Comprehensive Therapy Services

Thankful to have a village that’s kinda chic… and by “kinda chic,” we mean veryyyyyy chic because that never goes out of style. 🤍💙

Thank you to the caregivers, parents, kiddos, and therapists who show up for one another every single day. Your love, dedication, and teamwork make every milestone possible. We’re so grateful you’re part of the CTS family. 💙

Before you say, “Not in your mouth!” 👶🦷

For babies, mouthing isn’t just a habit. It’s one of the first ways they learn about the world.

When babies explore safe, age appropriate objects with their mouths, they’re:
⭐️Building brain connections
⭐️Developing oral awareness
⭐️Strengthening the lips, tongue, and jaw for feeding and speech
⭐️Improving hand to mouth coordination
⭐️Exploring new textures, shapes, and temperatures

So while it may feel like everything ends up in their mouth, this stage is an important part of healthy development.

If your baby rarely mouths toys or seems to avoid exploring with their mouth altogether, it may be worth discussing with your pediatrician or a pediatric OT or SLP. Early oral exploration is an important part of feeding, speech, and sensory development.

Of course, always supervise your baby and make sure the objects they’re mouthing are clean, safe, and not a choking hazard.

Did this surprise you?

What if I told you picky eating starts with looking and not eating?🍓🫐

Before babies confidently eat a new food, they often:
👀 Look at it
👃 Smell it
✋ Touch it
👅 Lick it
😋 Taste it
🍽️ Eat it

The same progression often applies to older picky eaters. They may need multiple opportunities to explore a food before they’re ready to eat it.

Instead of focusing only on bites, celebrate every step. Exploration builds familiarity, and familiarity helps build confidence with food. ❤️

Don’t skip messy play because of the clean up 👇🫧

Shaving cream is a fun way to encourage sensory exploration, pre-writing skills, feeding skills, fine motor development, and play-based learning. If you’ve been avoiding it because of the cleanup, this simple hack is for you!

Instead of using paper towels that just smear the shaving cream around, place the rim of a cup flat against the table and use it to lift the shaving cream right off the surface. Then, wipe away the small amount that’s left. Less mess, less waste, and more time for play!

✨Save this tip for your next therapy session or sensory activity.

The 4th may be over, but these crafts were too fun not to share! 🇺🇸❤️ Our patients had a blast creating patriotic masterpieces while building fine motor skills, bilateral coordination, creativity, and hand strength through play. We hope everyone had a safe and happy Independence Day! Which one would your kiddo want to make?! ✨

Happy Fourth of July! 🇺🇸

🧊Red, white and blue ice rescue🧊

Directions-
⭐️Fill an empty container or ice cube tray with water
⭐️Add a few drops of food coloring in it!
⭐️Throw in some little toys!
⭐️Put in freezer for a few hours or overnight depending how big the container is!
⭐️Take ice out of container!
⭐️Grab a hammer, spray bottle, and squeeze bottle to melt the ice and rescue those toys!

This activity is not only fun but works on motor planning, upper body strength, bilateral coordination, intrinsic hand muscle strength, visual motor skills, grip strength and finger strength!

🏔️ Hills We’ll Die On: Therapists should always trial adaptive equipment before recommending it.

The best recommendations come from experience. Taking the time to test adaptive equipment helps us better understand comfort, maneuverability, and function so we can make the most informed decisions for the children and families we serve.

Sometimes the best learning happens by taking it for a spin. 💙♿️

What you see: A kid jumping into a pillow pit. 🤸

What we’re working on: Regulation through proprioceptive input. 💚

The Lycra body sock provides resistance and deep pressure to the muscles and joints, giving the brain powerful proprioceptive feedback. The jumping and crashing into the pillow pit add even more heavy work input, which can be incredibly calming and organizing for the nervous system.

Together, these activities help children:
✨ Feel where their body is in space
✨ Improve body awareness and motor planning
✨ Calm and regulate their nervous system
✨ Increase attention and focus
✨ Meet their sensory needs in a safe, purposeful way

Sometimes the fastest way to help a child feel calm and in control is to let them jump, crash, and play. 💫

When there’s a mess, we see… 🫧✨

✨ Sensory processing
✨ Bilateral coordination
✨ Fine motor skills
✨ Following directions
✨ Problem-solving

And the kids? They just see FUN! 😆

Want to try this at home? Our volcano recipe is simple:

🌋 1 cup vinegar
🌋 2–3 tbsp baking soda
🌋 A few drops of dish soap
🌋 Food coloring (optional)

Mix, pour, and watch it erupt!

Would your child LOVE this activity or run the other way? 😂 Tell us below! ⬇️

🎬 Top 5 horror movies: Outpatient Pediatric OT, PT & ST Edition 👻

We’ve heard them all… and they still make us cringe 😅

1️⃣ “They’ll grow out of it.”
2️⃣ “Let’s wait and see.”
3️⃣ “If they wanted to, they would.”
4️⃣ “AAC will delay talking.”
5️⃣ “This space isn’t wheelchair accessible.”

Early intervention matters. Accessibility matters. Presuming competence matters. ❤️

Which one makes you want to run for the hills? Add your own in the comments ⬇️