done. Aquatic therapy can help with strengthening and mobility while having less weight bearing activities. We love Aquatic therapy!!

Emily Graduated!! We are so proud of Emily, the progress she has made, and the work she has put in. We were so lucky to be a part of Emily’s journey. We wish her the best as she begins a new chapter in life. You got this Emily!!

We are Hiring!! We are looking for PT, PTA, OT, COTA, and SLP’s to join our team today. At Samara therapy Specialists we want people who love kids and want to work with them on a daily basis. We are looking for licensed therapists who are fun-loving and ready to work. We have full-time openings available and offer flexible schedules and supply medical/dental benefits, as well as PTO!!! Come and apply today!!

Just take a look at Miss Unique, she has the most contagious smile! Unique is enjoying a great snack while in occupational therapy with Dr. Laurel!! Unique has been making great progress while in OT and PT here at Samara Therapy Specialists. Great job Unique!

Look at this little starfish!! Harlow is rocking a sensory sock for her occupational therapy appointment. A sensory sock, aka body sock, helps with some sensory processing disorders, it provides deep pressure to joints. These sensory socks allow kids to orient themselves in space and also have a calming effect just like a hug. Harlow is rocking this sensory sock all while playing and looking pretty dang cute. You rock Harlow, keep doing your thing!!!

What is an AFO and why does my child need them? Ankle foot orthotics (AFOs) are little braces that kids wear to help them walk and move with ease. AFOs can be used to treat an assortment of disorders and issues such as improper foot strike, hooked foot, foot/ankle pronation, and more. These braces provide stability and support as well as control the range of motion within the joint of the ankle and foot. This allows children to have better ankle alignment which then aids in the alignment of the knee and hip. This helps kids move with less pain and a great attitude.

Just look at how Miss Cataleya moves with her AFO’s. She is moving and grooving with these braces and doing it with such great form and grace.

Does your child do this?? This is toe walking and could be a sign that your child might be in need of physical therapy. Toe walking is common as children begin to walk, but it can become a concern if this pattern of walking continues past age 2. Toe walking occurs when a child is not getting a full foot strike on each step, meaning the child's heel doesn't touch the ground while walking forward. There could be many reasons for this, but one of the main causes is Achilles tendon tightening. This means that the tendon that assists the feet in walking becomes too tight. That's where physical therapy comes into play! At PT the kids will go through some stretching and range of motion activities to encourage normal walking patterns. This may also be paired with orthotics to encourage proper foot strikes while walking and help keep the heels touching the ground. If you've seen your child toe walking, it might be time to get them evaluated with a PT!

If you love the Pathways.org 6 Month Typical/Atypical Motor Development series, here's a handout version of our video you can save and share that's available in 5 languages: English, Greek, Mandarin, Portuguese, and Ukrainian.⁠

These 8 positions are used by healthcare providers to determine if intervention is needed, and serves as a reference guide for parents on what to look for. If you have questions or concerns, use this handout to talk to your healthcare provider.⁠

➡️ View, save, and print the complete handout here: https://pathways.org/watch/6-month-old-typical-atypical-motor-development-side-side-comparison/

📲 Track baby's development and play therapist approved activities to help baby meet milestones by downloading the FREE Pathways.org Baby Milestones app: https://pathways.org/mobile-app/

Want to know what's unique about seeing an occupational therapist? Unlike many other health care professionals, OT’s have a very holistic approach to therapy and focus on a child as a whole rather than treating just an injury or a disability. Our occupational therapist has a great approach on helping kids learn to navigate problems and difficulties as they arise.

Do you ever see your little one W-sitting? W-sitting is when a child sits with their knees folded over in front of them, placing their feet and ankles on either side of their hips. This position is known as W-sitting because it creates a W shape. It’s pretty common for toddlers to play in the W-sitting position. It typically only becomes an issue if your child W-sits often or if it is their preferred position to sit. W-sitting forces the knees to rotate inward. Increased stress on the knees can lead to knee pain over time. It may also contribute to in-toeing, cause muscle tightness in the hips and hamstrings, and can possibly cause a delay in motor skills. If you notice your child regularly sitting in a W position, talk with your child's P*P to see if they need to get evaluated by a PT to rule out any irregularities in their growth!

Scroll through to see all the wonderful things OTs do!

April is Occupational Therapy Month, where we celebrate OTs and the impact they make on our patient's lives! Occupational therapists help with barriers that affect a person's emotional, social, and physical needs. In pediatrics, OT can help children learn to play and interact with others, improve their school performance, and aid in their activities of daily living. It also boosts their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment! In honor of OT month, we would love to give a great big shoutout to our OT, Laurel! Every day Laurel helps our patients maximize their ability to do the things they want and need to do, regardless of their limitations. She helps them increase their daily function and gain independence in all areas of their lives. She makes such a meaningful difference, and we’re so lucky to have her! Thank you for all you do, Laurel!

There are Easter eggs hiding somewhere in these pictures! During Easter week, we set up an Easter egg hunt for all of our patients. Aiden and Kinley were extra lucky and got to participate in the egg hunt together! This fun activity helped our patients work on their focus and attention, regulation, fine motor skills (from opening the eggs), and their core strength by riding around on a scooter board or wiggle bike. The kiddos found all the eggs and got to enjoy the exciting and yummy prizes hidden inside!

Check out these cool dudes! A handful of our patients had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the new and exciting world of virtual reality therapy. We recently had the honor of hosting Dr. Lisa Apple, a physical therapist from Seattle Children’s Hospital, who is traveling the country allowing pediatric patients to experience immersive rehabilitation therapy. This innovative system was created by a group of engineers, artists, designers, and clinical experts from around the world, and is a great tool to meet the specific therapeutic needs of a wide range of patients. Our patients had a blast playing games and solving puzzles, all while simultaneously work towards their therapy goals!

Samara Therapy Specialists are seeking a caring, fun, people-person to join our growing team of pediatric physical and occupational therapists.

Do you love children? Do you love families? Do you want a job where you can help people?
Are you organized?
Are you detail oriented?
Do you love to have fun?
Do you have a positive and cheerful attitude?
If you answered yes to these questions, we would love to talk to you!

Look at this little jumping bean! No one would guess this little man broke his tibia recently! After an accident involving a trampoline, this rough and tough little boy was having balance, strength, and running impairments. He could not jump forward or down, run properly, or walk up the stairs without support. And now look at him go! A couple months of PT, and he's as good as new! Axel has officially graduated PT and is on to his next adventure! Congratulations, Axel!

Happy Valentine's Day from all of us here at Samara Therapy! We hope your holiday is filled with lots of love and happiness! Declan and Russ will certainly help bring a smile to your face, just like they always do for us!

Occupational therapy treatment can be a bit more difficult to measure than physical therapy because you can't always see the progress right away. While physical therapy focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of physical impairments, disabilities, and pain, occupational therapy is focused more on helping individuals improve the skills they need to perform tasks of daily living, assist with emotional regulation, and provide supplemental mental health support. When Cyrus started seeing us for OT, he needed a little extra help with emotional regulation and transitioning from one activity to another. He also resisted participation in reading and writing while at school. Over the past couple of months, Cyrus has shown amazing progress with his ability to listen to instructions and in his willingness to participate in fine motor tasks such as writing and completing a maze. Because he is also showing such wonderful improvements in his emotional regulation, he has been more flexible with activities that increase his skills and abilities with fine motor tasks. He is such a great kid, and we are so blessed to be able to continue working with him. You're doing such a great job, Cyrus! We're all so proud of you!