The 2014 – 2015 school year is upon us! Friendships are an integral part of life and incredibly important to the school experience; however, children with NF1 sometimes struggle with making friends. Having even just one good friend can have a significantly positive effect on academic success. Below are some suggestions for ways to help […]
Category: Occupational Therapy
Club NF Swims!
On August 2, 2014, the Washington University NF Center in collaboration with the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation hosted their August 2014 Club NF Event! The program focused on gross motor development and learning organizational skills. Club NF met at the Des Peres Lodge. The morning began with the children working on motor skill development […]
Back to School: Time Management
The 2014 – 2015 school year is fast approaching! Time can be difficult to come by during the school year for parents and students alike. Add time constraints to the fact that children with NF1 often struggle to stay on task and it may feel like it is impossible to fit everything your child needs […]
Back to School: Getting Organized
The 2014 – 2015 school year is fast approaching! Children with NF1 often experience difficulties in the academic environment due to attention deficits, learning disabilities and social delays. It can be frustrating for both students and families if they feel there are significant roadblocks to success in school. Fortunately, there are many ways you can […]
Nicole’s Nook: Back to School Apps
As summer is winding down and school is right around the corner, some great educational (and fun) apps include those that target fine motor, visual motor and visual perceptual skills. The apps included below target development of skills which play a significant role in academics, so here’s your chance to get a head start for school! Fine Motor Skills […]
Empowering Parents to Detect Potential Delays in their Children with NF1
Children with NF1 commonly experience a range of developmental delays that can negatively impact their daily lives. Early detection and treatment of these delays provides children with NF1 their best chances of success. In order to help families detect potential delays as early as possible, we have created child development checklists of expected developmental […]
HOLIDAY SPECIAL: Therapy Activities for the 4th of July
Happy 4th of July from the Washington University NF Center! Summer is here and it is time to celebrate! Get outside and enjoy Independence Day weekend as a family. While you’re at it, consider trying out these 4th of July themed therapy activities. Occupational Therapy – Fine Motor Skill Development “Fireworks” in a Jar This […]
Beat NF: Understanding How Music Therapy Helps Children with NF1
Welcome to a special guest post from Beat NF Music Therapist, Dr. Cynthia Briggs! Cynthia Briggs, PhD, is a licensed Music Therapist and faculty member at Maryville University. She has collaborated with the Washington University NF Center and Jazz St. Louis to create Beat NF–a jazz music therapy program for toddlers with NF1. Music Therapy […]
Just Keep Swimming!
It’s officially summer and time to head to the pool! While a day at the pool can be a relaxing day of fun for all, it can also be an excellent opportunity for your children to work on a variety of gross motor, fine motor and social skills commonly delayed in children with NF1. Just be […]
Just Keep Swimming!: Playing in the Water as Therapy
It’s officially summer and time to head to the pool! While a day at the pool can be a relaxing day of fun for all, it can also be an excellent opportunity for your children to work on a variety of gross motor, fine motor and social skills commonly delayed in children with NF1. […]
Nicole’s Nook: To Write or Not to Write?
Technology is everywhere these days. We are constantly syncing, posting, downloading, messaging, emailing and typing. As such, the term cut and paste no longer refers to the scissors and glue of yesteryear. Beyond their use for keeping in touch, technology can be used to assist children with special needs. In this month’s blog, I thought […]
Beat NF – Together!
During the months of May and June, the Washington University NF Center, the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation, Jazz St. Louis and Maryville University Music Therapy Department are partnering together for their second six week session of Beat NF, Beat NF–Together! Like the previous session, Beat NF–Together features songs written by our music therapist that are […]
Club NF Zoo Adventure!
On June 7, 2014, the Washington University NF Center in collaboration with the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation hosted our June 2014 Club NF Event! The program focused on sensory integration, gross motor skills and social skills. Club NF met at the Saint Louis Zoo. The morning began with families meeting a professional zookeeper to learn […]
Nicole’s Nook: Enabling Restrictions on Your iPad
The iPad is known for providing both entertainment and productivity to adults and children alike. We encourage children with NF1 to use the iPad in academic environments to increase productivity; however, children may have difficulty using the iPad responsibly when entertainment is such an easy temptation. Luckily, there are many built-in features on the iPad […]
Courtney’s Corner: Age Appropriate Chores for Children
As summer approaches, parents may feel like their time is stretched to the limit between work, having the children home from school and going to and from daily summer activities. With everything going on, it is easy to give your child access to an iPad or the TV as a source of entertainment while you […]
Nicole’s Nook: Finding the Best Apps for Your Child
Finding the right app can be like finding that needle in the haystack. To date, there are thousands upon thousands out there, and the list continues to grow. A few things to keep in mind while searching for apps include: While many free apps are worthy, don’t limit your search to free apps only. Some […]
Symposium Sneak Peek: Dr. Courtney Dunn and Nicole Weckherlin Discuss Optimizing Outcomes for Children with NF1
Courtney Dunn, PT, DPT, is a Physical Therapist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and became the lead physical therapist for the NF Clinical Program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital in 2010. Dr. Dunn applies her expertise to identify developmental delays in young children with NF1 and was instrumental in the establishment of Club NF, a […]
Spring has Sprung!: Therapy Activities for Spring
Today is the first day of Spring! Celebrate by getting outside and playing together. Here are some great Springtime activities that can help your child work on skills often delayed in children with NF1. Play with balls Catching, batting, throwing a ball into a basket, bouncing a ball–anything you can think of! All are great […]
iPad App Therapy Clinic Launched!
Some children with NF1 experience developmental delays that can make some aspects of school and everyday life difficult. One way to address these issues is to use technology, such as the iPad, to enable access to alternative opportunities for education and personal growth. But how can you learn about everything the iPad can afford your […]
SAVE THE DATE: NeuroDay 2014 at the St. Louis Science Center
Join the Washington University NF Center at NeuroDay 2014 at the St. Louis Science Center! Team NF is heading to NeuroDay 2014 at the St. Louis Science Center on March 8 from 10AM to 4PM. NeuroDay is an annual expo featuring free hands-on activities focused on learning about the brain and cutting-edge brain research. Featured […]