Starting from infancy, we learn about the world around us and how to move our bodies, through our senses (mouthing items, rolling, crawling, pulling up, looking around and much more). This sensory exploration period tells us how our bodies move, feel, where they are in space, hear, and see, and eventually we are able to move our bodies in more complex ways, also known as gross motor and fine motor.

Our central nervous system (the system that takes in sensory input and makes sense of it) is not only responsible for how we move and use our bodies in space, but also how we regulate emotions, manage sensations, behaviors and cognition (including ability to follow directions, attend, and engage) and our language. The foundation for development of all of these complex systems, begins with our ability to correctly process sensory information through the central nervous system.

Fun fact: Did you know that the four outputs of our central nervous system are efficient motor skills, communication, cognition, and emotional regulation/control? Furthermore, 80% of these skills happen subconsciously, and only 20% of these skills, enter the conscious part of our brains.

Mastery and development of fine motor, gross motor and visual motor skills are paramount for independence in our daily living activities. Development in these areas not only help us with tasks such as reading, writing, playing, dressing, feeding, grooming, and moving through space, but also provide us with a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem. When a child has difficulty with motor skills development, it is crucial to determine the root cause (e.g. weak muscles, a gap in developmental milestones, or their sensory processing).

Handwriting is an essential skill introduced at a young age. Efficient handwriting relies on many underlying abilities, including fine motor control, visual-motor coordination, copying and memory skills, automaticity, attention, and understanding pre-writing strokes. Children may struggle with handwriting for different reasons, so identifying the specific underlying area(s) of need and focusing in, is key to improving legibility, letter formation, and efficiency.

We all feel emotions as human beings and some emotions are more difficult to manage than others. Our emotions, behaviors, and sensory systems are all closely tied together, and it is important to understand how in many situations these influence each other. It also important to understand how to address emotions in a positive way, and in addition to addressing the root cause for difficulty with emotional regulation, also provide tools and strategies to navigate our emotions in a meaningful way.

Our executive function and social skills are fundamental for engaging with the world around us. This includes critical thinking, decision making, memory, adaptability, being apart of a team, making friends, interpreting social cues, play, and overall social cognition.

Our ADL (Activities of Daily Living) and IADLs (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living) are activities that we need or want to do. ADL’s often develop at a very young age and include areas such as self care, dressing, hygiene, grooming, self-help, feeding, and toileting. IADL’s are more complex and include areas such as leisure activities, meal preparation, reading, writing, and household chores. Our sensory processing, motor skills, behavior, emotional regulation, and executive function all play a role in successful completion of our activities of daily living.