Larkin loves everyone. She is genuinely interested in people (especially babies) and enjoys getting up close and personal. She loves to sing, draw, and play pretend. She has an amazing memory and capacity to learn amazing facts -from music composers to move characters, and fun trivia in between.
Her parents’ dream for her is that she will always hold on to the amazingly joyful and silly spark that she has had since she was born. She has an impressive array of interests, and her parents hope she can carve out paths of understanding that may not already be laid. They believe she will show the world her creative side, and fill the voids in society that we may not even know need filled.
For her family, inclusion is seeing others view Larkin in the way that they do. When individuals and teams hold the capacity for greater understanding of diverse minds and abilities, everyone will be empowered to create significant change. When individuals are empowered to nurture their gifts and create significant change, nothing is impossible.
Larkin is unstoppable, and will blaze on in her path to changing the world.
Daily handwriting practice is necessary for making printing a natural process. The more automatic writing is, the more a child can then focus on WHAT they are writing rather than HOW to write. When participating in e-learning, children may not be practicing handwriting as much as they would be during their typical school day. Choose some of these fun activities to try at home to ensure COVID-19 doesn’t contribute to loss of quality handwriting for your child. Make it a goal to practice handwriting for 5-10 minutes every day.
Write letters to friends or family, make up a story, or help write the grocery list.
Play games like tic-tac-toe (use different letters each time), hang man, or guess what word/letter I’m writing.
Practice handwriting with different utensils or materials. Finger paint, write in shaving cream/pudding/flour/sand, use chalk on the sidewalk, write with washable markers on a mirror or window, write on a tablet or magnadoodle, etc.
Have your child be the teacher and “teach” you how to write in order to practice verbalizing the correct way to make letters. “Grade” work by circling the best letters or words in order to understand what makes writing legible.
Print or make up fun sentence starters to complete (i.e. My favorite place to go is… or If I could be an animal, I would be…).
Play restaurant where your child can prepare simple foods and “sell them” to you. Practice printing by creating a menu to order from.
Complete mad libs, cross word puzzles, or word scrambles. These can be found online or in activity books.
Work on number writing by having your child count things around the house and record them (i.e. doors, fans, pictures of them, etc.)
Complete scavenger hunts. Let your child write down what objects they find based on your clues or let them write down items for you or a sibling to find.
Cut pictures out of magazines to make a collage and write about it.
Search Google or Pinterest for many more fun printables and ideas!
Most of us love the excitement of visiting or getting visits from families and friends. Right now we are helping to keep everyone healthy by staying at home. This will not last forever, but while we are stuck at home we can be creative to stay connected with people outside of our home. We all miss hugs, high fives, and playing with neighbors, cousins, grandparents, kids at school, and other family friends, but there are ways we can still stay connected to our loved ones from home!
Talk to your child about how there are different ways to visit people we love: Sometimes we see them in person at their house or our house, sometimes we talk by phone or Facetime. Right now everybody is practicing visiting with people in new ways, but later we will be able to visit in person again.
Schedule time to visit remotely: If your child has a set routine of visiting or spending time with someone regularly (such as a grandparent), work to set up a schedule for a short phone, facetime, or skype session for him to look forward to (this could be daily, weekly…..). Kids often do well having the structure a designated time gives to their routine. This also gives parents a specific answer to questions of when they will get to talk to or see _______.
Written Word: Write email, notes, or letters to each other (notes and letters can be mailed or you can take a picture of the note/message and text it to the intended recipient). An adult or older sibling can write/type note a young child dictates or they can draw a picture for the person.
I’m Thinking of you Projects: Child can spend the time they would normally be with the other person making something to give to them when he sees them next (craft, drawing, collage, etc.).
Do an activity together remotely: When connecting to loved ones by phone, skype, or facetime, it can be great for kids to do activities that they would normally do with that person. Brainstorm ways to complete some of your daily routines or fun activities at the same time (i.e. bake cookies, make slime, read a book, sing together, watch a show).
Distant dinner party: Dinner out is a great way to socialize, but you can make dinner in a social experience as well. Plan and cook the same dinner as family/friends. You can facetime/skype during the meal for real time conversations or you can take pictures of family and food to share with each other (Food or dessert competition anyone???)
Take a Virtual Tour together: There are museums, zoos, and amusement parks offering virtual tours. These resources can be used for educational purposes but you can also have friends/family take the same tour and discuss what you liked the most, what you could do without, foods you would try…. Here is a resource for virtual tours you can take from the comfort of your own home: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/travel/a31784720/best-virtual-tours/
On March 16th Easterseals Central announced that all therapy appointments would be canceled through March 31st, along with the closing of the Easterseals Learning Academy for that same timeframe and any activity at Timber Pointe Outdoor Center being canceled through the end of April. “The health and safety of our clients and staff always comes first and we are committed to doing our part to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” said Steve Thompson, President and CEO of Easterseals Central Illinois. “During this unprecedented time, the families we serve need us now more than ever”.
Stopping face-to-face therapy presents a unique challenge to an organization that employs over 200 people dedicated to helping children with developmental delays, disabilities and other special needs reach their full potential. However, in its 100 years of service the organization has always responded dynamically to meet the needs of the community. This time is no different. In an effort to support its clients and community, Easterseals Central Illinois staff is now dedicated to providing the vital resources that will bridge gaps and help children continue to make progress towards their milestones.
Easterseals therapists, teachers and support staff have been in contact with their clients, assessing needs and providing support over the phone. The therapists are hard at work creating and deploying resources for caregivers to use at home to help children of all abilities navigate their new reality.
Examples include:
Therapists are reviewing in-home programs with caregivers and providing additional support in the form of visual aids and educational materials
Assisting families in making daily schedules and social stories.
Providing calming strategies
Helping families identify local resources for basic living needs
Easterseals is providing these resources at no cost to the families, and all are available to the general public at eastersealsci.com. Like many businesses and organizations, Easterseals is facing unprecedented financial challenges with the suspension of program services and the cancelation of three vital fundraising events in April.
“As we continue to navigate this unchartered territory, we need the support of Central Illinois now more than ever” said Steve Thompson, “We will never stop supporting families who need us, and we hope the community will do the same”.
The 46th Annual Easterseals Telethon happened earlier this month on March 7 at the Par-A-Dice Hotel.
The culmination of Easterseals Central Illinois’ annual campaign, the telethon has always been a place where old friends can reunite, families can celebrate milestones, and members of the Easterseals family can spend an evening celebrating the organization that ties them all together.
This year’s telethon was no different.
Checks were presented. Interviews were held. Community members manned the phone bank and made calls on behalf of the children and families at Easterseals.
A few moments captured at the 46th Annual Easterseals Telethon
And this year, to make things even more special, we welcomed a guest emcee who joined the WMD Talent to host the telethon live, on-air.
Meet Hayden! (Although we know you probably have already heard of him)
This kid is going places.
Hayden is 10-years-old, loves trucks and tractors, and can tell you anything you’d like to know about earth-moving equipment. He loves anything with an engine, and enjoys going to farm shows with his dad and showing their vintage garden tractors.
In his life so far he has already met milestones, surpassed many goals, and experienced really cool things (like helping drive a PDC truck).
You may remember him as co-host of the Easterseals Century Ball back in November of 2019. He blew the crowd away with his one-liners, stage presence, and true talent for speaking to a crowd.
He brought his bright smile and endearing personality to the 46th Annual Easterseals Telethon which was broadcasted live on WMD/WYZZ and able to be streamed at CIProud.com and WMBD’s Facebook page.
Hayden has become a celebrity within our Easterseals community. A young “Mr. Easterseals.” What many people may not know is how much hard work Hayden has put into his public speaking. His mom, Daphne, has shared that before coming to Easterseals, it was hard for him to regulate his emotions. After his own hard work and help from his therapist Lauren, Hayden was able to learn to articulate his thoughts, and tools to help him move from the red zone back to the green zone.
“His therapy sessions helped bring tremendous peace to our home, helped Hayden overcome obstacles, and allowed the rest of the world to see what we see: an exceptional young man with hopes and dreams, with gifts and talents, who God will use someday to change the world. That’s what you’re supporting at Easterseals. Families. Dreams. Exceptional young people.” – shared, Daphne.
His jokes even had the WMBD anchors in stitches!
At Easterseals, we feel so honored to watch kiddos like Hayden grow their skills, discover new talents, and meet different milestones every single day.
Hayden’s Easterseals family will always be here, cheering him on! We can’t wait to see where his future takes him.
Easterseals Central Illinois has always responded dynamically to the needs in our community. During this unprecedented time, we are once again acting swiftly and with compassion to safeguard the wellbeing of Easterseals clients, families, staff, volunteers, donors and the general public.
Today Easterseals Central Illinois announced the below actions designed to support mitigation strategies and to help slow the transmission of the virus in our communities. We are taking a phased approach to planning our course of action, naming this Phase I but keeping in mind that this is a fluid situation and we will continue to respond accordingly day to day.
Easterseals Central Illinois Phase I Response [March 17 thru March 31] to COVID-19:
All therapy appointments will be canceled through March 31st 2020. The Peoria and Bloomington facilities will remain open during this time.
We will continue to accept referrals at this time through all channels.
Classes at the Easterseals Learning Academy will be on hold through March 31st 2020.
Timber Pointe Outdoor Center programs are canceled through April 30th 2020.
Child and Family Connections #14 and #16 will remain open to receive referrals, however home visits are on hold until April 15th 2020.
All special events are postponed through April 30th 2020.
It is our mission to help children with developmental delays, disabilities and other special needs reach their full potential. We will continue to do so as we share resources on our blog and social media channel, as well as be available for families who need assistance to call (309)686-1177 during regular business hours.
Easterseals Central Illinois has always responded dynamically to the needs in our community. During this unprecedented time, we are once again acting swiftly and with compassion to safeguard the wellbeing of Easterseals clients, families, staff, volunteers, donors and the general public.
Today Easterseals Central Illinois announced the below actions designed to support mitigation strategies and to help slow the transmission of the virus in our communities. We are taking a phased approach to planning our course of action, naming this Phase I but keeping in mind that this is a fluid situation and we will continue to respond accordingly day to day.
Easterseals Central Illinois Phase I Response [March 17 thru March 31] to COVID-19:
All therapy appointments will be canceled through March 31st 2020. The Peoria and Bloomington facilities will remain open during this time.
We will continue to accept referrals at this time through all channels.
Classes at the Easterseals Learning Academy will be on hold through March 31st 2020.
Timber Pointe Outdoor Center programs are canceled through April 30th 2020.
Child and Family Connections #14 and #16 will remain open to receive referrals, however home visits are on hold until April 15th 2020.
All special events are postponed through April 30th 2020.
It is our mission to help children with developmental delays, disabilities and other special needs reach their full potential. We will continue to do so as we share resources on our blog and social media channel, as well as be available for families who need assistance to call (309)686-1177 during regular business hours.
By Meghan Cotsones, PT , DPT, Physical Therapist Easterseals Central Illinois
5 Indoor Gross Motor Activities: No Special Equipment Required!
Animal Walks: Great for core strengthening, hip strengthening, range of motion, motor planning, and whole body coordination! Can add visual targets (sticky notes, pieces of colored tape, construction paper, etc.) to help with position of hands/feet for sequencing. Can have siblings or friends race or parents can try along with their kiddos
Pillow and/or Blanket Obstacle Course: Great way to simulate uneven outdoor surfaces such as grass and woodchips from inside! Great for balance, hip and ankle strengthening, and motor planning. Can also jump between pillows for an extra challenge!
Ninja Kicks: Have child stack a tower of blocks or any other toy they like to stack and balance on one foot and kick the tower down with the other. Great for foot-eye coordination, single leg balance, and strengthening for hips and ankles! For added fun, can add ninja sound effects (hi-yah!)
Pushing/Pulling Laundry Basket: Have your child round up their favorite toys and take them for a ride the laundry basket! Have them push it forward and pull it backwards to practice backwards walking. Great for core and lower extremity strengthening! Parents can add heavier objects from around the house (soup cans, sack of potatoes, etc.) for an added challenge.
Box Hurdles: Put old Amazon or empty cereal boxes to good use! Line them up and have your child step, run, or jump over the boxes for a fun motor activity. Can also weave in and out of boxes in a figure-8 pattern a balance and agility challenge!
Katie Pena, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist and Manager of Occupational and Physical Therapy for Easterseals Central Illinois shared this great resource for families looking a social story about washing hands!
eastersealsci.home.blog 