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OT on the Road

Now that summer is here, it’s time to get excited for road trips and family vacations! Many hours in the car are the perfect opportunity for family bonding as well as a chance to play games or activities that are fun as well as beneficial to their growth and development. Here are some of my favorites:

I Spy or Road Trip Bingo

A simple game of I Spy encourages the development of visual tracking and scanning skills that are essential for reading and writing.

Hand and Finger Games

Games such as patty cake, Miss Mary Mack, or the Itsy Bitsy Spider encourage crossing midline, coordination, and timing that are essential skills for the development of fine motor and bilateral coordination skills.

Cat’s Cradle

I recently looked back through my stash of childhood games and was excited to discover this old favorite of mine. I introduced it into my therapy sessions and it has been a hit ever since! String games such as this encourage the development of dexterity and coordination and require very little materials.

Letter Tracing

Take turns with siblings or parents and trace a letter or number on the seat in front or in partner’s hand. This activity works on letter formation and visual memory of letters that is critical for handwriting.

License Plate Hunt

Prompt your child to find letters of the alphabet in license plates or signs in alphabetic order. This activity encourages tracking as well as visual sequential memory. Challenge them to remember which letter they are looking for next!

Fine Motor Busy Bags

Keep those fingers moving and work on fine motor skills on the go! Find an empty zip pencil pouch and gather supplies such as lacing cards, clothespin games, Legos, stress balls, or a button snake.
 

Make the Most of your rest stop… the OT way!

Sitting and riding in the car for long hours can be challenging for both kids and adults alike. It can be tough on the body remaining in a seated position for long periods of time and result in achy muscles. For children with and without disabilities, maintaining a quiet body, staying buckled in, and not being able to expend energy can be nearly impossible at times during car rides. Here are activities to get their bodies moving.

Scavenger hunt

Come up with a list of things for your children to hunt for. They could include items such as a flower, something you could jump over, something fuzzy, etc.

Catch

Work on bilateral coordination and visual motor skills with a simple game of catch. Also, a great way to get up and moving!

Make your own obstacle course

Be creative and think outside of the box when designing your own obstacles. Some examples could include walk along the curb, jump in sidewalk squares, jumping jack station, and sprints.

Blow bubbles

A simple activity such as this can keep your kiddos entertained and moving. Encourage them to pop bubbles with both hands as this works on bilateral coordination, motor planning, and tracking.

Animal Walks

Can you crawl like a bear? Walk like a crab? Hop like a bunny? These focus on weight-bearing, strengthening upper body, and coordination.

Playgrounds

Plan ahead and locate rest stops that have playgrounds. Playgrounds are a great way to work on strengthening and provide sensory input.

 
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Patient Reviews

LLA Therapy

Patient Reviews

Crystal Scheibe

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Great place, glad we found them. Been going to Medina over 2 months now and he loves Lauryn and Kyler. Wish they had more ABA therapy places available... live in Wooster and long drive everyday.

Karrie Swan LaRock

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My 11 year old son has dyslexia and has made noticeable gains in working At LLA THERAPY. Katie is strong in her approach toward him and also keeps him comfortable enough to perform well. We will continue visiting both the Fairlawn and Hudson offices and recommend them highly.

Ron Monroe

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My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

Heather Dougherty-Pantoja

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My son’s Occupational Therapist, Jess, is an amazing OT! She gives practical tips on working with my son at home and school!

Terri Apgar

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I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

Kelli Geisler Davisson

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for my son as well as my family! My son always asks, "When can I go see Ms. Jeannine again, is it Monday??" He has also made huge gains in only 5 months! I would highly recommend LLA and have already shared my experience with friends looking for services!

Victoria Hansford-Price

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We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

Laura Lee Hogsett

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They have helped in numerous ways. Speech, OT and behavioral. I've had numerous compliments on my son's progress thanks in very large part to LLA. I would recommend LLA before I recommend our local children's hospitals, though they are good, they don't have the staff that LLA does.

Amy Furukawa

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We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

Jessica Havalotti

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!
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