This is a typical grip on a writing utensils.

Often children learning to write, will hold a writing utensil like this, called PALMER GRIP. This is often typical in children with atypical muscle tone as well

Most parents throw out broken crayons, but it's actually a great idea to encourage using them with children who can as it promotes development of the grip pattern progression.

Another option to adapt grips for those who have challenges is to modify the writing utensil to fit the diameter that the child can handle. This is one example using play foam. Play doh also works well and both allow easy modeling to meet the child's specific abilities.

Anything around the home or classroom can be used to change the diameter of the utensil.  Here I used the handle of a jump rope. 35 mm film containers with poked holes or PVC pipe pieces also work well.

Ok, so this is extremely big, but I included it to show how versatile floral foam can be in adapting writing utensils or toys. I just wish I had a smaller piece at home!

Tinker toys rock! For many many reasons, but they are also wonderful ways to customize a writing utensil.

Think outside the traditional crayon and marker box. Stampers can be an expression of artistic ability and often have larger knobs.

Sometimes it works to think about things from another angle.  If a child has trouble with vision or posture, fine motor work may be easier if you bring the writing or play surface to them.  Don't have a fancy large easel, use a binder!

Easier time gripping toys? Get those trucks dirty and dip them in paint!

A stacking ring makes a great choice for adapting grip as well.

Wine cork can be added to form a handle if small toys like trucks are hard to pick up.

Fine motor weaknesses or muscle tone can affect play beyond writing or coloring. Skills like puzzle work can be a challenge.

But even these activities can be adapted. Wine corks can be hot glued to make gripping anything easier and more accessible.  Drawer pulls from your local home improvement store also do the trick!

Have trouble picking up small toys like Mickey for role playing?

Simply add a handle! Popsicle sticks work well.

The baby shower. A time to prepare the friend in your life with all they will need to raise a small person. But, what do they really need? I remember my mother and her friends laughing at my baby shower about all the "stuff" and commenting and sarcastically questioning how they ever raised my friends and I without a wipe warmer!? As much as I love new baby gear, I agree that some of it in probably unnecessary.  If you fill up a home with gadgets, gear, and too many toys to count, how will you have time or space to fully appreciate the incredible miracle that is a tiny newborn baby?

As early intervention therapists and mothers, we are often asked for recommendations for gifts for new babies and growing families.  So we decided to share some of those suggestions with you in our blog today. These, of course aren't inclusive (there are others that we love), but here is our Top 10 Baby Shower Gifts:


1) Nesting Blocks: An awesome "grow with me" toy, these can be progressed from early gazing, to hide and seek games, to stacking, counting, and sorting by color, to kicking, to pretend play homes! A great bang for your buck!



2) Basket of Classic Books: With a personal message to the child from you, a basket of classic books will foster bonding and literacy.  I love reading books given to me at my baby shower to my daughters. And at 6 and 7 years old now, they enjoy reading the messages written to them from family and friends!



3) A Simple Ball: It shocks me how many houses I work in don't have a ball for play!  A simple and inexpensive gift, a toy ball can be used early on to help babies gain postural strength and later on for turn taking and coordination. Every child needs a ball.




4) Baby Carrier: I remember an early realization as a new mom. The baby carrier (otherwise known as my new best friend) was the only way I could grocery shop (ummm, the car seat fills the entire shopping cart!), get anything done around the house, or calm a fussy baby suffering from acid reflux. As a mom, I couldn't have lived without it. As a physical therapist, I love the chest to chest bonding, neutral growth fostered by the close, warm contact, and postural strengthening these provide.



5) Black And White/Geometric Mobile: My initial response when armed with the powerful "registry gun"was to go for the matchy cute pastel mobile. I'm glad my "therapy brain" overpowered that urge and we went for an awesome black and white geometric option.  Simply put, new babies see and recognize these colors and shapes easily and they enjoy them much more.

6) Baby Mirror: So many functional purposes for the baby mirror! These encourage early head control, body awareness, and social and language development and keep baby occupied gazing at their amazing selves!



7) Bumbo Seat: I'm generally not a fan of what I like to call "the baby container." You've heard it over and over - floor time is best! But, I also understand that sometimes the floor just doesn't cut it! When that's the case, and when the baby is strong enough, The Bumbo Seat is my favorite as it supports while allowing movement and strengthening.

8) Links: Cheap. Easy to clean. Easy to transport. And most importantly, easy to hold. These are my first choice of an object to place in an infants hand.  A great choice for encouraging early fine motor and hand-eye coordination. And there are so many uses for these -- dangling as a mobile on the go, counting or sorting by color as baby turns into toddler... And if you are better and not losing things than I, you could even keep these for early addition practice with an older toddler.


9) Gift Certificate for Photography: Baby comes. Money is short, but memories are precious.  Especially, with a second, third, or fourth child, a gift of photography will be a much appreciated gift.  The darling newborn photo below is graciously shared on our website by Bellies To Earth Photography (http://www.bellies2earthphotography.com/).



10) 1-2-3 Just Play With Me!    At Milestones & Miracles, we believe the most important thing your baby needs is YOU! With over 22 combines years of home based intervention, we have lots of practice being creative with what is in each family's home.  We combined those creative ideas with what we know about early development and authored a product that is perfect as a shower gift for new families.  75 beautiful cards and housed in a boutique style box and are easily sorted by color (one for each developmental domain) and placed in order from birth to three.  The front of each card lists milestones for specific ages and the back pairs each with suggestions for simple play using simple objects like those listed above along with household items (Tupperware, egg cartons, and the shiniest spoon in your kitchen among a few). Gift a friend or yourself with 3 years worth of knowledge and fun today. Check out milestonesandmiracles.com to view a sample pdf card or purchase today! We ship for FREE! Happy shopping!

Today, April 2nd, is World Autism Awareness Day.  In an effort to raise awareness of this growing public health concern, Autism Speaks is asking all of us to "Light It Up Blue".  The Empire State Building will shine blue lights around its top, the Great Buddha at Hyogo in Kobe, Japan will be lit up blue and the Sydney Opera House, among many other global landmarks, will shine blue. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) just recently updated its estimate for autism prevalence to 1 in 88 children (1 in 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls).  That is a 78% increase in 6 years (2002-2008).  The president of Autism Speaks, the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, is now calling autism an epidemic in the US and calling our nation to action.


Autism, also termed Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), on the Autism Speaks website is described as "...a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. They include autistic disorder, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger syndrome."  


Symptoms of autism typically emerge between the ages of 2 and 3.  Some "red flags" to look for are:

• No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months
• No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months
• No babbling by 12 months
• No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months
• No words by 16 months
• No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months
• Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age

Your pediatrician can help you identify these behaviors in your child and refer you to a specialist.  But it is also important that you, as a parent, be aware of the signs and symptoms and express any concerns to your pediatrician should you suspect that your child is at risk.  Awareness of typical development between the ages of 2 and 3 is critical so that you can identify any delays in your child.  1-2-3 Just Play With Me can provide you with a guide to follow, tracking your child's development in not only language and social skills, but motor, cognitive and self-help skills as well.  Let's face it, our pediatricians are busy people and care for our children in so many ways.  Unless we express concerns to them specific to autism, your doctor may miss some signs that you could help them identify.  Early detection, intervention and proven behavior therapies improve the prognosis for children with autism.  Know the signs, familiarize yourself with typical child development and be ready to advocate for your child should you need to.  For more information on Autism visit www.autismspeaks.org.o