Author: Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Book Smart: Kids and Reading

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

A few years ago, we did a Child(ish) Reads on a book called Thirty Million Words by Dana Suskind, M.D.  Its core concept is based on the research by Betty Hart and Todd Risley who, in 1995, found that by the age of three, children from higher-income families hear about 30 million more words than those from lower-income families. This disparity plays a substantial role in shaping academic outcomes and long-term success.

This topic has become top of mind this year as our school board is aligning its priorities with Georgia’s Early Literacy Legislation, which aims to ensure all children become proficient readers by the end of third grade. So why third grade?

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The Art of Making Friends: Kid Edition

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Humans are social creatures. For that reason alone, the way we engage and connect with others in different social contexts is an important occupation in everyday life. In occupational therapy, social participation refers to meaningful interactions with others in ways that foster emotional growth and confidence. For kids, it shows up in how they play with peers, take part in school and group activities, and how they form and maintain friendships.

Social skills span a wide and nuanced range of abilities that are a fundamental component of social participation. When it comes to friendships, they hinge on a set of social-emotional traits that help kids connect, resolve conflict, and build trust over time. These include:

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Mary’s School Update: New School, Who’s This?

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Last school year, it was shared that our local public elementary school was shortlisted for possible closure. After five grueling months of parent advocacy and formal meetings with the school board, a final decision was made: our cherished elementary school would close its doors due to fiscal responsibility. The outcome was deeply disheartening.

I served on the research team tasked with compiling data and proposing innovative, cost-saving alternatives that could give us a chance for this upcoming school year. But despite our efforts, the board’s majority leaned toward shuttering aging facilities and reallocating resources.

This feels deeply personal to me right now, but this trend has been widely documented across the country. School systems increasingly forced to make difficult decisions in response to shrinking budgets and changing demographics. As public school enrollment declines (due to a range of factors), closures and consolidations have become part of the cost-cutting strategy.

So where does this leave our community?

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Article Review: Kids are Losing their Fine Motor Skills – and Screens Might Be to Blame

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

We’re always on the lookout for OT articles in the mainstream. Earlier this year, one finally presented itself from National Geographic: Kids are losing fine motor skills – and screens might be to blame. (This is a paid article.)

Lots of clickbait going on here, sadly. In our TL:DR world, one could easily surmise once again that screens are the bane of our existence and they’re turning our kids inadequate. And according to the article’s 1,300 comments on Instagram, it’s ABSOLUTELY true and we parents should be ashamed of ourselves!!!

Does this really paint the whole picture? No.
Does it lazily blame screens, and then by extension, parents? Yes.

Here’s our quick article review:

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The Sheep, the Wolf, and the Sheepdog: Kids and Peers

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

There are three types of people in this world: sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. – Wayne Kyle, American Sniper

My husband has used this analogy to explain certain types of people to our son ever since he was little. Granted, it is an oversimplified explanation of human nature, but it gets the point across. In our version of the metaphor, sheep are those who cannot defend themselves when harm comes their way, wolves take advantage of their vulnerability, and the sheepdog stands up and protects the sheep. It’s a visual way to tell him to be a decent human and not be a d*ck.

 While our son has long understood this concept, it’s becoming harder for him to follow. In fact, it feels like he’s exhibiting more wolf-like behavior these days. Turns out the shift between sheepdog and wolf mirrors the growing complexity of his social circle and how kids his age are dealing with the next level of social skills and challenges.

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