Author Archives: Michaela Gordon

By Michaela Gordon, OTR/L Contributing Author, Dr. Felicia Lew Since the arrival of technology, we are spending much more time sitting and looking up close at 2D environments such as phones, tablets, and televisions. A study was published in Preventative Medicine, (Varma et al., 2017) involving 12,500 people 6-84 years of age. The participants wore

I work with children and fairness is a big thing that comes up in play. When there is a sense of unfairness, soon after follows blame. What I have noticed is that the children need support with responsibility, empathy, and communication. When these skills are not developed, the children stay in this vicious cycle of,

At my first job, I remember seeing these white brushes. I knew they were for some sort of tactile stimulation, but did not use them with students. I moved to CA and here I would also find the white brushes! I was shown the protocol at an in-service. I didn’t fully understand the neurological underpinnings

Do you ever hear a kid say, “You don’t get it. You don’t know how it feels to be me!” That is the truth. We don’t know what it feels like to be them. We can only empathize and try to relate based on what we are experiencing. When it comes to sensory defensiveness, children

As an OT, I have searched endlessly for an effective behavioral approach for children with sensory processing challenges. I was lucky enough to meet Joe Newman, author of the book RaisingLions. In a short period of time, I was on a trajectory to work with him, adopt his philosophy of addressing behavioral challenges, and assist

When I was younger, I attempted to run from my brother as he dragged his feet across the carpet and touched my arm, giving me an electric shock. It amazed me that in seconds he could just zap me with his finger! Another childhood memory was having sleepovers with my friends and we would all