Carol Regli OTR - Strategies for Success

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19esY8oy1n/

“Crossing the midline” is a foundational skill in occupational therapy that refers to the ability to reach across the middle of the body with the arms or legs crossing over to the opposite side. This skill is essential for many everyday tasks and is closely linked to bilateral coordination, brain development, and motor planning.

Why Is It Important?

Crossing the midline is crucial for:
• Writing across a page
• Reaching for objects on the opposite side
• Putting on socks or shoes
• Brushing hair
• Tying shoelaces
• Efficient reading and writing (visual tracking)

Difficulty with midline crossing can affect a child’s:
• Academic performance (especially writing and reading)
• Independence in self-care
• Motor coordination
• Cognitive development (because it reflects communication between the brain’s hemispheres)

Activities to Promote Crossing the Midline

Here are some OT-based activities to help develop this skill:

1. Figure 8 Drawing

Have the child draw large horizontal figure 8s (infinity symbols) on a whiteboard or chalkboard.

2. Ball Pass Across the Body

Pass a ball or object from one hand to the other across the body while seated or standing.

3. Windmill Exercises

Standing with feet apart, touch the left hand to the right foot and vice versa.

4. Simon Says with Cross-Body Movements

Include actions like touching the left knee with the right hand or reaching across to the opposite shoulder.

5. Lacing and Threading Activities

Set up materials so the child has to reach across the body to grab items.

6. Twister or Yoga Poses

Encourage whole-body movements that require reaching across the midline.

7. Obstacle Courses

Set up stations that require crossing midline movements — like picking up a bean bag on the left and placing it in a bucket on the right.

⸻

Tips for Parents:
• Observe how a child moves during activities — are they avoiding crossing over?
• Encourage bilateral hand use — such as one hand stabilising while the other works.
• Make it fun and goal-directed — engaging in games helps with motivation

https://youtu.be/3RU6BMb4DdA?si=RYYe8eW6b2FfNp7G

Brain Injury Basics Part 1: January 2025 This workshop discusses our clinical approach to Brain injury rehabilitation.Key points from the lecture and future workshops:1. Workshop 2: Detailed nutriti...

https://scitechdaily.com/your-gut-bacteria-could-be-the-missing-link-to-stress-relief/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGYU2NleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHXZMFYitku34pVaJsUzIkZOoEZtwr0XiX6mwfGP3IzKxMsUYQKb5bPCNaA_aem_hvvempvPOoYKgq_EnTS5_w

Your Gut Bacteria Could Be the Missing Link to Stress Relief Researchers have found that gut bacteria influence stress by interacting with circadian rhythms, offering new treatment possibilities for stress-related mental health issues. This discovery reveals that specific bacteria help control stress hormones and underscores the value of a balanced microbiome

https://www.facebook.com/autball1?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Autball Using snark to educate and bring people together.
What could go wrong?

ko-fi.com/autball

https://www.additudemag.com/how-to-motivate-adhd-brain-emotional-health/amp/

5 Perfectly Awful Ways to Motivate an ADHD Brain Many adults with ADHD have to hijack the emotional part of the brain to get started, especially on a task they find tedious, uninteresting, or routine.

Join us in our efforts to provide a place to call home in central TX! ❤ 🏠



www.ComInTX.org

https://www.facebook.com/100064378765847/posts/795698385919446/?mibextid=Nif5oz

Ten Percent Happier: Become an Active Operator of Your Nervous System - Unyte Integrated Listening Courtesy of Ten Percent Happier How would you explain Polyvagal Theory? Deb Dana, LCSW and Advisor to Unyte, was recently featured on the popular podcast Ten Percent Happier, where host Dan Harris asked her an essential question for understanding our nervous systems and ourselves: “What is Polyvag...

https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2021.558246?fbclid=IwAR08W582VFNn8w0zGXb15JPJk0d1rcpzqVOyzKvmZZsswITGiNG-Y_hnNuo #:~:text=What%20is%20the%20word%20for,taste%2C%20smell%2C%20and%20touch.

What is Interoception and Why is it Important? What is the word for the sense of signals that come from inside your body, such as feeling your heart beating and your breathing, or knowing when you are hungry? This is called interoception. Interoception is one of our senses, like vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. In this article, we talk....

https://integratedlistening.com/blog/why-a-childs-behavior-is-not-what-you-think-it-is/?utm_content=278889349&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-265305586072

Why A Child’s Behavior Is Not What You Think It Is - Unyte Integrated Listening Learn about what your child's behaviour means and how that connects to a stress response, as well as the neuroscience of safety.

Toileting + Interoception: Tuning Into Inner Signals | Kelly Mahler Blog In this blog, we are focusing on a big thing that is missing from most toileting programs, and that is something called interoception.