Blogs

What is W sitting? ‘W’ sitting is when you sit on your bottom, with knees bent, feet tucked under and out to each side in a “W” configuration. Why do children W sit? W sitting is a position that provides a wide base of support for children to feel stable and balanced when sitting. Children with weak posture and /or difficulties staying balanced may adopt this position. Does it matter if children W sit? Our Occupational Therapists at our Bondi Junction believe that W sitting hinders a child’s development. It hinders their development of midline crossing and strong trunk control (core…

The ability to balance, perform co-ordinated movements, sit up straight, sits relatively still in a chair, write with a pencil, use scissors or jump and run is pretty hard if you don’t have a strong core.  At our Bondi Junction clinic our Occupational Therapists are very aware of the fact  that decreased core strength often leads to other issues such as W sitting and delayed gross and fine motor  development. Why do so many children have weak core muscles these days? Our Occupational Therapists find that more and more kids are having difficulty with posture and overall strength. This could be…

What is bilateral co-ordination? Bilateral co-ordination is the ability to use both sides of your body at the same time in a co-ordinated way.  You need  bilateral coordination for all parts of your body. This includes using your legs in a co-ordinated way so you can walk, using your eyes so you can see, and using your hands so you can do up buttons and zippers. With good bilateral co-ordination, it means that both sides of your brain are communicating and sharing information. As a child develops good bilateral co-ordination they can move one side of the body whilst they stabilise themselves…

Developing independence in self care skills is one of our goals for all children. Children love the sense of accomplishment that comes with being independent. There are so many great ways to help children learn to: do up buttons zip and unzip use press duds (also known as snaps) You don’t even have to be using the buttons and zippers. So many activities practice the specific skills and are lots of fun. What skills does your child need for buttons and zippers? They need to be able to some complex things. They need: Bilateral Coordination (using both sides of the…

The first three years of a child’s life are critical for development. This is when they develop communication, motor skills and cognition. The brain makes enormous developments during this period that lead to these skills. However, some children don’t develop these skills at the same rate or in the same way as their peers. Some young children take longer to develop, some develop these skills poorly, and some children have associated conditions that impact on these areas. Children need Occupational Therapy when don’t develop their ability to move well early in life. Occupational Therapy early on in life, can positively…

How to tie shoelaces! A new year of school is just around the corner and parents are starting to worry. They worry about how to teach their child to tie shoelaces. Children should learn to do this before they start school. If doesn’t matter if they can’t do it when they start school but they should be learning to do it. Yes, children can use velcro shoes but don’t delay teaching your child this skills. Large numbers of children start school these days and they can’t do this. When should children tie their own shoelaces? Children should learn to tie…

What are balance and coordination? Balance and co-ordination are important developmental skills. Balance is the ability to maintain your body position while you are doing something. This could be while you are  sitting at a desk, crossing the road or walking up stairs. To be able to do many different movements across lots of different environments, we need to maintain our body position during still and moving activities. Static balance is holding a controlled body position while still. Dynamic balance is holding a controlled body position while moving. Why are balance and coordination important? Good balance and coordination means that a…

Why do some children need Occupational Therapy? The first three years of a child’s life are critical for development. This is when they develop communication, motor skills and cognition. The brain makes enormous developments during this period that lead to these skills. However, some children don’t develop these skills at the same rate or in the same way as their peers. Some young children take longer to develop, some develop these skills poorly, and some children have associated conditions that impact on these areas. Children need Occupational Therapy when don’t develop their ability to move well early in life. Occupational…

Dressing is a very important skill. Children need to develop many complex motor patterns to be able to manipulate the clothing and their body to put clothes on. They practice getting dressed often so they learn it. When should children start dressing themselves Before children can learn to dress themselves, they have to be able to take off socks, shoes, and pants.At about 18 months, children will start  to undressing themselves because this is an easier skill. This is why you often find a nude child running around the house. They don’t usually learn to start putting their clothes back on until…

The picture above is a great example of how children should hold their pencils correctly. When children come in for a handwriting assessment at our Bondi Junction clinic, parents are often amazed at how early pencil grasp begins to develop. Our Occupational Therapists explain that the early steps in learning to hold a pencil correctly start before the child turns one. What is a pincer grasp? The pincer grasp, or pincer grip, is what children do with their hands to hold objects between the thumb and any of the fingers. It allows the child to pick up and place small items using…

What are gross motor skills? Gross motor skills are what children need to perform whole body movements using large muscle groups. This includes movements with their arms, legs and other large body parts. Gross Motor Skills are what the child needs to be able to perform everyday activities such as standing, walking, running and jumping. This is what helps them sit at the dinner table or school desk. It also includes skills such as throwing, catching, and kicking. Children need gross motor skills to ride their bike or scooter, and to go swimming. Occupational Therapy can help with this! It…