Lil' Flippers Summer Activities

Last week we held our Lil' Flipper Summer Community Activities.  We had so much fun!  Thank you to Brittanie and her staff for helping us out with this activity!  They do a great job!

Lil' Flippers offers a class for Special Needs kiddos from 4 months to 3 years old.  These classes are on Mondays and Wednesdays at 11:00 am.  You can stop by the office and schedule your free trial class!  The Special Needs class helps with developing large and small motor skills, cognitive learning, social skills and behaviors, and listening skills. 

Brittanie also offers a special needs preschool.  Ask her for more information if you are interested! You can contact Lil' Flippers at 801 593-8484.

Thank you Brittanie and your staff for another fun community event!

The Value of Make-Believe

This is an excerpt from Toddler 411 by Denise Fields and Ari Brown, M.D.

Do you remember playing dress up or cops and robbers as a little kid?  Of course, you do.  Kids love to pretend, if given the opportunity.  Why the heck do kids do this?  And why is it important that we give them the opportunity?

Kids like to pretend because it gives them the chance to work out situations they experience in real life.  This is part of normal development.  And it's a red flag if a child doesn't pretend, imitate, or have "symbolic" play.

Psychologists think pretend play helps kids develop critical thinking skills and something called "self-regulation."  A self-regulated child controls his behavior and emotion.  Self-regulated kids not only do better in school, with lower dropout rates, but they succeed on all levels of development.

Some researches feel that the changes in the way children have played over the past 60 years has taken its toll on children's emotional and intellectual development.  As kids play more with structured toys and less with just their imaginations, self-regulation has declined.  Translation: lots of expensive "developmental" toys aren't necessarily a good thing.

When kids play independently and pretend, they make up their own rules and follow them.  They talk to themselves about what they are doing.  That inner voice equates to self-regulation.  As a child gets older, he has more elaborate pretend play with other kids.  He has to act out his role, remember what the other actors are doing, and improvise on the plot twists.  That requires self-control.

As one developmental researcher, Dr. Adele Diamond, points out, we might have fewer kids diagnosed with ADHD if more kids learned self-regulation as toddlers and preschoolers.

The message: just let your kid keep on pretending. . . and give him the free time to do it.

Sensory Issues

This post was submitted by Carol Trillia, a Developmental Specialist with Davis Early Intervention.

Have you ever planned a trip to the children's museum with one of your friends who also has a toddler similar in age as yours?

In this next scenario you may find some similarities to what you have experienced.

You are excited to visit with your friend, you make it to the museum, as soon as you park your toddler starts to become upset, the parking garage is cold and echoes! You go up the stairs and now it is bright and hot!  By the time you make it in the door your child is really upset. You meet your friend and while you are in line, things really fall apart… your child is screaming on the floor,  you are desperately trying to pay and console at the same time….

You make it through the doors and things are now loud, shiny, smelly, and children are running all over. Your little one is now having a full fledged meltdown… You feel awful. Your  friend's little one toddles off enjoying all the chaos, while you are left trying to calm yours… So,  you pull out all your magic tricks; blankie, cup, snacks but  things get worse…  You try holding, cajoling, bribing, distracting all to no avail… so you apologize to your friend and head to the car, within 10 minutes he is singing "itsy bitsy spider"  in his seat! Now you are the one who wants to scream!

We have seven senses: Touch, Vision, Smell, Taste, Hearing, Proprioceptive  ( sensory receptor, found in muscles, tendons, joints, and the inner ear, 

that detects the motion or position of the body ) and Vestibular (balance: where the body is in regards to time and space).

Children with a disorganized sensory system, have a hard time regulating.

They become very agitated with very little.

Their sensory system is constantly being overloaded with information, and they have a hard time filtering out unimportant sensory information. Little things can be very overwhelming, such as light, smells, tastes, touch, noise, movement, etc.  Things that  normally don't bother children who don't have sensory issues, can become very devastating for a child with a Sensory  Issues.

If you know what things trigger your child's sensory overloads, you can work on minimizing exposure and concurrently work on desensitizing.

You can help your child,  by having him/her wear sun glasses or a hat, when it is bright. Ear muffs or sound canceling head phones if the environment is going to be loud.

Also plan short visits rather than long ones. (Be prepared to leave)

Park in a parking garage ,sit and wait a little,  get out slowly and if necessary get back in the car, talk about what you hear and see, take your time, let the child familiarize him/herself with the new surroundings..

If you are going to a store, make the visit short, have the child very involved in the shopping experience, be empathetic and talk about the experiences. Become hyper alert to all sensations, light, smells, temperature, sounds etc.

Keep in mind that simple things as fluorescent lighting can be very alerting and disrupting for your child's  fragile sensory system .

At home practice smelling, tasting, touching, swinging, etc . Prepare the child for an adventure.

"We are going to… and we are going to …"

If your child becomes upset, take a break, find a quiet place where the child can re-organize and relax… try again… if it doesn't work, you will have to leave and try another time…

Most children with hyper alert sensory systems have a hard time verbalizing what is bothering them. This is because,  there are a multitude of things that can be causing the overload, and pinpointing a  specific one  can be very challenging, especially for a toddler.

In order for your child to understand, what he/she is going through you need to help him/her figure out the problem. When you start to identify the triggers, label them "oh! it is too bright!", or "It is so loud!", etc. labeling and empathizing helps the child identify and later verbalize.  Once you and your child start to identify triggers, you can work on desensitizing, by talking about the trigger and finding ways to cope.  If  noise is a trigger, work on wearing ear muffs… Start at home, it will take a lot of practice before your child understands and accepts some sort of solution… Patience and a lot of sympathy are needed in order to help your child navigate this world that keeps bombarding him/ her with millions of sensations.

June Activities

Happy Summer!  Finally the weather is warming up!  Here are some great Community Activities to enjoy this month!

June 1st

• Family First at Station Park  5:30 to 7:30 pm  The theme for June is Princess and Pirate Party. Enjoy free face painting, a balloon artist, story telling, Princesses and Pirates!

June 6th 

• Free Fishing Day from 10:00 am to Noon at Any Adams Community Fishery (1800 East Gordon Ave.).  Activities include fishing contests, a fish fry demonstration and samples, and prizes.  You do not need a fishing license for this activity.

June 12th

• Down Syndrome Families United at Legacy Park "Splash Pad" (1140 West 1100 North, North Salt Lake).  4:00 - 7:00 pm.  Bring your family and a picnic.  Have fun and meet other families.  Questions - call/text 801 783-6329.
•  Polynesian Festival Concert at City Hall in West Bountiful  7:00 pm.  A Luau-like celebration of Polynesian dancing and music - Expect fun audience participation.
• Concert in the Park at City Park in Bountiful (200 West 400 North) 7:00pm

June 13th

• Arts and Music Festival at Heritage Park in Kaysville (150 North Fairfield Rd.) beginning at 6:00 am with Yoga in the Park and ending with the Lego Movie at 8:30 pm.  Enjoy a full day of arts and music.

June 18th and 19th, 25th and 26th

• Free Summer Matinee Movies on Thursdays and Fridays at 12:00 and 2:15 pm.  All movies are rated G and PG.  First come first seated at Kaysville Theater.  (No movie on July 24th)

June 19th and 20th

• Coats for Kids Car Show on Bountiful Main Street

June 21st

• FATHERS DAY!!!!

June 26th

• Concert in the Park at City Park in Bountiful (200 West 400 North)  7:00pm
• Woods Cross Annual Garden Walk on June 26th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm and June 27th from 9:00 to 11:00 am.  Check the website for details (woodscross.com)

Don't forget our Lil' Flippers Activity days for children in Early Intervention and their siblings.  June 23rd at 9:00 for the crawlers and scooters and June 25th at 9:00 for the walkers.  Crawlers/Scooters and Walkers have been each given designated days, but if you can't make it on that day, please come on the other one.  Please let your service provider or myself know if you are planning to come and how many children you will bring.  (Mandy 801 402-5403 or mzeschke@dsdmail.net)

Executive Function Activities for 18- to 36-month-olds

Executive functioning is the job of the frontal lobe of the brain.  As the frontal lobe develops, children are able to do things like focus their attention for longer periods, use a working memory to accomplish tasks and practice self control.  These skills develop over time, but there are activities to stimulate the development of executive functioning.  These activities are suggested for children from 18 months to 36 months.  If you would like some ideas for developing foundational executive functioning skills for younger children, please follow this link:
http://davisei.blogspot.com/2014/10/executive-functioning-for-little-ones.html

Active Games:

• Provide many materials and opportunities for children to try new skills, such as throwing and catching balls, walking a balance beam, running up and down an incline, jumping, etc.  Set up simple rules to follow for added working memory and inhibition challenges - for example, take turns running to a "finish line" and back.
• Older toddlers can enjoy simple imitation games, such as "Follow the Leader".  This is a great test of working memory as well as attention and inhibition.
• Games that require active inhibition can be fun, too, like freeze dance (musical statues), although don't expect children to "freeze" without a few reminders.  Also effective are song games that require children to start and stop, or slow down and speed up (Popcorn, Ring Around the Rosie).
• Song games with many movements are also fun (Hokey Pokey; I'm a Little Teapot; Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes).  There require children to attend to the song's words and hold them in working memory, using the song to guide their actions.
• Fingerplays, or songs and rhymes with hand gestures to match, continue to be popular with children this age, similarly challenging children's attention, working memory and inhibitory control.

Conversation and Storytelling:

• Simply watching and narrating their play can be a great way to help very young children understand how language can describe their actions.  As children get older, questions can be added, such as "What will you do next?" or "I see you want to put the ball inside the jar.  Is there another way to do that?"  These comments help children pause to reflect on what they are trying to do, how what they have tried has words, and how to plan their next move.
• Telling stories about shared events can be a great way to reflect on these experiences.  The experience must be held in working memory while the child considers the order in which things happened, why things happened the way they did, and what the experience meant.  These stories can also be written or drawn into simple books and revisited.
• Talking about feelings is also important, either by labeling children's feelings as they are noticed ("It looks like you are really angry right now") or by telling the story of a time a child became upset.  By giving children language to reflect on their feelings, these conversations can support the development of emotional regulation, which is essential for engaging executive function.

Matching/Sorting Games:

• Ask children to play a sorting game in which you take turns sorting objects by size, shape or color.  You can use things you already have, like matching socks, putting spoons and forks away, or gathering all the toy cars in one bin and the blocks in another.
• Engage older toddlers in a silly sorting game, such as putting small shapes in a big bucket and big shapes in a small bucket.  Children tend to put like with like, so a change is challenging, requiring them to inhibit the expected action and engage their selective attention and working memory.
• As they get older, toddlers also start to enjoy simple puzzles, which require attention to shapes and colors.  Adults can ask children to think about what shape or color they need, where they might put a certain piece, or where they might put the piece if it doesn't fit, thereby exercising the child's reflection and planning skills.

Imaginary Play:

• Ask children questions about what they are doing.  Narrate the things you see happening.
• Play along with the child, and let the child direct the play.  Give the child a chance to tell you what role you should play and how you should do it.  Regulating the behavior of others is an important way that children develop their own self-regulation skills.
• Provide a variety of familiar household objects, toys and clothing items to encourage children's imaginary play.

This information is taken from developingchild.harvard.edu

Common Problems of Children with Attention Disorders

The following information was submitted by Carol Trillia, a Developmental Specialist.

Children with ADHD or ADD have many common traits

Most children with ADD or ADHD are very creative and very active, these children seem to be on the go all the time, they do not come with an  "on /off switch!" They will run rather than walk, they jump before looking, they want everything "right now" and have a hard time waiting for rewards or special events. They may be looking straight at you when you are talking to them, but after a few words their minds are wandering! They can still hear you, but they are focusing on other things… They have a very active mind! They ping pong from one thought to another!

They have a very hard time staying on task. They have a hard time regulating their emotions, they  tend to overreact , and when they are emotional they can't concentrate or stay on task! They are passionate about everything they do. They tend to have many tasks going at all times!

Children with ADHD and ADD tend to be physically sensitive, clothing can feel itch or tight, lighting can be too bright, food can have weird textures of flavors, etc.

These children can be hard to love, because they can be so emotional,  impulsive and disorganized, everything is magnified!

They are not out to make your life miserable, this is how their brains are wired!

They are passionate, loving and very intelligent, everything they do, they put their heart and soul into,  they are intense, perceptive, passionate, creative and very caring.

If you have a child that is ADHD or ADD wired;  you are blessed, your will not have a dull moment in your life!  

That been said, there are a few things you may want to do to help your child reach his/her maximum potential.

When giving directions, give one or two at a time; show  by example visual and lots of hands on , give the child time and a place to be creative and a place to move.

Do  a physical activity before you have to sit and concentrate. Make time for frequent breaks. Use a large exercise ball instead of a chair, or no chair at all.

Set clear parameters and expectations, be specific, if you are vague they will fill in the blanks!   

A child with ADD or ADHD will thrive when shown  compassion, understanding and love.  Enjoy the ride, it is going to be a wild one, full of adventure and fun, and very unpredictable! 

Information about Eating

Last week I was able to attend a lecture all about little kids and food.  The presenter was Dr. Thomas Sutton, from the Utah County area.  His passion is pediatric nutrition.

Dr. Sutton stated that parents need to look at the quality of food intake in their little ones as well as quantity.  If your child doesn't eat much then you need to make sure what they are eating is adding the vitamins and nutrients needed, including protein and micro-nutrients.

He pointed out some interesting facts:

:

• The brain doubles in size during the first year.
• The brain triples in size during the first two years.
• Better nutrition early increases communication skills at a later age (tests conducted when children were 10 years old).
• Dietary intake habits are established by age 3.
• Giving babies soda results in lower cognitive scores later.

Ideas to encourage healthy eating:

• Make mealtime fun
• Have the child help with the preparation of the food
• Sit with the family for mealtime, but limit mealtime to 20 - 30 minutes
• Avoid distractions (TV, toys)
• Try all kinds of foods
• Provide appropriate mealtimes and fasting times (3 hours between meals so kids will feel hungry)
• Tolerate age appropriate messes
• Maintain a neutral attitude during meals

If you have other concerns or questions regarding food and your little one, ask your service provider for more ideas.  Happy Eating!