by Phillip Kindschi | Sep 4, 2013 | Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy
Your child’s care and progress is our number one priority at TherapyWorks. We have all heard the phrase “it takes a village”, well it truly does to care for a child with special needs. Do you know who is or should be on your child’s team? For example, did you know that a child with cerebral palsy should be seen by an orthopedic doctor every 6 months to year for hip and spine x-rays because they are at greater risk for dysplasia? Many times families are referred to various specialists without fully understanding what that person’s role is in their child’s care. The following is a list of the most common specialist that may be apart of your child’s team.
Therapist: Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Speech Language Therapist and provide therapeutic services
Orthopedic Physician: Specializes in treating conditions and injuries involving bones and connective tissue, including tendons and ligaments
Neurologist: Specializes in study, diagnosis and treatment of injury and disease of nervous system. These include brain, spinal cord, muscles and nerves throughout body.
Pediatrician: Specializes in the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents The age limit usually ranges from birth up to 18 years.
Developmental Pediatrician: Developmental pediatricians focus on developmental, behavioral and learning
issues from infancy through young adulthood
Geneticist: Evaluate, diagnose and manage patients with heredity conditions or congenital malformations
Vision Therapist: Also known as vision training. This treatment is used to improve vision skills such as eye movement
control, eye coordination and teamwork. This is performed under supervision of optometrist, or orthoptist
ENT: An ear, nose and throat doctor specializes in diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the ear, nose, sinuses, throat, face and neck.
Psychologist: This specialist evaluates, diagnoses, treats, and studies behavior and mental processes. Clinical psychologists and school psychologists work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts
Psychiatrist: Psychiatrists are medical doctors who must evaluate patients to determine whether or not their symptoms are the result of a medical illness, a combination of medical and mental, or a strictly mental one
If you are unsure if your child should be seeing one of these specialist please consult with your therapist and pediatrician for a recommendation. It is very important that if your child is seeing one of these specialists that you please inform your therapist so that they can collaborate and be informed of and changes in plan of care.
by Phillip Kindschi | Aug 20, 2013 | Nutrition
So it is that time a year when peaches taste wonderful and are cheaper. With children going back to school what better way then to add the Vitamin A and Vitamin C peaches provide with a hassle free morning hot breakfast – see below recipe found in the Ellie Krieger’s Cookbook “ Food You Crave”.
Peach French Toast Bake
(put it together the night before and you just pop it in the oven in the morning)
Ingredients:
- 1 large whole-wheat baguette (~8 oz)
- 4 large eggs
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup nonfat milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 cups frozen unsweetened sliced peaches, thawed – or use in season fresh peaches
- 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups plain nonfat yogurt (optional)
- ¾ cup pure maple syrup (optional)
Directions: Coat a 9×13” pan with cooking spray. Cut the baguette into 1/2 –inch-thick slices and arrange them in a single layer in the pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg whites, milk, and vanilla. Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the pan. Scatter the peach slices evenly over the bread. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning: Preheat oven to 3500F. Uncover and bake until it is slightly puffed and the bread is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Top with yogurt if desired and drizzle with maple syrup.
by Phillip Kindschi | Jun 25, 2013 | Nutrition
Because being overweight can often be a lifelong condition that may affect the entire family, it is critical that families consider taking action towards becoming a healthier family with the child. When assessing your family; consider the following:
- How often your family has physical activity time (min/day)
- Does your family place a high value on video game use (hr/day)
- Does your family limit television viewing (hr/day)
- Does your family enjoy a variety of fruit and vegetables daily (servings/day)
- Does every family member consume calorically sweetened beverages (ounces/day)
- Are there parental restriction of highly palatable foods (for example cake, donuts, candy)
- How many meals are eaten outside of the home (meals/week)
- Are there large portion sizes
- Does the family often skip breakfast (meals/week)
After assessing your family, try small achievable steps toward reaching goals that work with your family’s schedule. Focus on healthful eating and behaviors aimed at improving Body Mass Index. Body Mass Index is a measurement of weight relative to height. The targeted behaviors may include decreased television viewing, decreased sweetened beverage and juice consumption, increased fruit and vegetable consumption (focusing on 5 different colors of fruits and vegetables daily), increased daily activity, more home-prepared meals and family meals, and daily breakfast consumption. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Evidence Analysis Library for Evidence-Based Pediatric in Weight Management Nutrition Practice Guidelines strongly recommends that a parent/caregiver should be included in the medical management team for pediatric weight management programs as an agent of change when treating children aged 6 to 12 years. You, as their family, can provide them their motivation and strength to reach a healthy weight goal.
For additional structured weight management approaches, a Registered Dietitian’s role in the Medical Team increases. A dietary prescription, including a mild calorie restriction, a meal and snack schedule, 1 hour of daily supervised and planned daily physical activity, and self-monitoring are implemented by the family with staff support using motivational interviewing techniques to help set goals and identify barriers. Research shows that when individualized nutrition prescription is included, improvements in weight status in children and adolescents are consistent. When an individualized nutrition prescription is not included, results are less consistent. From all of the medical concerns that arise with being overweight as a child, consider focusing on a healthy family lifestyle prescription rather than a child weight loss program.
by Phillip Kindschi | Jun 18, 2013 | Feeding Therapy
Eating is easy! You just sit down and eat, right? WRONG. Believe it or not, eating is more difficult than walking or talking. It involves 31 muscles and 6 cranial nerves to produce a single swallow. In addition, it involves all the major organs of your body and all 8 sensory systems working in perfect harmony. There are hundreds of thousands of families throughout the United States that have experienced eating and feeding problems in infants and children. Feeding and eating problems are very common and challenging. Eating can be extremely painful or impossible for some infants and children. What if your baby or child struggled to eat, and every bite became a challenge or fight complicated by coughing, choking, gagging, retching, and vomiting or food refusal? For families with infants or children who have feeding challenges, every meal is a difficult battle.
Prolonged untreated feeding disorders can result in disruption of positive meal-time routines. This can lead to disruption in parent-child interaction where less cuddling and positive interactions occur. Eating and feeding difficulties can disrupt many aspects of a child’s life including growth, cognitive development, physical strength, behavior and nutrition. In addition, feeding difficulties produce worried parents and frequent telephone calls and office visits to your pediatrician. There are an estimated 750,000 children nationwide with severe feeding struggles. This number is staggering. However, there is hope and there is help!
You may ask, “How do I know if my child has a feeding problem?” Feeding problems present in many different ways from the need to obtain nutrition via tube feedings to gagging, vomiting, constipation, food refusal and a limited diet. Here are some warning signs that may indicate your child needs help:
- Selective in taste and textures
- Gags, chokes, or vomits with meals
- Refuses entire food groups such as proteins, grains, fruits or vegetables
- Body weight can be either too thin or too heavy
- Refusal to advance onto age appropriate foods
- Gastro-intestinal reflux
At TherapyWorks, we have a qualified team of therapists, including speech pathologists, occupational therapists and a dietitian to assist you and your child in overcoming feeding challenges. Working with your child’s pediatrician, we will evaluate and develop a treatment plan specific to your child’s individuals needs. Our goal is to make feeding fun not only for the child, but also for the entire family. We use a variety of approaches to assist you and your child in overcoming their feeding challenges. Several of our therapists are trained in using the Sensory-Oral-Sequential approach to Feeding (SOS) developed by Kay Toomey and associates. In addition, we use principles from Food Chaining by Cheri Fraker and Laura Walbert and the Get Permission First approach by Marsha Dunn Klein.
Finally, I want to recognize all of the wonderful parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and foster parents that I have met over the years who have been so dedicated at finding a solution to their child’s feeding difficulties. Your persistence, patience and dedication have contributed to the success we have seen in therapy. Your tears have not been in vain. It is a privilege to share your excitement over your child eating foods they have never eaten before or, for some of you, watching your child eat by mouth when he/she has previously only received nutrition by a feeding tube.
Kathy Soland, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
TherapyWorks Speech Therapy Department Clinic Manager
by Phillip Kindschi | Apr 22, 2013 | General
SUMMER CAMPS For Children With Disabilities 2013
The school year is almost over and summer camps are right around the corner. Finding the right camp for your child can be time consuming, although worth the investment. But don’t fret! We have researched for you a partial list of camps in the state of Oklahoma who specifically provide an environment for children with disabilities. We also recommend taking a tour of the facility, meeting the director and staff and consider your child’s needs before enrolling in any summer camp program.
Camps can be a very important part of your child’s development and a fun way to spend the summer as they learn life skills, explore new interest, collaboration, living in a community (overnight camps) and pre-vocational skills.
Camp Loughridge, Tulsa, OK
Phone: 918-446-4194
Christian autism inclusion program with all summer camps include 3 campers per week with a one-on-one aide, ages 6-13. Activities include archery, arts and crafts, canoeing, challenge and ropes events and more. See website for dates and prices “scholarships” may be available www.camploughridge.org Other contact, Autism Center of Tulsa at 918-502-4823 www.autismtulsa.org
DDA Camp, Tulsa, OK –
The Bridges Foundation Phone: 918-592-3333
Day camp experience for children and young adults, ages 10 -21, with developmental disabilities held at Lacy Park. Contact The Bridge Foundation for additional Information www.thebridgesfound.org
Make Promises Happen, Guthrie, OK
Central Christian Camp and Conference Center Phone: 405.282.2811
This Day Camp provides outdoor recreational opportunities to individuals ages 6 and older with special needs. Each camper is paired with a volunteer counselor. Campers will enjoy fishing, boating, arts & crafts, swimming, archery, dances, talent shows and more at MPH events. For additional information
www.centralchristiancamp.org
Camp Perfect Wings, McAlester, OK
Baptist General Convention of OK
A residential camp created specifically for special needs campers ages 8 and up to attend with a “buddy”. Camp includes archery, bb guns, crafts, music, climbing wall, zip line and more. www.oklahomabaptists.org/childhood/camp-perfect-wings/
www.bgco.org/ministries/special-needs.com
Camp Grey Squirrel
United Methodist Boys Ranch, Gore, OK
United Methodist Children’s Home, Tahlequah,
OK Phone: 918-457-6150 Residential and Day Camps Created for children with ASD who must be able to participate in traditional camp activities. Limited Scholarships available for the summer. OASIS Respite Care vouchers is accepted.
Camp Claptlans
Norman, OK 405-307-2814
A residential summer camp project of the J.D. McCarty Center in Norman open to ages 8 – 16. Camp activities
include: archery, arts & crafts, canoeing, fishing, astronomy, field games, horseback riding, nature studies, outdoor cooking, a challenge course, swimming and camp fires. Scholarships are available for qualifying families.
Champions Special Ministries, Tulsa, OK
Sponsored by Memorial Drive Church of Christ
Christian based day camp for the week of June 17-21, 2013. Application deadline is May 27, 2013. It’s a fun filled summer day camp for champions ages 5-28 with cognitive, intellectual, or physical disabilities. For more info go to www.championsspecialministries.com/
Therapyworks also offers Summer Groups! Yoga For Youngsters and Couch To Out are fun summer group sessions for kids 8-18!! Check out our website for full details! www.therapyworkstulsa.com
