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THE TREATMENT AND LEARNING CENTERS
A MESSAGE FROM THE
DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL PROGRAMS Springtime brings to mind many different images and thoughts. For me, it is all about longer days and warmer weather. And now, as we continue to emerge from the darkness of the past several years, springtime seems to hold the promise of better days to come. Our outpatient departments are keeping busy and continue to provide services both in-person as well as virtual. This is a busy time of year as we offer free screenings for speechlanguage and occupational therapy departments as well as gearing up for summer therapeutic camps and Interaction Groups. Keep reading to learn more about the happenings in the Testing, Tutoring and Counseling, Speech-Language Pathology and Occupational Therapy departments this Spring!
Brigid Baker, OTR/L Brigid Baker, OTR/L Director of Clinical Programs The Treatment and Learning Centers
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THE TREATMENT AND LEARNING CENTERS
OUTPATIENT SERVICES SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
FREE SPRING SCREENINGS TLC’s Outpatient SpeechLanguage and Occupational Therapy departments are once again offering free screenings in our clinic in April and May. It is the perfect time to ensure your child is reaching developmental milestones to set them up for success. Please check out the Red Flags within our website to help you decide if a screening may be beneficial.
Screenings are conducted by appointment only! Please contact Joanna Kolker at 301-424-5200 ext.159
TLC THERAPEUTIC SUMMER CAMPS ALREADY FILLING UP!
Registration is open for TLC's award-winning speech-language and occupational therapy summer camps. TLC's summer camps for children ages three to seven years will be held from June 27-August 12. Half day and full day options are available. Join us for water play, exciting themes, sensory-motor play, fun with friends, arts/crafts, and more! Want to learn more? Attend our Summer Camps Open House, held virtually, on Thursday, April 14, 2022 at 12:00pm and 7:00pm. Contact Lisa Torvik to RSVP: (301) 424-5200 x306 or LTorvik@ttlc.org. You can also check out our website or watch the summer camps video.
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THE TREATMENT AND LEARNING CENTERS
SMOOTHER TRANSITIONS
HELPING YOUR CHILD MOVE THROUGH THEIR DAY TIPS FROM TLC'S TESTING, TUTORING, AND COUNSELING DEPARTMENT We’ve all been there! From waking up to getting ready and down for breakfast to making it to the bus stop or car, transitions can be quite a challenge, especially for some kids. And THEN it’s not over! There’s the move from school mode to home mode, winding down from a busy day only to then need to wind back UP to homework time. Next is from the after dinner fun time to “time for bed.” Whew! So many transitions and then it starts all over the next school day. Here are some ideas to help make things go a bit smoother across those busy days… Bed to Breakfast Wake up, sleepyhead! For some kids, moving from their bed to getting dressed is hard, and for others, they are up and at ‘em but can’t get organized or dressed on time. Some ideas include using music to help structure the transitions. You and your child can agree on a “getting dressed song,” a “setting up breakfast song” and a “packing up for school song” if this helps. Most songs are around 3 to 4 minutes long, and
that’s about right for these activities. The music helps do the structuring and signaling for you and kids can often move along better to music and song changes than they can to parent nagging. For some kids, deciding on a breakfast food can be hard when they’re still too tired or hungry. Ideas for this include just laying out a few options and letting them pick one or packing up a healthy breakfast “snack” that they can take and eat outside or in the car. This minimizes those morning battles. Home to School Transportation Making the move from being home in the morning, possibly having settled into a toy/game/ other activity or trying to just get packed up to go is the next challenge. Whether it’s moving outside to the bus stop or to a waiting car to get to school, the child must get outside first. For kids who are active or who tend to be grumpy in the morning (maybe anxious about how their school day will go even), a dose of outside exercise or play, even very brief, can really
work wonders. The last thing most parents feel like doing on the way to the bus or car is stop and play, but it can sure act as a “carrot” to lure kids outside and then help them get geared up in a positive way for the transition to school mode. Ideas include “wall ball” with a tennis ball, kicking a soccer ball back and forth, or a dodge ball type game with a large exercise ball. A game of “red light-green light” or some timed running or jumping down the yard or sidewalk and back is another way to get a quick burst of exercise.
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THE TREATMENT AND LEARNING CENTERS
SMOOTHER TRANSITIONS HELPING YOUR CHILD MOVE THROUGH THEIR DAY Back Home from School Whether your child is coming straight home after school or home from an after-care program, they have had a busy day full of following adult directions. We forget this sometimes and meet them in the car or at the door with our own set of “you need tos” and that can be a lot for them to take right off the bat. Kids need some space to decompress, whether just settling down to some play of their choice (nonelectronic if possible), a snack and chat time at the kitchen counter, or some time outside with a pet or sibling. After this down time, we can start to give them the heads-up that they need to shift gears to take care of something else, whether homework or a chore. Gearing up for Homework Time I’m not a huge homework fan but understand the necessity to have some assigned for kids to practice skills. Having a space where your child can take care of whatever the teacher has assigned is helpful and making it convenient for you helps. Kitchen counter or table can be great, as you can monitor/help if needed but also maybe take care of somey
dinner prep. Providing crunch snacks can help with alertness and breaking a worksheet down into smaller sections (visibly covering part or folding the paper so only part shows) can really help too. Helping them choose a fun activity for “once you’re finished” helps them see the light at the end of their homework tunnel too. If your child doesn’t stress with time pressure, I like quiet, peaceful sand timers (5-7 minutes usually does the trick for short tasks) that help them keep working and see when they can take a breather. After Dinner Chill Time to Bed! Most kids end up settling down after dinner either for a game, show, or fun book or activity if there’s time. This is great but can be hard once it’s time to move to getting ready for bed mode. We parents often make a mistake of seeing the clock (having gotten caught up in our own tasks or chill time), realizing we’ve got to get them into bed, and calling to them from across the room to “go get ready for bed!” Some kids are ok with this and can comply, but if your child balks at this kind of direction, delivered from afar and sounding like a “yell,” then try
another approach. Ideas include sitting down next to them for a minute or two, watching what they are up to, commenting in a calm way about what they’re enjoying, then mentioning that in a few minutes it’ll be time to start getting ready for bedtime. Once they are taking care of the routine tasks (with your prompting and help if needed), you can remind them of something nice to come. Bedtime doesn’t have to mean “immediate darkness and ondemand sleep” if your child has some anxiety around this. Bedtime can mean setting the mood with some music, reading a story or chapter of a fun book, or getting a back scratch.
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THE TREATMENT AND LEARNING CENTERS
THE TREATMENT AND
LEARNING CENTERS 2092 Gaither Road Suite 100 Rockville, MD 20850
(301) 424-5200 | info@ttlc.org www.ttlc.org
March 2022 | Kids Making Strides