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Building Blocks Pediatric Occupational Therapy Services

Fairfield Connecticut Occupational Therapist

203-341-0178
943 Post Rd E Suite A
Westport, CT 06880
bbpedot@yahoo.com
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✋Hand Skills in OT: “What Is OT?” Series Book 2

October 31, 2025 By admin

A Heartfelt Children’s Book That Helps Families Understand the Magic of Fine Motor Skills and Occupational Therapy

After the success of my first book, What Is OT and What Will I Work on in Occupational Therapy? I wanted to take families a little deeper into one of the most important areas of childhood development: hand skills!

That’s what inspired Hand Skills in OT, the second book in my “What Is OT?” series. This story helps children and families understand how occupational therapy supports fine motor development, the small but mighty movements that make a big difference in everyday life.

💛 Meet Kenna, the Heart of the Story💛

In this story, we meet Kenna, a bright and determined little girl who works hard to build her hand strength, coordination, and confidence. Through her OT sessions, Kenna learns that progress happens one playful step at a time, whether she’s coloring, cutting, zipping, or buttoning. Kenna discovers that OT isn’t just about hands,  it’s about learning new ways to try, practicing through play, and celebrating every success, big or small.

Kenna’s story is full of encouragement and warmth, showing families how OT helps children grow more independent, capable, and proud of what their hands can do.

✨ A Place Where Practice Meets Progress ✨

In Hand Skills in OT, children see how OT transforms everyday challenges into opportunities for growth. Through fun, purposeful play, they learn how to:

🖍 Strengthen hand and finger muscles for coloring, writing, and building
✂️ Practice cutting, zipping, buttoning, and other fine motor tasks
🧩 Improve coordination and control for puzzles, crafts, and play
🪀 Develop confidence through persistence and effort
💪 Celebrate the joy of independence and self-accomplishment

Each page reminds children that practice is powerful, and that their hard work helps them do amazing things every day.

💬 From the Author

As an occupational therapist, I’ve watched countless children light up when they realize, “I can do it!”,  whether that’s tying their shoes, opening their lunchbox, or writing their name.

Fine motor skills are so much more than just hand movements. They build confidence, self-esteem, and independence. Through Hand Skills in OT, my goal is to help families see that OT is not just about therapy, it’s about growth through play.

OT breaks big goals into small, achievable steps. With practice, encouragement, and creativity, children learn to trust their abilities and celebrate each milestone along the way.

❤️ A Learning Tool for Families, Teachers, and Therapists ❤️

Hand Skills in OT is a wonderful resource for:

  • Parents, who want to support their child’s independence at home
  • Teachers, who are curious about the role of fine motor skills in learning
  • Therapists, who want a positive, child-friendly way to introduce OT

🌟 Join the OT Journey

OT helps children connect their hands, hearts, and minds so they can live more confident and independent lives. My hope is that this book inspires families to see therapy as a joyful, empowering experience, where every small step is a big victory.

You can find Hand Skills in OT now on Amazon! Click the link below:

Hand Skills in OT

 


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Why do pediatric OTs care about crawling? 🐻💙 Why do pediatric OTs care about crawling? 🐻💙

Crawling is about so much more than just helping your baby get from one place to another. It’s an important developmental skill that supports strength, coordination, sensory processing, and body awareness.

When babies crawl, they are building the foundation for future skills like walking, climbing, handwriting, and everyday activities. Crawling also encourages cross-body movement, helping both sides of the brain communicate and supporting overall motor development.

While every child develops differently, crawling provides so many opportunities for babies to explore, learn, and build important skills through movement.

Want to learn more about why crawling matters and how it supports your child’s development? 🧠✨

Check out our newest blog: “Why Crawling Is an Important Milestone”
🔗 Link in bio!

#PediatricOT #OccupationalTherapy #ChildDevelopment #BabyDevelopment #explorepages
Congratulations to our sweet Vivian Schmidt on her Congratulations to our sweet Vivian Schmidt on her high school graduation from Staples High! 💜

It is so hard to believe it’s time to say goodbye as you head off to Texas Christian University.

Over the past few years, you’ve become such a special part of the Building Blocks Pediatric Occupational Therapy Services family. Through your volunteering and internship, you’ve touched the lives of so many children with your kindness, patience, compassion, and joyful spirit.

You are every smile you’ve shared, every child you’ve encouraged, every laugh you’ve sparked, and every connection you’ve made. Those moments will stay with all of us forever.

We all love you, we’re so proud of you, and we know you’re going to accomplish incredible things. Keep chasing your dreams, and maybe one day you’ll come back as an occupational therapist and work alongside us. We’d love that more than you know.

Good luck at TCU, Vivian. Go shine your light, we can’t wait to see all you’ll accomplish! 💜🐸

#BuildingBlocksPediatricOTServices #TexasChristianUniversity #StaplesHighSchool #WestportCT #FutureOT
Welcome to Building Blocks Pediatric OT! ✨ Take Welcome to Building Blocks Pediatric OT! ✨ Take a peek inside our clinic and explore the spaces where children learn, play, and grow every day. From our fine motor room to our sensory gym, every area is thoughtfully designed to support development through meaningful, engaging therapy experiences. 💙
We’re proud to share our space with Speech & Feeding Kids, giving families access to both pediatric occupational therapy and speech-language pathology services in one convenient location.
📍 943 Post Rd E #A, Westport, CT 06880
We’d love to welcome your family to our clinic! 💙
#occupationaltherapy #pediatricot #westport #ᴇxᴘʟᴏʀᴇᴘᴀɢᴇ  @building_blocks_stories @speechandfeedingkids @justinecarol77 @drake079
Recognizing feelings is only the first step. Knowi Recognizing feelings is only the first step. Knowing what to do next is where true self regulation begins.

There are many wonderful programs that help children identify emotions and body signals, including the Zones of Regulation®, The Alert Program® (“How Does Your Engine Run?”), The Mood Meter®, The Incredible 5 Point Scale®, The Superflex® Curriculum, and The Color Monster®. These programs teach children to recognize how they feel through interoception, our ability to notice internal body sensations like a racing heart, tense muscles, butterflies in the stomach, or low energy.

But once a child recognizes how they feel…

Then what?

This is often the missing piece.

I created this quick visual guide to bridge the gap between recognizing body signals and choosing sensory strategies that help children regulate.

A child in the Red Zone may benefit from deep breathing, deep pressure, a quiet space, or asking for help. A child in the Yellow Zone may need movement, heavy work, or calming sensory input before becoming overwhelmed. A child in the Blue Zone may need alerting activities to wake up the brain and body.

Most importantly, every nervous system is unique.

What helps one child feel calm may make another child more alert. What energizes one child may overwhelm another. Self regulation is not about finding one strategy that works for everyone. It is about helping each child discover their own sensory toolbox through trial, observation, and practice.

This guide gives parents, teachers, therapists, and students a simple way to:
• Recognize body signals
• Connect feelings with sensory needs
• Choose regulation strategies
• Build independence and self awareness
• Develop lifelong self regulation skills

The goal isn’t just identifying emotions. It’s empowering children to understand their own nervous system and know what helps them return to a calm, regulated, and ready-to-learn state.

#Interoception #SensoryIntegration #explorepage #BuildingBlocksPediatricOccupationalTherapyServices #occupationaltherapy
Recognizing feelings is only the first step. Knowi Recognizing feelings is only the first step. Knowing what to do next is where true self regulation begins.

There are many wonderful programs that help children identify emotions and body signals, including the Zones of Regulation®, The Alert Program® (“How Does Your Engine Run?”), The Mood Meter®, The Incredible 5 Point Scale®, The Superflex® Curriculum, and The Color Monster®. These programs teach children to recognize how they feel through interoception, our ability to notice internal body sensations like a racing heart, tense muscles, butterflies in the stomach, or low energy.

But once a child recognizes how they feel…

Then what?

This is often the missing piece.

I created this quick visual guide to bridge the gap between recognizing body signals and choosing sensory strategies that help children regulate.

A child in the Red Zone may benefit from deep breathing, deep pressure, a quiet space, or asking for help. A child in the Yellow Zone may need movement, heavy work, or calming sensory input before becoming overwhelmed. A child in the Blue Zone may need alerting activities to wake up the brain and body.

Most importantly, every nervous system is unique.

What helps one child feel calm may make another child more alert. What energizes one child may overwhelm another. Self regulation is not about finding one strategy that works for everyone. It is about helping each child discover their own sensory toolbox through trial, observation, and practice.

This guide gives parents, teachers, therapists, and students a simple way to:
• Recognize body signals
• Connect feelings with sensory needs
• Choose regulation strategies
• Build independence and self awareness
• Develop lifelong self regulation skills

The goal isn’t just identifying emotions. It’s empowering children to understand their own nervous system and know what helps them return to a calm, regulated, and ready-to-learn state.

#Interoception #SensoryIntegration #explorepage #BuildingBlocksPediatricOccupationalTherapyServices #OccupationalTherapy
Wondering what happens during an occupational ther Wondering what happens during an occupational therapy session? 
What Is OT and What Will I Do There? was written to help take the mystery out of pediatric occupational therapy. Whether your child is preparing for their very first OT visit or you’re a parent, teacher, or therapist looking for a simple way to explain what OT is, this book makes it easy to understand.
Children will discover that OT is so much more than play. Every swing, obstacle course, craft, game, and activity has a purpose, helping build the skills needed for everyday life, including fine motor skills, sensory processing, self-care, emotional regulation, visual motor integration, and confidence.
My goal is to help children feel excited about therapy and help families understand the “why” behind everything we do. ❤️
Have you ever wondered what OT is all about?
#OccupationalTherapy #PediatricOT #ChildDevelopment #SensoryIntegration #explorepage
The Wilbarger Deep Pressure & Proprioceptive Techn The Wilbarger Deep Pressure & Proprioceptive Technique (DPPT)
Also known as the Wilbarger Brushing Protocol

The Wilbarger Protocol is a sensory-based OT intervention that provides deep pressure and proprioceptive input to help organize the nervous system, improve body awareness, and reduce tactile defensiveness.

Who may benefit?
• Tactile defensiveness
• Clothing or grooming sensitivities
• Emotional dysregulation
• Attention and transition difficulties
• Sensory seeking or avoiding behaviors
• Some children with sensory processing differences, ADHD, autism, or developmental delays

Brushing
🖐️ Firm, even pressure
• Brush proximal to distal
• No back-and-forth brushing
• Long, smooth strokes
• Keep the brush flat against the skin
• Brush arms, hands, back, legs, and feet only
🚫 Never brush the face, chest, stomach, or groin

Joint Compressions
🤲 Immediately follow brushing
• Support the limb
• Keep joints neutral
• Compress gently through the joint
• Never twist, pull, or force a joint

Benefits
✅ Better regulation
✅ Improved attention
✅ Increased body awareness
✅ Reduced tactile defensiveness
✅ Greater participation in daily activities

DPPT should only be taught and supervised by a trained occupational therapist and is individualized for every child.

💙 Helping children feel regulated, confident, and successful.

#OccupationalTherapy #explorepage  #SensoryProcessing #Brushing #WilbargerProtocol
It may look like a simple puzzle, but this activit It may look like a simple puzzle, but this activity is doing so much more!

Lying on a peanut ball helps build core and shoulder strength, postural control, and visual motor skills, all through play.

Want to learn why the peanut ball is one of our favorite OT tools? Read our latest blog. Link in bio!

#PediatricOT #OccupationalTherapy #explorepages #ChildDevelopment #PlayBasedLearning
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