Most parents, caregivers, teachers, babysitters, and guardians of children understand that there are typically difficult behaviors that can become a challenge to manage. The most common are things like having a meltdown, screaming, and crying to get something they want or need.

One way to practice mindfulness is through breathing exercises. Many occupational therapists and physical therapists will use deep breathing techniques like diaphragmatic breathing to assist in their goal of creating the highest level of independence possible for the lives of their patients.

For families with children, keeping them active during this #stayhomefornevada time is so important for everyone! When the local parks or school jungle gyms or equipment are closed, we have some ideas to share to keep kids active.

On average, 4.3 million children are reported as victims of child abuse and neglect. According to Childhelp.org, child abuse is reported every ten seconds in the United States. Interestingly, the CDC reports that there are about 4 million births per year are the result of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Knowing that there are almost 400,000 children in our foster care system, what is happening to cause the increase in abuse cases?

April is the month where we focus on the amazing work of occupational therapists! An OT or an OTA (occupational therapy assistant) assist others through therapeutic intervention to live their life with the maximum level of independence. Occupational therapists work with children during development and work with children with different learning or developmental abilities and we can celebrate them all year!

The month of January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month. The National Birth Defects Prevention Network’s theme for their efforts in 2021 was “Best for You. Best for Baby.” Their goal is not to prevent all birth defects, as some are not preventable, but to encourage mothers to increase the likelihood of having a healthy baby simply by keeping healthy practices yourself during and before pregnancy. About one in 33 babies in the US is born with a birth defect.

For this month, we would like to highlight one of our wonderful Speech-Language Pathologists, Racheal Morse! Racheal began her career journey majoring in Elementary Education at Augusta College in Rock Island, NY. After her advisor suggested she specialize in something more specific, Racheal observed some speech therapy sessions at a clinic on campus and fell in love with the profession.

This month’s featured therapist is Jessica Pierson, occupational therapist!

Jessica has worked in this industry or a similar position for about seven years and received her education first from California State University, Fullerton for her bachelor’s degree in Human Services. She later received her master’s degree in occupational therapy from Touro University in Nevada.

For this month, we are featuring occupational therapist Tori Tobin!

Tori has worked as an OT for the last three and a half years — one and a half years with the Tilton’s team. Before her work as an occupational therapist, Tori gained experience working in respite care as well as serving as a paraprofessional in the school district for children with autism.

This month, we are excited to feature our awesome Director of Occupational Services, Samantha Gregg!

View our list of local Las Vegas food distribution, activities, online educational resources, and more.

In light of our school closures until April 6th, you can find some great ideas and insights, a schedule suggestion (below), links to other resources and what to do to continue learning during the closure.

As we are in uncertain times, it is important to be certain that the information you receive is accurate and the best for you and your family. You might have seen information from the CDC, which is good! The recommendations from the CDC are your best source for guidance on how to navigate during these extraordinary times.