Parent Resources
Navigating your child’s therapy world can be confusing at times. There are a lot of questions that arise and a lot of uncertainty. In order to assist with your journey and hopefully make the experience more enjoyable, we’ve created a list of scholarly articles, websites, and at home activities. We are always building this list – if you’ve found a resource that you want us to share with others, let us know!
For even more useful information, tips, activities, and ideas, check out our blog!
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Scholarly Articles
Satter, E. Joy of Eating. Weight Management Matters. 2011.
Gearing Up for Reality – ASHA Leader Magazine, April 2013
Life Success For Students With Learning Disabilities: A Parent’s Guide
Do Sensory Processing Issues Get Better Over Time? – Child Mind Institute
The Best Strategies for Calming Autistic Tantrums and Meltdowns – Harkla
Useful Websites
ChooseMyPlate.gov
Provides practical information to individuals, health professionals, nutrition educators, and the food industry to help consumers build healthier diets with resources and tools.
The Complete Guide to Sleep Regression
Sleep regressions can be difficult for you and your child (up to 2 years old). Check out this detailed resource of what you need to know about each sleep regression and tips for how to survive them.
Letsmove.gov
Provides help to put children on the path to a healthy future during their earliest months and years. Giving parents helpful information and fostering environments that support healthy choices.
A Family Guide to Kitchen Safety
Get super helpful information and tips to ensure families are safe in the kitchen.
ValleyHealthPlan.org
A health plan choice for medical care for employer groups, Covered California, and VHP’s Individual & Family Plan.
Santa Clara County Public Health
Reliable, up-to-date and local health information in Santa Clara County.
Healthier Kids Foundation Santa Clara County
A family forward health agency that gives children and those who love them the education and cutting edge tools they rightfully deserve to live a healthy life.
Handwriting Without Tears
Provides resources to help students succeed.
Sensory Resources
Information on sensory integration issues.
Parents Helping Parents (PHP)
Helps families who have children of any age with special needs by providing information and direction of resources and referrals.
Autism Society of America
Provides advocacy, education, information and referral, support, and community at national, state and local levels through a strong nationwide network of Affiliates.
OT Plan
A list of activities and games.
Cerebral Palsy Therapy Options
Specialists use several forms of therapy to help patients rise above personal limitations associated with the disorder.
Sleep Help Institute
Sleep Help for those Diagnosed with ASD
How to Help Your Child with Autism Overcome Picky Eating
A list of things you can do about picky eating. Plus, a FREE downloadable guide to Overcome Picky Eating.
The Ultimate Guide to Improving Sleep in Autistic Children
If your child is not getting the recommended amount of sleep, the effects can compound and sleep deprivation can result. Don’t miss this detailed resource!
How to Help Your Child with Autism Cope During and After a Move
As a parent or caregiver, there are steps you can take throughout the move to make the experience easier for your child with ASD, starting with writing your own story — one with a happy ending.
20 Tips for Keeping Your Child With Special Needs Safe In Your Home
can help you keep your child or someone else with special needs safe while he or she is in your home.
Banishing the Babysitting Blues
Can help you find an excellent, reliable sitter, who will enrich your child’s life and also afford you some time to yourself or with a spouse or partner. Return to your parenting duties with new energy and a fresh perspective. Everyone wins!
Travel Tips for Children with Autism
Traveling with kids who have autism is possible and doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are tips that can make your trip a pleasurable one for your child and a positive experience for the family.
Smart Parent Advice - Comprehensive Guide to Traveling With A Baby
A guide on how to travel with your baby as well as a baby travel checklist. This should give you everything you need to ensure a pleasant trip.
Keeping Your Child with Autism Safe
Consists tons of helpful ideas and information for parents of children with autism. Follow these tips to help kids with autism stay safe.
Sleep Guidance for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Various techniques that can be used to help children and adults with ASD fall asleep more quickly and have better-quality sleep when they do.
Is my Child Autistic? - Recognize and Deal with Autism in Babies & Toddlers (& More)
Walks you through each and everything you need to know about autism and deal with it.
The Cerebral Palsy Guide
The Cerebral Palsy Guide is dedicated to supporting children and their families who have been affected by disabilities caused at birth. They strive to provide answers and guidance to ensure that families receive the assistance they need to help improve their overall quality of life.
Parent's Guide to Dental Health
Byte published this educational guide on dental health to help parents teach children the importance of dental hygiene.
Helping Your Child Thrive Through a Chronic Illness
Here are practical ways to help your chronically ill child flourish in mind, body, and spirit. BMG Journals lays out a few steps you can take to foster your child’s health and wellbeing in the days ahead.
50 Ways Forest and Outdoor Learning Experiences Benefit Child Development
A recent Government poll found that 95% of children enjoyed learning outdoors rather than indoors. There are hundreds of benefits to learning outside the classroom.
Fun Games & Activites
Use the activities below to practice the skills your child is learning in therapy at home!
Fruit Building
Purpose
This is a delicious activity. While this activity promotes tripod grasp and bilateral hand use, it is also a wonderful way to introduce new foods and textures to picky eaters or those children who love and enjoy fruit. Suggested fruit: cantaloupe, watermelon, mango, banana, grapes, plumes, and peaches (veggies are welcome as well).
Materials
Fruit, Toothpicks, Skills, Bilateral Hand Use and Tripod Grasp
Description
Cut the fruit to bite size pieces and put them on a plate or in a container. Provide the child with toothpicks (you can use different color and size toothpicks, wooden toothpicks, or plastic toothpicks). Let the child poke the toothpicks into the fruit pieces and promote him/her to create a structure using his/her imagination and creativity. When the structure is completed, encourage the child to take it apart by eating the fruit.
Sensory Puzzle
Purpose
This sensory activity exposes the child to a variety of textures and helps with desensitization.
Materials
Beans, Plastic Container, Puzzle, Rice, Tongs, Tweezers
Skills
Pincer Grasp, Tactile Perception, and Visual Motor
Description
Fill the plastic container with rice and/or beans.
Hide the puzzle pieces in the rice/beans mixture.
Have the child search for the pieces using his hands (if the child is tacitly sensitive, you may try to put gloves on his hands or let him use tongs or tweezers).
Once the child has all the pieces, ask the child to put the puzzle together.
Marshmallow Stamper
Purpose
This activity promotes the child’s tactile awareness and works on developing fine motor skills.
Materials
Construction Paper, Jell-O, Marshmallow, Paper Plate, Tempera Paint
Skills
Crossing Midline, Pincer Grasp, Tactile Perception, and Visual Motor
Description
Place paint in a shallow bowl or a paper plate. Have the child dip a piece of marshmallow in the paint and stamp it onto the construction paper.
You can let the child create his/her own picture or if you would like to work on visual-motor skills, you can have the child trace lines, shapes, and letters. You can use small or big marshmallow for this activity.
For children that tend to place objects in their mouths, you might want to try using jell-o mixed with a small amount of water and use it as your paint.
Sensory Salad
Purpose
In this activity the child gets to use his imagination as he works on promoting his fine motor skills and his ability to process tactile input. This is a fun activity to do in a small group for social interaction and promotion of language.
Materials
Blocks, Bowl, Buttons, Construction Paper, Paper Plate, Pom-poms, Scissors, Straws, Tongs
Skills
Bilateral Hand Use, Cutting, Finger Strength, Pincer Grasp, Sensory Processing, Social Interaction, and Tactile Perception
Description
You will need to use green construction paper (light and/or dark) and assorted small different textured objects (i.e. pom-poms, buttons, small blocks, etc.). You may also want to use different size and color straws.
First, explain to the child that you are going to make a salad. Let the child tear up the pieces of paper using both hands, to make lettuce leaves, and place the pieces in the bowl.
Then, have the child cut the straws into different size pieces and add them to the bowl. Ask the child to add the pom-poms, buttons, blocks, and think of creative things they can be (i.e. red pom-poms for cherry tomatoes, blocks as croutons). Have the child “toss” the salad by hand, allowing him to feel the different textures.
Use the tongs to “serve” the salad. To focus on social skills, ask the child to serve you/other peers/ themselves/co-treating therapists and say things like “more please!”, “no more, thank you”, etc.