Occupational Therapy

Crash course: Executive Functions

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

It’s your choice.

Do you remember what I said?

What do you think we should do?

How are we going to fix this?

You’ve probably said this to your kid (or significant other) many a times, but did you know that these statements and questions engage executive function?

Any goal-driven process or activity that requires conscious thought is utilizing some degree of executive function (a set of mental skills that allow us to appropriately interact with our environment). Look at it like your brain’s upper management or “the executives” in charge of our behavior and cognition as they help plan, organize, and manage many tasks in our everyday life.  

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Laying the Foundation: School Readiness

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

So this isn’t quite a Course Notes post, but I absolutely loved this Continuing Ed seminar I took a couple weeks ago on core foundational skills essential for learning. It especially informs our thoughts on school readiness and I want to share it with you all. So here we go!

Ready or not, your little one will soon attend school and you will most likely have concerns if they’re prepared or not. School readiness refers to the range of proficiencies — language and literacy, cognition, social and emotional skills — needed for your child to easily transition into school.  But to be successful in these skills, certain foundations need to be in place.

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Actions are Louder Than Words: The Speech and Movement Connection

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Talking doesn’t start at the mouth. Before we can speak or give meaning to language, we must learn to move.

Movement is necessary to explore our surroundings and travel from point A to point B (even if it is just to the couch). Motor development relies on the teamwork of the tactile (touch), proprioceptive (body awareness), and vestibular (movement) systems to establish a physical awareness of self to feel safe and move without fear.

Research has shown that achieving motor milestones may also be closely linked to unlocking cognitive abilities, like speech and language.

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Course Notes: The Auditory System

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Hey, are you listening to me? Did you hear what I said? What did I say?

Sound familiar? As parents, we want to believe our kids are paying attention to the things we say. Sometimes they do, but other times it feels like it goes through one ear and out the other. Although we have talked in depth how attention can play a role in why your child may not be listening to instruction, another thing to consider is that the system frequently used could often be abused.

What is the Auditory System?

This system is responsible for our ability to hear and make sense of the sounds around us. Hearing is a basic skill and one of the first to develop in the womb, working in tandem with the vestibular system to assist in movement, balance, and coordination.

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Interoception: Inner Workings

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

If your child is fidgeting in their seat, grouchy, or on edge, it’s easy to assume that they need a sensory fix to regulate themselves. However, if this happens on a regular basis, there could be more to it.

Interoception is our sense that handles the internal body sensations coming from our organs (including our skin). As our organs deliver signals to the brain (stomach growling, dry mouth, droopy eyes, etc), the brain gives meaning to these indicators (hunger, thirst, fatigue) and addresses them appropriately (eat, drink, sleep). These sensations and responses can vary from person to person.

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