North Florida Therapy Associates

07/28/2026

What are activities of daily living? They’re the routine activities that people need to do on a daily basis for basic human needs, without assistance. Oftentimes, children with motor planning issues are unable to complete basic activities of daily living. What’s the best way to help a child with motor planning difficulties? Occupational therapy! The six basic activities of daily living include eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, walking (or transferring), and continence.
What are some at-home activities that exercise these skills?
Buttoning-grab a pillow and a button-down shirt and have your child “dress” the pillow to practice their buttoning skills.
Homemade pizzas-grab some store-bought pizza dough or make your own and have your child roll out the dough, spread sauce on the flattened dough, and sprinkle cheese and favorite toppings on top.
Fingerpaint soap-make bathtime fun with fingerpaint soap! Have your child practice spelling their name or sight words with their fingers on the wall of the bathtub.
Does your child have difficulty with activities of daily living? Talk to one of our skilled therapists to develop an individualized plan of care to meet their unique needs!

07/24/2026

Looking for a fun way to get your kids to partake in something other than an ipad? How about a morning scavenger hunt? It’s super hot these days, but morning temperatures are more bearable and it’s a great way to get some speech, articulation, vocabulary, and spelling practice in!

Here’s an example of how to do it:
For indoor play, decide on an area of speech or articulation that your child needs to work on and then develop a theme. Come up with a list of items that you want your child to find around the house
For example, for “SH” articulation, your list can include ‘shoe’, ‘shirt’, ‘shovel’, ‘brush’, ‘flashlight’, etc. Make a checklist and allow your child to check off each item as they find them.

For outdoor play, either hide items around your yard or go for a walk and have your child identify items on the list visually and recite them verbally.

An added bonus would be to put a Post-it note with a number on each item that you’ve hidden. The number indicates the number of times you’d like your child to repeat saying that particular word to get some great speech and articulation practice in!

Need more play-based ideas for at home? Please reach out to your child’s therapist to develop a specialized list of ideas to try at home!

07/24/2026

🍭We love lollipops in our speech therapy practice! Here are some of the techniques we employ to address deficits in our patients who have swallowing or speech difficulties:

Lollipops can be used to help teach children how to move their tongue around their mouth to produce certain sounds and improve articulation. For example, we can push the tongue to the back of the mouth to elicit the “k” sound instead of a “t” sound, which is at the front of the mouth.

Lollipops can be used for lip strength and lip closure. This can be accomplished by having the child round his lips around the lollipop and squeeze and release. For increased strength, have them hold the squeeze for a count of three and then release.

Lollipops can be used for lip extension. Hold the lollipop in front of the child’s mouth and ask them to extend their lips to kiss the lollipop.

Lollipops can be used for tongue strength. Press the lollipop against the child’s tongue and instruct them to push back against the lollipop.

Run the wet lollipop across the child’s lips and instruct them to lick the sticky sweetness off in a clockwise and then counterclockwise motion.

Hold the lollipop in front of the child’s mouth and ask them to stick their tongue out as far as they can without touching their lips or teeth. The goal is to touch the lollipop.

Ask the child to hold the lollipop securely inside one cheek for a count of three and then release. Repeat on the other side to strengthen the cheek muscles.

While these techniques are highly effective in our practice, it’s important to remember that they are specific to unique needs. An exercise plan using lollipops can be developed for your child specifically by their speech therapist to address your child’s unique skill deficits, so that we can build functional communication and swallowing skills. Speech therapy practice can and should carry over at home, with fun and engaging exercises such as those listed above. Talk to your child’s therapist about creating a customized plan for your child so that you can practice fun activities with them at home! 🍭

07/22/2026

Why are hugs so important?

It’s a way to connect with others without using language
It’s a form of comfort
Hugs may release the hormone oxytocin into the bloodstream, which helps lower blood pressure, heart rate, and the stress hormone cortisol.
Hugs reduce anxiety, improve moods and memory, and increase bonding and closeness
Hugging often increases empathy for others
Hugs may reduce illness
Hugs may reduce pain

How many hugs do we need?
A family therapist recommends 4 hugs per day for survival, 8 hugs per day for maintenance, and 12 hugs per day for growth.

It’s important to recognize that as parents and caregivers of children who have special needs, human touch is crucial for both the parent and the child. Both the parent and the child work extremely hard on a daily basis to improve their skills and work towards personal goals to achieve functional levels with their individual disabilities. Recognition of these efforts is a major contributor to success, as is the nurturing, empathic, and loving nature of the approach. Be sure to hug your child multiple times each day to let them know that they’re doing an amazing job and that they are loved!

07/17/2026

🍨July is National Ice Cream Month! Started in 1984 by President Reagan, as a way to celebrate the sweet treat that over 90% of people eat!

Ice cream is a great tool to use in feeding therapy for building oral-motor skills. The cool treat is a great way of exploring sensory sensations, temperatures, and textures. It helps with tongue, lip, and jaw coordination and is often used to help overcome food aversions.

With this scorching summer weather, ice cream is always a great choice!🍦

07/17/2026

Breakfast with Bluey!

Yogurt & Fruity PCalling all of our Tiny Chefs! 👩‍🍳
We will have a special guest helping us cook this month - BLUEY! 🐾

Don't miss this one-of-a-kind character event where each tiny chef will get open sensory play in the gym, character interactions, games, and a step-by-step cooking lesson on how to make "Breakfast Sushi!" (Bananas & Yogurt & Fruity Pebbles - yum, yum!)

Tickets are Limited - Book your Spot Today!
https://ecom.roller.app/werockthespectrumjacksonville/booknow/en-us/home

07/16/2026

July is Disability Pride Month!

This year's theme is "The World Works Better With Us," which highlights the importance of including people with disabilities in everyday life, including the workplace, education, and public spaces.

On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law after protestors ascended on Washington D.C. and showed the inaccessibility of public spaces by getting out of their wheelchairs and climbing the steps of the Capitol building. The purpose of Disability Pride Month is to educate the public about the impact that discrimination against disabled people has on their social and interpersonal relationships, as well as to work on eradicating ableism and the stigma surrounding disabled people. The disability pride movement celebrates disabled individuals and their contributions and impacts on society. Many of our patients are members of the disabled community, whether it is physical or neurological. At North Florida Therapy Associates, we work with our patients to support them in the most therapeutic way so that each individual works on goals that are unique to their plan of care and their abilities. Our therapies are intended to assist patients in living the most productive, safe, and inclusive lifestyle given their limits and the limits imposed by society. We are here to help break down the barriers that society has imposed so that disabled individuals have the same access and rights as their non-disabled peers.

07/15/2026

Congratulations to Miss Cassie! 💕

07/13/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18vRebbEUE/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Sensory Night with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
Jul 28, 2026 * Begins 7:05 PM

For the second time ever, the Jumbo Shrimp are hosting a sensory friendly night to give every fan an opportunity to attend a game! This will be specifically catered to those with sensory processing challenges. The ballpark environment will be altered, providing a safe, friendly, and judgment-free zone that is welcoming for all. They will be lowering our PA system, removing walk-up music, and eliminating flashing lights from the ballpark.

For more information and tickets go to: www.gofevo.com/event/Sensorynight60?utm_id=97758_v0_s00_e0_tv1_a1demo0jkkie50&fbclid=IwY2xjawTBwzZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFLb1NQbzBXWTRhVmxURWhGc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHpbLtsGh9MyixA5F_67uVmwfirqOWbF95UFyGPdRtkq55gvCrLFVZZuZvQmw_aem_1vDJIHkLGkXPMSmd8fcX8w

07/07/2026

Our July food craft is off with a spectacular bang! 💥🍽💥