Sensory Therapy Place · Pediatric OT Resources
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Pediatric OT-written guides on sensory processing, primitive reflex integration, and the movement-rich home — by Earl Mamaril, MS, OTR/L, and the Sensory Therapy Place clinical team.
Your Child's Nervous System Is More Than 'Fight or Flight': Understanding Safety, Stress, and Healing
Your child's behavior is not always "just behavior." Often it is the nervous system trying to protect itself. Learn how the ventral vagal, sympathetic, and dorsal...
Read article →Why Does My Child Hide From Crowds, Refuse Hugs, or Crash Into Everything? Your Child's Sensory Profile Explained
Winnie Dunn's 4 Sensory Quadrants explain why one child crashes into walls while another covers their ears at the grocery store. Earl Mamaril walks parents throug...
Read article →Best Fidget Toys for Kids with Anxiety — A Pediatric OT's Guide
Not all fidget toys are created equal. Pediatric OT Earl Mamaril breaks down the 5 best fidget tools for kids with anxiety and ADHD — and explains the neuroscienc...
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Why Your Child Crashes Into Things, Can't Sit Still, or Trips on Flat Floors: The Vestibular System Explained
If your child can't sit still, crashes into walls, melts down on the playground, or trips over flat floors — their vestibular system may be the missing piece. Ped...
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Why Does My Child Flap Their Hands or Rock? A Pediatric OT Explains Stimming
Your child isn't misbehaving when they flap, rock, or hum. They're regulating. Pediatric OT Earl Mamaril explains what stimming actually is, when to support it, w...
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Are Weighted Blankets Safe and Effective for Children's Sleep? A Pediatric OT Explains the Science
A pediatric OT's evidence-based guide to weighted blankets for children's sleep — what the research actually shows for ADHD and autism, how deep pressure works th...
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Was My C-Section the Cause? How Cesarean Birth Affects Your Child's Nervous System — and What You Can Do About It
Pediatric OT Earl Mamaril answers the question parents ask quietly during evaluations: was my C-section the cause? Research-backed, guilt-free, hopeful — what the...
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How Screen Time Can Affect Your Child’s Development: What Every Parent Should Know
How excessive screen time affects pediatric brain and body development — what research shows, why screens bypass key developmental pathways, and what parents can ...
Read article →Why Your Child Hates Clothing Tags, Refuses Hugs, or Crashes Into Walls: The Tactile System Explained
Sock seams. Tag fights. Crashing into furniture. Chewing on shirts. These aren't random behaviors — they're your child's tactile system trying to communicate. A p...
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Why Your Child Startles, Panics, or Spirals Over Nothing: The Retained Moro Reflex Explained
What looks like generalized anxiety in children is often a retained Moro reflex — the nervous system stuck in survival mode since infancy. Pediatric OT Earl Mamar...
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DIY Sensory Tools at Home — OT-Approved Bath Bomb Activity for Tactile & Olfactory Input
An OT-approved DIY bath bomb recipe that gives kids tactile, olfactory, and proprioceptive sensory input at bath time. From the Sensory Therapy Place team in Brew...
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Occupational Therapy for Autism — How OT Supports Sensory Processing, Behavior & Daily Life
Pediatric OT for autism — how sensory integration, primitive reflex integration, and brain-boosting movement support autistic children. From Earl Mamaril, MS, OTR...
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