Pine Tree OT

03/03/2026

A bit of a drive but looks like a lot of fun!

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=915709877732644&id=100078809204071e

Who else is excited for our Inclusive Winter Kids Family Day on March 7th with ? Find more information and the registration by visiting winterkids.org/event/adaptive-outdoor-education-center-winterkids-family-day/. ❄️

02/24/2026

🌲3 Intervention-Free Ways to Increase Iron Intake

If your child is low in iron but feeding already feels stressful, here are options that don’t require pressure, power struggles, or forcing new foods:

1️⃣ Cook with an Iron Fish
A simple cast iron fish (like the Lucky Iron Fish) added to soups, pasta water, or oatmeal can naturally increase iron content during cooking — no change in taste, no extra steps for your child.

2️⃣ Taste-Free Iron Supplements
Options like Ella Olla powder or taste free drops can be mixed into a preferred drink or food. Always confirm dosing with your pediatrician, but for some families this is a lower-stress bridge while expanding diet variety.

3️⃣ Lean on Iron-Fortified “Safe Foods”
Check labels for fortified cereals, waffles, breads, and pastas your child already eats. Many familiar foods already contain added iron. If your child likes foods like muffins, pancakes (anything with batter) try iron fortified baby oatmeal baked in.

✨ And don’t forget:
Pair iron with vitamin C (strawberries, oranges, kiwi, bell peppers, juice) to increase absorption.

Small shifts. Less pressure.
Support the body without overwhelming the nervous system.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVJy8zYjxRk/?igsh=MWFlZTI5NHRlc2Z0cg==

02/19/2026

Next week I’m starting something I’ve been building quietly for a while:

✨A 6-week feeding cohort rooted in regulation-first practice.

No reward charts.
No forcing bites.
No power struggles.

I’m so excited for this next chapter.

If you’d like to learn more about future cohorts, stay tuned.

02/17/2026

Winter break can be a great opportunity for rest, and it completely dysregulating 😅.

There is:
-Less structure.
-More noise.
-More sibling time.
-More “I’m bored.”
-More big feelings in a house that already feels too small by February in Maine.

As an OT, I know the science.
As a mom, I live the chaos.

Here’s what I remind myself first:

Behavior is often a nervous system state — not them “misbehaving” to be annoying.

Before we add more rules, more consequences, more structure… we need regulation.

Heavy snow play.
Crashing into couch cushions.
Pushing, pulling, carrying, crawling.

Proprioceptive input calms the body and a calmer body creates access to better choices.

And here’s the part we don’t talk about enough:

**Our nervous systems matter too.

Children’s mirror neurons are constantly scanning us.Our tone. Our facial expression. Our pace.

Polyvagal theory tells us that cues of safety come through voice and face first — not words.

If we are sharp and rushed, their nervous system rises. If we soften and slow, they often follow.

Not perfectly. Not magically.
But consistently over time.

So today, try this:

🌲Drop your shoulders.
🌲Slow your exhale.
🌲Soften your eyes before you speak.

✨Regulation before expectation.

We’re not aiming for a perfect winter break.

We’re aiming for a regulated one.

02/16/2026

I’m an OT.

And I’m also a mom who has been very, very tired of being cooped up.

Maine winters can fry a nervous system. Weeks of “too cold to stay out” adds up — for kids and for parents.

I have an on-the-go sensory seeker. The kind of body that needs to push, pull, crash, move.

And yes… even as an OT, I run out of ideas. 🤣
Even as an OT, I get overstimulated.
Even as an OT, I feel tapped out.

Today we could finally stay outside long enough for her body to get what it’s been asking for.

She pushed a massive snowball around the yard for 30 minutes.

No structured plan.
No perfect activity.
No therapy magic.

Just heavy work. Cold air. Open space. And she has been more regulated than I’ve seen her in months.

If your house has felt chaotic this winter…
If everyone feels a little crispy…
You’re not doing it wrong.

You’re navigating a season and you are not alone.

Regulation doesn’t have to be fancy.
Sometimes it’s just a snowball. ❄️

02/13/2026

Things in my OT clinic that just make sense ✨
Because nothing in here is random.

🧱 Vertical LEGO strip
Standing wall work builds shoulder stability, core activation, and midline crossing. It’s endurance and upper body strengthening disguised as play.

⏳ Sand timers
Time you can see feels safer than time you can’t. These support transitions, turn-taking, and frustration tolerance without power struggles.

🧴 Magnesium + sulfate lotion
Pumping lotion gives instant heavy work to the hands (proprioceptive input = regulation). This one also contains magnesium/sulfate, which show up in autism-related research as areas of interest in nervous system function. The evidence around topical absorption is still emerging, but paired with deep pressure input, it becomes a simple, regulating routine.

🧺 Wall basket with oral motor tools
Bubbles and party blowers aren’t just fun. They build lip closure, breath control, and oral motor strength — while naturally eliciting slow, controlled exhalation. That extended exhale is grounding and supports vagal activation in a playful, low-demand way.

It might look simple.
But every item supports strength, regulation, and autonomy. 🌲♾️

02/13/2026

What a lot of sessions look like by the end… and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

You know what I could have done today?
A perfectly planned, step-by-step routine: movement → table work → sensory activity → calm down. ✨Picture perfect.✨

But with many of my clients, we would have never made it past step one.
The entire session would have turned into a power struggle — not working on therapeutic goals, but working on compliance.

Instead?

He led.

Hide and seek was the game.
Which meant crawling, tunneling, deep pressure under a weighted blanket, lying still in tight spaces.
His nervous system got exactly what it needed.

Then he found my timer.
Which organically turned into obstacle courses, crashing and diving, balancing, and real confidence.

By the end of the hour, he was regulated enough to try something new — an activity he’s avoided in the past.

All of that happened because I followed connection over control.

If I had clung to a rigid schedule with unrealistic expectations, none of it would have happened.

The way you approach therapy matters.
Meeting neurodivergent children where they are matters.

02/13/2026

Transitions aren’t behavior problems.
They’re nervous system shifts.✨

Stopping one thing and starting another requires flexibility, regulation, and predictability.

If your child struggles with transitions, they’re not being difficult.

They’re ✨having✨difficulty.

Try one of these this week.
Save for later.🌲♾️

02/12/2026

Regulation isnt magic.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many “quick” fixes but there are so many ways you can support regulation with small alterations.

Making small changes and being intentional about sensory input can change the trajectory of a hard moment. No lectures or consequences necessary.

It’s biology. Not just a bandaid.

Save this for later, and try one today!
🌲♾️

02/11/2026

Hopping on to remind parents that progress in regulation, communication, and trust is usually gradual and quiet.

🌲It’s happening in the nervous system long before it shows up in behavior.

If today felt ordinary — maybe that’s the win.

If a transition was 10% easier — that’s the win.

If recovery was shorter — that’s the win.

🌲Growth doesn’t have to be dramatic to be meaningful. The days that big things happen, of course you will always remember. BUT, don’t you forget all of the work you and your child are putting in is also making meaningful, lasting change too.

02/11/2026

Today I wear this sweatshirt that was created by a kindergarten teacher, , who recently raised money for Maine Needs to support families during a time when many are being forced to shelter in place for their safety.

I can’t stop thinking about the parents making impossible decisions to protect their children.
About the children who may not understand the full story but feel the fear, the disruption, the shift in their world.

To the families who are actively in danger right now —
I see you.
I believe you.
You deserve safety.

My heart is with you in ways that feel bigger than words.

If you are in our community and need support, please reach out.

There are people here who care.

02/10/2026

Most people think therapy has to look or be structured to be effective.

Repetition.Practice.Drills. Compliance.

And yes — repetition absolutely matters. But, it is not what matters most.

The brain often needs hundreds of exposures to build a new pathway.

But here’s what changes everything:

When learning happens through play, the brain releases dopamine.
Attention increases.
Emotional engagement increases.
Retention increases.

And sometimes what takes hundreds of forced repetitions…can integrate in 10–20 joyful ones.

This is why at Pine Tree OT I don’t rush development.
The goal isn’t to chase compliance.
We build connection first.

Because a regulated, engaged nervous system learns faster than a pressured one.

Play isn’t a break from therapy.

It IS the therapy!
🌲