pediatric occupational therapy

Arousal Levels and Amusement Parks

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Amusement and theme parks look like a sensory nightmare. This goes for small, pop-up carnivals all the way to big, immersive theme park resorts. There are blaring speakers, flashing colors, crowds, constant movement…Honestly, I feel overwhelmed just picturing it.

And yet, some kids who are usually sensory‑sensitive walk through those gates and suddenly become focused, regulated, and living their absolute best life. What kind of plot twist is that?

Some kids who are sensory-sensitive can look completely unbothered (joyful even) at amusement parks, and it feels like a total contradiction. It’s not. Their nervous system is responding to a different sensory pattern than the one that overwhelms them in everyday life. That difference has everything to do with sensory processing, arousal levels, and how they modulate input.

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OT Month: The Gen A Nervous System

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

A few months ago on Instagram, we ran into a ton of posts about how you can’t parent Gen A kids like they did in the 90’s because they have a different nervous system.

We thought it was an interesting claim; despite that when “influencers” copy the same material word-for-word, it’s usually a sign of clickbait. They even referred to kids having a “Digital Nervous System”, living in a high-speed brain environment.

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OT Month: Primitive Reflexes

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

We all have reflexes; fast, automatic movements our bodies make without us even thinking. Some reflexes stay with us for life, helping us stay safe and respond to the world around us. Others are meant only for infancy. They support early survival and movement, then fade as children gain more control of their bodies. When those early reflexes don’t integrate on schedule, they can influence how a child experiences their body and how they interact with their environment. These are known collectively as primitive reflexes.

What’s funny is that most parents (in non health-related fields) don’t even know what these are. Newborns have such weird movements when they are learning body control that you can get through the first six months without even realizing the reflexes at work.

FYI: This post has a lot of definitions and lists, so feel free to bookmark and save.

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OT Month: School Supports 101

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Most parents only hear about school supports when something feels off. Their kid may be struggling with reading, falling behind in math, or having a hard time staying organized or regulated. While we may be familiar with supports like OT, PT, and/or speech, schools have far more tools, services, and interventions than most families ever realize.

Support begins the moment your child walks through the door.  Every school uses a layered approach to helping students succeed, much like climbing a ladder. The first rungs include everyday supports that all children receive. As you move up, the next rungs offer extra help for students who need a little more. At the top are individualized plans for students who require more intensive, personalized support.

What many families don’t realize is that most of this help happens long before an IEP or 504 is ever discussed. That’s because frameworks like MTSS and RTI are designed to catch challenges early and provide support right away.

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OT Month: The 504 Plan

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

If your child doesn’t qualify for an IEP, a 504 Plan might fit. It may sound like a highway number or a health code, but it’s actually a legal support that ensures students get the access they need to participate in school.

A 504 Plan is a school-based support plan that provides students with disabilities the accommodations they need to access learning alongside their peers. Its purpose is to adjust how a student learns, not what they are taught.

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