Congratulations to Tracy Nguyen for completing a graduate clinical rotation with SCT this spring in speech and language pathology! She did so great and we loved having her. Good luck on your next steps toward graduation!

For our May craft of the month we are making Nature Art Bracelets!! Materials: dried flowers, clear packing tape, hole punch, yarn or string. Directions: cut out a strip of tape and lay flat on the table, sticky side up. Fold over the short ends of tape to make a non-sticky zone. Use the hole punch to make one hole through each non-sticky end. Sprinkle and press dried flowers onto the sticky portion. Thread a loop knot through each of the 2 holes and tie the bracelet around your child’s wrist. This craft targets eye hand coordination, tactile processing, fingertip coordination, and bilateral motor coordination. #Occupationaltherapycrafts #craftofthemonth #maycrafts #mayflowers

Thank you for all the love you have sprinkled our wonderful OTs with this month! We have enjoyed reading all your messages. It warms our hearts to see your words of support. #OTmonth

In celebration of OT month, we would like to highlight one of our wonderful occupational therapists, Grace Chen, for our next staff spotlight. Grace has been a therapist for 20+ years. She graduated from USC. What she enjoys most about being a therapist: “I love playing with the kids. I enjoy playing games, doing crafts, singing songs, doing yoga, exercising, exploring foods, being silly together, etc. I like collaborating and solving problems with families, teachers, and other health care professionals using creative solutions.” In her free time, Grace enjoys exploring fun places with her child, learning easy healthy recipes, Zumba and Salsa dance, yoga, hiking, eating, exercise, traveling, listening to podcasts, watching TV, art, improving her Spanish and Chinese, playing board games with friends, and spending time with family. #workfamily #staffspotlight #otmonth

For our April crafts of the month we are making butterflies and flowers!! Materials: butterfly or flower picture, tissue paper, glue, bingo dotter, watercolor paint, etc. Directions: Be creative! Take a butterfly or flower picture and decorate it by coloring it, painting it, dotting it, or gluing tissue paper balls onto your picture. This craft targets eye hand coordination, fingertip coordination and strength, tripod grasp, and bilateral motor coordination. #Occupationaltherapycrafts #craftofthemonth #aprilcrafts

Congratulations to our recent occupational therapy graduate, Chloe! We are so proud of you! #otgraduate #therapygrad

April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day! Join us in encouraging acceptance, understanding, and inclusion of individuals with Autism with daily acts of kindness at school, work, and in your community. #autismacceptance #lightitupblue

This month’s sign of the month is “all done.” Bring your open hands in front of you, with the palms of your hands facing inward, then rotate your hands so your palms are facing outward as if showing there is nothing in your hand. You can demonstrate this sign to your child or use hand over hand assistance to guide their hands. Sign language is a visual language that uses hands, movements, and facial expressions to communicate words. Sign language helps to facilitate and encourage language development by providing children earlier access to language. There are several advantages to early introduction of sign language in children including: improved social skills, increased confidence, and improved self esteem. For a preverbal child or a child with a speech delay, communicating through signs provides a means to express themselves which in turn helps them to avoid frustration and tantrums. Drawing from “Baby Signing 1, 2, 3 The Easy-to-Use Illustrated Guide for Every Stage and Every Age” by Nancy Cadjan

We would like to congratulate these awesome recent therapy graduates! Way to go Noah and Ruby! We are so proud of your hard work! #therapygraduate

March 21st is World Down Syndrome Day! The 21st day of the third month signifies the triplication of the 1st chromosome, which causes Down Syndrome. Get people talking about Down Syndrome by wearing mismatched socks or lots of socks. You can also wear blue and yellow to help bring awareness to the cause. Learn more at globaldownsyndrome.org or ndss.org #downsyndromeawareness #lotsofsocks