Are you tired of staying inside during this quarantine? Shake it up a bit and try this fun at home exercise! Spell your name with the workout for each letter below! For example, the word "Strong" would include these exercises: - S: 30 Second Sprint - T: 10 Step Ups - R: 10 Jump Squats - O: 30 Second Plank - N: 10 Lunges - G: 10 Bicycles If you have a long name, just do your exercise once. But if you have a short name, try doing your exercise 2 or 3 times so that you get more

What is "W Sitting"? "W Sitting" is when your child is sitting with their bottom on the floor, and with their knees bent in-between them. If you are looking at your child from above, their legs form a "W" shape. But, this way of sitting can start some development issues. If the child has this wide stance, they do not need to cross midline, or shift their weight from side to side. W sitting’s risk of leading to developmental delays increases as your child ages, it can be typic

This month's Straight From the Heart Interview is a special one because we interviewed one of our COTAs (certified occupational therapy assistants)! April is occupational therapy month, so it was only fitting that we interview Jen. Jen is not only an incredible therapist, but she is also an amazing mom. Her entire family isn't pictured here, but she is pictured with her daughter who attends physical therapy at Circle Creek Therapy! Nora, (who is on the far right), attends phy

At Circle Creek Therapy, we like to try an array of tools during our therapy sessions. Ice cubes are one of our unconventional tools that we like to implement into our occupational, speech, or physical therapy sessions. You are probably wondering, why or how would a therapist use ice during a session? Well, we like to bring in ice cubes if one of our patients is feeling overstimulated, or if they are having a meltdown. We will bring in a very cold wash cloth, or an ice cube a

Our therapists at Circle Creek Therapy can incorporate puzzles into any kind of therapy session. In speech therapy, our SLPs incorporate puzzles into their sessions because puzzles give our clients the opportunity to practice memorizing shapes, colors, or animals. Completing puzzles is also a functional skill that is important to know even if it is not a specific goal in speech therapy. In occupational therapy, our OTs use puzzles more frequently than any of our other discipl

Jessica and her husband have 3 wonderful children. Marlee (11), Addie (6), and Max (4), are their kids, and they all attend Circle Creek Therapy for either speech, occupational, and or physical therapy. The Hefners have been coming to Circle Creek for a couple of years now, and we adore all of them! Jessica has been such a great mom through it all, and we couldn't wait to interview her! Read more about her experience at Circle Creek Therapy below. 1. Can you tell us a little

If you can name a craft, we have probably made it! We love making crafts during any kind of therapy session! In fact, each week we have a designated craft. One of our volunteers, and another one of our co-workers, will work together to create and come up with enough craft pieces for all of our patients to make. By the way, they have to make up enough pieces for up to 50+ patients a week! Although we all make the same craft for all of our kiddos, we can adjust it based on thei

Mindfulness based yoga is a practice within the spectrum of yoga that focuses on breathing. It helps you be more aware of your body, and it keeps your emotions in check. Some of the ways this is implemented is by bringing attention to how you are breathing with the poses. For example, if you are doing the cat/cow pose, you would breathe in with a breath that lasts 2-3 seconds, while transitioning to the cat pose. Then, you would exhale for a breath that lasts 2-3 seconds, whi

Alix Baty is an incredible mother to her 2 kids. Alix and her husband take their oldest boy, Ezekial, to Circle Creek Therapy for occupational and physical therapy. Ezekial attends therapy here because he has a sensory processing disorder, and some developmental delays. We absolutely adore this family. It is an ongoing joke in our clinic that we wish that Ezekial needed speech therapy so that we could see him more! We interviewed Alix all about her experience at Circle Creek

Resistance bands are an exercise tool that our speech, occupational and physical therapists use at Circle Creek Therapy. In speech therapy, we can use resistance bands to help our kids draw out sounds that they need to target. By physically pulling the band as they are saying a word, they are more likely to say it correctly next time. In physical and occupational therapy, they use resistance bands for their more common uses. If a therapist is pulling at one end of the band wh

What is Scoliosis? Scoliosis is the abnormal curvature of the spine. People who are diagnosed with scoliosis have a "C" or "S" shaped spine. Causes? Doctors are not aware of what could cause scoliosis, but more research is being conducted. Adults can develop scoliosis, but that is not very common. Children can be born with it, or they can develop it over time as well. But again, that is not very common. Treatment? If scoliosis is caught early enough, effective treatment can b

Obstacle courses are great because they can be made anywhere, and with whatever you already have. At Circle Creek Therapy, we use obstacle courses as a tool during Speech, Occupational, & Physical Therapy. Since obstacle course are only limited by your imagination, the possibilities are endless. But if you are looking for a creative way to do a certain task that pertains to one of our disciplines, you are in the right place. Below are some ideas that you can use to target som

"Massage bugs are something that every family should own," says our occupational therapist, Cindy Bonilla. We use them in speech, occupational, and physical therapy here at Circle Creek! One way that we use these little bugs is to help with muscles aches because it allows our therapists target the areas that need to be massaged. Another way that we use these massagers is to help children who are uncomfortable in jeans. Some of our patients do not like the way that jeans feel

Dear Mother, I don’t just see your child at speech therapy. I see you. I see you. I see you smile wearily as you bring your child to yet another appointment. I see the love sparkle in your eye when you look at them; eyes full of concern, pride, and endless support. I see you on top of the world, and I see you on the days when the world is on your shoulders. Days when the last thing you need is to drive miles and miles for a short visit. And yet, I see you. Because you know wh

Shelley Lemieux goes to Circle Creek Therapy for speech, occupational, and physical therapy because she has MS. MS stands for "multiple sclerosis", & it is a chronic disease that attacks your central nervous system. Individuals with MS will experience symptoms such as double vision, fatigue, numbness, paralysis, slurred speech, and much more. We adore Shelley, and we believe that her experience with MS is very insightful! Follow along to read more about what it's like to live

What is Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? It's a developmental disability that affects the typical development of communication, behavioral and social skills. Some children develop in some of these areas and may have difficulties in others. One thing for sure is that the child’s learning, thinking and problem-solving abilities will have delays and may worsen over time without additional support from specialists. What should I do next? Express your concerns to your do

We all know that it's important to drink water, but we do we actually do it? Not necessarily. Our physical therapists here at Circle Creek Therapy suggest that you should drink about 32 oz of water each day because some of your daily value also comes from the food that you eat! We understand that it isn’t always to accomplish, so we compiled some ideas that will motivate you to reach your water drinking goal! 1. Add lemon. Lemons are super healthy for you because they aid in

What skills develop during your baby’s third month? These are general abilities you should expect to see, the list is not comprehensive You little one should hold their head up when sitting (less bobbing forward) During tummy time, he/she can raise head between 45-90 degrees Weight bears on forearms Starts to partially weight bear on legs when held in standing “Talks” when spoken too Brings hand/blankets to mouth How to actively play with your three month old: Let your little

What skills develop during your baby’s second month? Again, these are general abilities you should expect to see, the list is not comprehensive Lifts head almost 45 degrees while laying on stomach Head bobs forward when held in a sitting position Grasp reflex starts to diminish Brings head and mouth to hands to self-calm Follows dangling objects Cries distinctively when hungry, tired, or wet, etc Able to kick legs Able to lift head and briefly hold it. How to actively play wi

Looking for a great summer activity for the kids to encourage physical development and social skills? Check out the following Splash Pads around the area! Les Grove Park, Auburn Angle Lake Park, Sea Tac Town Square Park, Federal Way & Kent Norpoint Park, Federal Way Tukwila Community Center Park, Tukwila Wright Park, Tacoma Kiwanis Park, Puyallup If you have any questions or concerns about your child's development, we now offer speech, physical, and occupational therapies so