Does your child hate handwriting?

Does your child hate handwriting? Do they start whining or having a meltdown the second they have to start homework? If you notice any of these behaviors, they may be using these tactics to avoid one of the skills most important for success in a school setting. Handwriting is one of the most difficult tasks kids tackle. For starters, it requires a solid foundation in hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, visual perceptual skills, and bilateral coordination… the list goes on!

From birth, our brains are wired to help us learn spoken languages, but our brains have to learn how to combine the skills we use for handwriting from scratch. So many skills and systems have to work together to allow us to write even a single word!  You have to simultaneously use your knowledge of language, your visual system, your vestibular system (the ability to tell where your limbs are in space), the ability to cross the midline, fine motor ability, and your sense of touch and pressure with every letter you write.

When kids have difficulty performing a task they can’t avoid, they can form bad habits to help them compensate for weaker areas of development. For example, they might have an immature pencil grip, using only four fingers. While these compensatory strategies may help them in the short term, they don’t allow for proper growth and development. Your child may also put their head down on the table while they write. This helps them keep their head still so they concentrate on their hand movements, but it can also lead to poor handwriting, inconsistent letter size, and incorrect letter placement on the page.

Think about how difficult it is to write in a straight line when your head is at a slant. Or maybe you notice them moving their head as they move their hand across the page. This is likely a sign that they’re having difficulty tracking movements with just their eyes. They need the extra input provided by moving their head and hand simultaneously to get a better sense of where their hand and, by extension their pencil, is on the page. This difficulty with tracking will reappear when they play sports, read, and even when watching movies or TV shows.

Getting a handle on handwriting!

The good news? At Theraplay LA, our OTs have training in both sensory integration and Handwriting Without Tears, an internationally recognized and award-winning program! Our expertise in sensory processing and motor development allows us to help your child address the sensory differences keeping them from writing while helping improve their handwriting abilities through multisensory approaches. We’re determined to help set your child up for success, academically and beyond.

Dr. Marielly is a Los Angeles native and Loyola Marymount University, graduate whose insatiable curiosity with the mind-body connection since childhood led her to the field of occupational therapy. She graduated from the top-ranked University of Southern California in 2011 with a Master’s Degree and completed a Doctorate with a teacher’s aid scholarship in 2012. Her areas of expertise include Sensory processing and a “SIPT” certification, Training in Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT), Cuevas Medek Exercise (CME), Handwriting without Tears, Integrated Learning Systems (ILS)., Advanced practice in swallowing assessment, evaluation, or intervention, Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy, Cranial Nerve Integration. Dr. Marielly and her team started Theraplay LA as a pediatric OT practice dedicated to providing intentional and precise levels of care to those in Los Angeles and beyond. 

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Getting A Handle on Handwriting appeared first on One with the Water.

Sensory Integration: Get Those Motor Skills Moving!

Have you noticed that your child struggles to keep up with other kids? Do they have trouble navigating a new playground? Did your Mama Gut ever make you feel like they had delays learning to crawl or walk? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, they might have underlying sensory issues. At first, it might not make sense that sensory differences can impact your child’s ability to learn new skills, but every part of our body is interconnected. Sensory information is the foundation on which we build motor skills. Without our sense of touch and balance, we would struggle to navigate the world. The feedback in our feet tells you whether the floor is even, whether the ground is sturdy, and how to balance on the floor. If these senses are amplified or silenced too much, it can lead to discomfort and poor feedback from our surroundings.

Our sense of touch is also deeply linked to our sense of balance and our ability to tell where our limbs are without looking at them. If we can’t get a clear idea of our surroundings and how we’re interacting with them, it’s difficult to learn how to crawl in them, let alone walk, run, or climb. Sensory issues can also make it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand. Occupational therapy acknowledges and embraces the connection between our senses and the rest of our body to ensure your child gets the most complete and effective care possible. We don’t want to put your child through years of therapy solely working on their motor symptoms when we could target the sensory causes behind those symptoms and help them improve within months!

If you’re looking for Los Angeles-based occupational therapy for sensory integration, then we can send you to the right place! At Theraplay LA we offer in-home, in-clinic, and telehealth sensory integration sessions. We know that watching your child struggle with everyday activities can be overwhelming, which is why we apply strategies specifically tailored to provide quick and lasting results. We’re here to support your child through every step towards sensory integration!

Dr. Marielly is a Los Angeles native and Loyola Marymount University, graduate whose insatiable curiosity with the mind-body connection since childhood led her to the field of occupational therapy. She graduated from the top-ranked University of Southern California in 2011 with a Master’s Degree and completed a Doctorate with a teacher’s aid scholarship in 2012. Her areas of expertise include Sensory processing and a “SIPT” certification, Training in Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT), Cuevas Medek Exercise (CME), Handwriting without Tears, Integrated Learning Systems (ILS)., Advanced practice in swallowing assessment, evaluation, or intervention, Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy, Cranial Nerve Integration. Dr. Marielly and her team started Theraplay LA as a pediatric OT practice dedicated to providing intentional and precise levels of care to those in Los Angeles and beyond. 

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Sensory Integration: Part Two appeared first on One with the Water.

Happy New Year from One with the Water! Part of our goal here is to help our clients maximize the resources available to them to be physically, mentally, and emotionally the healthiest person they can be. To that end, we wanted to highlight some new information on the Self-Determination Program for our clients with disabilities.

CA Self Determination Program

First, if you aren’t familiar, the Self Determination Program is a voluntary regional center program that provides participants with an individual budget, which they can use to purchase the services and supports they need to implement their person-centered plan (PCP) and Individual Program Plan (IPP). The program was established in 2013 by order of the CA governor but was only available on a limited basis. (Just 2500 individuals.)

The good news? As of July 1, 2021, the Self Determination Program (SDP) began to be available on a voluntary basis to any eligible regional center individual. The state of CA has set up a website with all the information you need to learn about the program and all available resources connected to the SDP.

https://www.dds.ca.gov/initiatives/sdp/

If you are interested in applying, reach out to your local regional center for more details on how to apply. There are seven Regional Centers in LA County (listed below for your convenience).

Eastern Los Angeles Regional Center, Inc. (ELARC)

http://www.elarc.org/

Main Office: 1000 S. Fremont Avenue, Alhambra CA 91802

(626) 299-4700

Whittier Office: 13215 Penn St., Suite 410, Whittier, CA 90602

(562) 698-1046

Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center (FDLRC)

http://lanterman.org/

3303 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90010

(213) 252-5600

Harbor Regional Center (HRC)

http://www.harborrc.org/

Main Office: 21231 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503

(310) 540-1711

Long Beach Office: 1155 E. San Antonio Drive, Long Beach, CA 90807

Suite A – Reception

North Los Angeles Regional Center (NLARC)

http://www.nlacrc.org/

Main Office: 15400 Sherman Way, Suite 170, Van Nuys, CA 91406

(818) 778-1900

Santa Clarita Valley Office: 23560 Magic Mountain Parkway, Suite 150, Santa Clarita, CA 91355

(661) 775-8450

Antelope Valley Office: 43210 Gingham Avenue, Suite 6, Lancaster, CA 95353

(661) 945-6761

South Central Los Angeles Regional Center for Developmental Disabilities, Inc. (SCLARC)

http://sclarc.org/

2500 S. Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90018

(213) 744-7000

San Gabriel/Pomona Regional Center (SGPRC)

http://www.sgprc.org/

761 Corporate Center Drive, Pomona, CA 91768

(909) 620-7722

(800) 822-7504

Westside Regional Center (WRC)

http://www.westsiderc.org/

5901 Green Valley Circle, Ste 320, Culver City, CA 90230-6949

(310) 258-4000

If this information is helpful to you, or you know someone who might benefit, please share with your community! We are all better when we are all active and healthy within our community. And if you are new here, consider our highly specialized swim lesson programs for children and adults with disabilities.

We offer semi-private and private swim lessons for adults and children with special needs, English second language, and United States Service-Disabled Veterans. We are equipped to teach those with ADD & ADHD, amputation, anxiety, auditory processing disorders, Autism Spectrum (verbal and nonverbal), Cerebral Palsy, Down and CHARGE syndrome, Obesity, sensory integration issues, spina bifida, spinal cord injuries, and other disabilities. Register here today!

Kenny

Kenny is a baby Bottlenose dolphin, of the genus Tursiops, one of the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphin. He is very playful and friendly and loves to frequently leap above the water surface. Kenny plays with water toys, enjoys making bubble rings, and plays well with other dolphins or other animals.

The post Important Update to the CA Self Determination Program appeared first on One with the Water.

A student enrolled in the Pasadena, California, Art Center College of Design at the time of the Project Elle, Ms. Tosin was driven by her desire to create functional design and meaningful human experience that changes the way people think, feel, and do.

Project Elle

One with the Water® provided professional participation as a mentor and swimming expert.  Coach Kenneth Rippetoe co-designed a prosthetic leg used as swimwear that would most replicate and assist an amputee while swimming, to overcome a lack of balance, help the swimmer gain stability, and have the same mechanical advantages of a human leg.

The most prominent design challenges to the project, according to Ms. Tosin herself, included compensating for the imbalanced buoyancy created by a missing limb, the multifunctionality needed for launch, swimming, and turning, and finally, ensuring a comfortable, secure fit capable of handling the workload.

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Final Design

The final design featured a support liner and elastic bands sewn into compression fabrics. We created an adjustable air chamber to provide buoyancy for maintaining the streamline position. The “ankle” is flexible to optimize starts and turns, and the device comes with an interchangeable fin, depending on the swimmer’s foot size.

The result? Elle, A game-changing prosthetic device for single-leg below the knee amputees to swim and compete with their peers, now with swimwear available as well.

For more information on the product, check out Della’s website here.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Project Elle Revisited: Prosthetic Swimming Leg appeared first on One with the Water.

One with the Water, a nonprofit swim school dedicated to providing access to the lifesaving skill of swimming to everyone, especially children and adults with high risk, high needs, and limited resources, is honored and pleased to announce they’ve been awarded a generous grant from the Santa Monica chapter of the international Kiwanis organization. One with the Water will use the money provided to fund individual scholarships for special needs children with limited financial resources.

In past years, Kiwanis grant money received has been gifted to a wide range of children with issues ranging from COPD, downs syndrome, and heart conditions to Fragile X, severe autism, and ADHD. Without fail, the opportunity to become one with the water while learning to swim has had a profound positive effect on these courageous, committed athletes. We look forward to what another year will bring.

About One with the Water

One with the Water believes that everyone deserves access to the lifesaving skill of swimming, especially children and adults with high risk, high needs, and limited resources. Swimming lessons are taught using growth-mindset techniques, creating transformative miracles in their students both in and out of the water, as they shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. The organization is staffed by professional swimmers, expert competitive swimmers, and former Olympians. Founder, Executive Director, and Head Coach Kenneth Rippetoe has a Level 5 Disability Certification with the American Swimming Coaches Association and has trained with Kahlon Family Services and Inizio Interventions to help children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other special needs. Tax-deductible donations to the One with the Water Swimming Foundation can be made at the organization’s website: OneWithTheWater.org.

About Kiwanis Club of Santa Monica

The mission of the international Kiwanis organization is to empower communities to improve the world by making lasting differences in the lives of children. Established in 1922, the Kiwanis Club of Santa Monica is one of the top contributors to the children and community of Santa Monica, providing $30,000 worth of college scholarships last year and volunteering both time and money to support the local Boys and Girls clubs and multiple other local nonprofits serving the children of Santa Monica.

Contact:

For more information, visit www.kiwanisclubsm.org
Media Inquiries: One with the Water: 323.364.Swim (7946)
Website: OneWithTheWater.org

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post One with the Water Awarded New Kiwanis Club Grant appeared first on One with the Water.

At One with the Water, we regularly extoll the well-documented health benefits of swimming. Additionally, there are specific benefits for individuals with special needs. Water buoyancy allows previously restricted individuals to move freely and helps build muscle in low muscle tone individuals. Also, self-regulation, speech, oral motor control, strength, and coordination are just a few areas that can improve with therapy in the water.

According to the Disabled Sports USA, swimming not only offers flexibility within the joints and muscles but strengthens the cardiovascular system as well as the major muscle groups in the upper and lower body. And finally, because the heart works harder when the body is submerged, patients benefit from decreased swelling, reduced blood pressure and improved joint position. This, in turn, improves the swimmers’ proprioception or body awareness.

The buoyant nature of water provides persons with CP patients the opportunity to feel their body free from the constraints they experience on land. Source.

Aquatic therapy is an exceptional choice for children with Cerebral Palsy to increase their range of physical function. Besides the physical properties of water itself, a medium well known for its restorative effects, the aforementioned buoyancy makes both aerobic and anaerobic exercise easier to safely accomplish in the water. In fact, one recent study found that the gross motor function of children with Cerebral Palsy aged 5 to 14 years-old substantially improved in as few as six weeks.

Specific Benefits of Aquatic Therapy

Aquatic therapy creates unique opportunities to stretch, move, splash, and swim their way to the following benefits: (There are many). *Source

• Improved physical function
• Wider range of movement
• Reduced stress levels
• Alleviates pain and tension on the joints
• Improved cardiovascular function (as previously mentioned).
• Strengthening of weak muscles
• Reeducation of paralyzed muscles
• Improved balance, coordination and posture

Our special needs focused premium swim lessons use harmony, inclusion, and mastery to ensure your child becomes One with the Water. Register today for lessons with the only Level 5 certified disability coach in the area.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Aquatic Therapy for Cerebral Palsy appeared first on One with the Water.

Southern California friends! Here is the AMAZING new line-up of films through April.

• February 29:    Call of the Wild
• March 14:         Onward
• April 4:              Mulan
• April 11:           Peter Rabbit 2
• April 25:           Trolls World Tour

Free Special Needs Movie Screening

“A pillar of Studio Movie Grill’s Community Outreach since 2003, the Special Needs Screenings are designed for families raising children with special needs. Special Needs Screenings are shown with the lights up, and the volume lowered, and children are free to move around, talk, or even dance in the aisles during the movie.”

The sensory-friendly screenings are free for children with special needs and their siblings (parental guidance is always suggested). Adult tickets are available at the before-noon price. 

Locations

Special Needs Screenings are shown on Saturdays at 11:00 am at the following Studio Movie Grill Southern California locations:

• Studio Movie Grill – DOWNEY: 8200 3rd Street, Downey, CA 90241
• Studio Movie Grill – MONROVIA: 410 S Myrtle Avenue, Monrovia, CA 91016
• Studio Movie Grill – REDLANDS: 340 N Eureka Street, Redlands, CA 92374
• Studio Movie Grill – SIMI VALLEY: In the Simi Valley Town Center, 1555 Simi Town Center Way Simi Valley, CA 93065
• Studio Movie Grill – GLENDALE: NEW LOCATION 128 Artsakh Avenue, Glendale, CA 91206

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Free Movies for Families with Special Needs: Spring Line-up appeared first on One with the Water.

As 2019 is ending, we’d like to take a moment and say thank you. Our mission at One with the Water is to provide access to the lifesaving skill of swimming to everyone, especially children and adults with high risk, high needs, and limited resources.

Steven is a ten-year-old boy with a complicated mood disorder. Starting out, Guy was like every other child, happy and enjoying his little life. Between the ages of 3 and 6, behavioral issues began to occur that defied any typical diagnosis. After suffering abuse at the hands of a biological relative, Steven’s problems began to escalate. His mother fought for accurate diagnosis for years, finally getting help even as Steven’s issues peaked with self-harming and threats of suicide. 

With new doctors and a tailored treatment plan, Steven began participating in the swim lessons offered at One with the Water this year and loves it! He received a full scholarship and has made vast improvements in his personality and anger issues. 

The problem for children like Steven is real. According to decades of research, children with disabilities are statistically more likely to present in a low-income environment. (The average cost of private swim lessons in Los Angeles is over $200/month).

We know, again, based on decades of research, how powerful the therapeutic benefits of swimming can be for children with special needs. Water buoyancy allows previously restricted individuals to move freely and helps build muscle in low muscle tone individuals. Additionally, self-regulation, speech, oral motor control, strength, and coordination are just a few areas that can improve with therapy in the water.

Research also shows that participation in swimming for individuals with disabilities afforded the participants heightened senses of self-concept, independence, ability and pride, and an enhanced perceived quality of life. Athletes found that they were able to redefine their physical capabilities, strengthen social connections, and improve acceptance among their peers.

Lifesaving swim lessons create safer, happier, healthier, more confident kids. We can’t do it without you. As your year draws to an end, consider giving to One with the Water as part of your year-end giving plan. 

Finish strong by saving lives. Join us by donating to help provide need-based scholarships for high risk, high need children. When you give to One with the Water, you impact a child’s life on every plane – mentally, physically, and emotionally, for their lifetime. Please donate today to provide the lifesaving skill of swimming to those who need it most.

*Name changed for privacy reasons.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Give to Save Lives appeared first on One with the Water.

This Giving Tuesday, you have the opportunity to be the neighborhood hero and offer life changing transformation to local kids who need it most. 

The harsh reality is that one in every five drowning deaths occur in children under the age of fourteen, and accidental drowning is the leading cause of death in California between the ages of 1 and 4. Children with special needs have increased drowning risk factors and are statistically more likely to present in low income families, creating a potentially fatal combination of high risk and little to no resources to address the dangers.

Help prevent drowning this Giving Tuesday.

Drowning prevention for members of our most vulnerable populations is literally a matter of life and death. Aside from an increased risk of drowning, children with permanent disabilities who lack consistent therapeutic interventions face increased isolation, increased care requirements, decreased mental health, increased fear and anxiety, and shortened life expectancy.

Swimming provides measurable health and therapeutic benefits for our special needs community, in and out of the water. From better balance and gross motor skills, to improved speech and communication, our athletes are changing their lives by learning to swim. Their risk of accidental drowning plummets by 88%. Being a part of a team reduces isolation and creates positive peer relationships that carry over outside of the pool. And finally, they have the confidence to conquer their fears.

For seven years now, One with the Water has been offering need-based scholarships for premium swimming lessons to children with special needs, service disabled veterans, and low income families in Los Angeles county. Staffed by expert competitive swimmers and former Olympians, we have the only Level 5 Disability certified swim coach in Southern California.

 Be A Local Hero

We know you want to be compassionate, involved members of your community. When you donate to One with the Water, you create real and lasting change in the lives of our adaptive athletes. They are confident, courageous, successful, and safe, thanks to you!

All you need to do is give.

Every dollar you give, whether it’s $10 or $200, goes DIRECTLY to providing swim lessons. Each penny counts, so don’t be intimidated by large amounts. It takes a village, and you are ours.

Communities are changing. Families are changing. Lives are changing. Don’t miss your chance.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Be a hero this Giving Tuesday appeared first on One with the Water.

General health benefits for adaptive athletes.

Physical benefits: General overall health improvements from swimming include: low impact for mobility restricted individuals, improved cardiovascular health, improved flexibility and muscle tone, range of movement, and can provide positive assists in meeting therapeutic goals outside the pool.

Psychological benefits: Recent studies have proven that adaptive athletes report a proportionate increase of positive self-identity with increased physical activity. In the first study, designed to counteract the metaphors and descriptors used for athletes with disabilities, there were three overarching themes.

• Don’t treat athletes differently
• Exercise assists in managing emotions
• Physical activity balances others’ negative perceptions

In the second study, explicitly done on swimmers, athletes also reported similar findings.

• A strong self-identity
• A moderate to strong social identity
• Negative affectivity with lower levels of exclusivity
• Strong competitiveness and goal orientation

But why the swim team?

For adaptive athletes, there are specific benefits of joining a swim team, especially athletes with socialization barriers and self or peer-directed exclusion from neuro-typical events. Adaptive athletes who participate in swim teams benefit from the following:

• Better sport-specific coaching.
• More rigorous training.
• More competition in practice.
• Higher expectations than they are likely to receive in other settings.
• More socialization opportunities.
• Greater independence in activities of daily living.
• Improved ability to cope with limitations imposed by disabilities. (Source).

The data is clear on all fronts. Joining a swim team creates a next level positive impact on the pre-existing physical, emotional, and mental benefits derived from swimming. Register today for an opportunity to join our adaptive athletes swim team!

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Should your adaptive athlete join a swim team? appeared first on One with the Water.