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Motor Lab Request
Kari McKown, MOT, and co-owner at Elite Therapy Center is pictured with Baylor OT doctoral student, Bailey Smith (OTS), where they partnered with Valor Preparatory Academy to provide a free parent education seminar.
Motor Labs & Sensory Processing
Motor labs and sensory processing strategies help make days run more smoothly and effectively. The goals of a motor lab can:
- Help children develop the skills necessary for learning readiness and mastery of the environment
- Improve child’s ability to maneuver and function in their environment leading them to better performances in tasks such as handwriting, sitting still, paying attention, speaking, and behavior.
- Stimulate the child’s sensory systems.
- Ability to better control themselves and accomplish tasks by making children aware of their environment and learning about the sensations of his own movement.
- Build a structure for the acquisition of academic skills.
Submit the Motor Lab form below to request a Motor Lab or click CONTACT US to connect directly with an Elite Therapy Center OT.
While doing big movements in various directions, your kiddo is working on crossing their midline which helps with handedness, and gets both sides of the brain working together!
JUMPING
Trampolines can support sensory processing and self-regulation by adapting them into “safe spaces.” Some children love to utilize these spaces when they are overwhelmed. It supports them to calm their bodies with the sensory input they need, in a space just for them.
VERTICAL WRITING/DRAWING:
When writing or working in a vertical plane, the muscles of the shoulder girdle and core are turned on. This can lead to increased muscle control as well as improve visual tracking and eye convergence skills.
- The wrist is placed in extension and encourages better control of the fingers.
- Working against gravity provides a great strengthening activity!
- Working on a vertical surface assists with directionality and spatial awareness.
Elite Therapy Center Motor Labs
Motor Labs & Sensory Processing Seminars
Kari McKown, MOT, and co-owner at Elite Therapy Center is pictured here with Baylor OT doctoral student, Bailey Smith (OTS), where they partnered with Valor Preparatory Academy to provide a free parent education seminar on how to incorporate motor lab and sensory processing strategies at home, making days run more smoothly and effectively.
Bailey provides a motor lab each Friday in a classroom and also conducts a ‘mobile’ motor lab, on Mondays/Wednesdays traveling from classroom to classroom.
JUMPING: Trampolines can support sensory processing and self-regulation by adapting them into “safe spaces.” Some children love to utilize these spaces when they are overwhelmed. It supports them to calm their bodies with the sensory input they need, in a space just for them.
VERTICAL WRITING/DRAWING: When writing or working in a vertical plane, the muscles of the shoulder girdle and core are turned on. This can lead to increased muscle control as well as improve visual tracking and eye convergence skills.
- The wrist is placed in extension and encourages better control of the fingers.
- Working against gravity provides a great strengthening activity!
- Working on a vertical surface assists with directionality and spatial awareness.
While doing big movements in various directions, your kiddo is working on crossing their midline which helps with handedness, and gets both sides of the brain working together!
TUNNEL CRAWLING: Uniquely designed to encourage crawling, pushing, pulling, heavy work and spatial exploration. Made of smooth fabric that’s stretchy and resistant. A friend or adult holds one end of the tunnel while kids crawl through to build strength, get proprioception on their joints and support sensory integration.
TUMMY TIME: One of the easiest and most beneficial ways to provide a dose of organizing and regulating sensory input is “prone on elbows”, also known as tummy time! This is a developmental position first encouraged for infants and should be encouraged throughout life…even as adults.
“Prone on elbows” is when one is on their belly on a flat and firm surface like the floor, and propped up on the elbows (pictured), supporting the upper body and neck/head with the use of the shoulder girdle and back muscles (not resting the chin on the hands or the floor). When in this position the neck is in extension which activates the brain stem, and this is very regulating for the nervous system.
BALANCE BOARDS: Rocking on a balance board helps kids to get positive Vestibular input while feeling secure in their immediate environment. Balance is of course what keeps us upright and mobile!
If your private school is interested in having a motor lab or want to know how to incorporate sensory processing strategies at home:
We Are Elite Therapy Center
Owners and Clinical Directors
Lauri Cole M.S. CCC-SLP, Administrative Director, Heather Field M.S. CCC-SLP, Clinical Director of Speech and Language Pathology, and Kari McKown MOT, OTR, Clinical Director of OT and PT
We Are Elite Therapy Center
For two decades, Heather Field, Lauri Cole, and Kari McKown, co-owners and directors, have devoted their careers to serving children and families with exceptional care in the fields of pediatric speech, occupational, and physical therapy. Their journey began 20 years ago, forged by a shared passion for helping children achieve their fullest potential. Throughout the years, these women have become much more than colleagues—they have become family. This deep bond has enhanced their collaboration, resulting in a therapeutic environment that is both nurturing and transformative for their clients. The trust and relationships they cultivated are the foundation of their elite status in six clinic locations.
Elite Therapy Center is a team of over 70 certified therapists and administrative professionals in six Central Texas locations including Waco, Temple, Harker Heights, Gatesville, Killeen and West. The Elite Therapy Center team is helping our clients of babies, children, youth, and young adults achieve their FULL potential by providing quality and comprehensive treatment plans tailored to meet their unique needs.
Our team approach promotes collaboration with families, physicians, and schools. By setting the highest ethical standard for our associates and clients, as well as ourselves, we are equipped to establish and uphold a reputation of clinical excellence with a personal touch.
Elite Exclamations
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month! Please send a shout out to our amazing Elite Speech therapists in all our six clinics. As speech therapists seeking to honor the golden rule (to treat others as we would like to be treated), we focus on helping our clients to achieve their full potential. Daily we set the goal of providing quality and comprehensive treatment plans tailored to meet the unique needs of each client.
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OT Resources
