Occupational Therapy

Have you ever wondered how some kids can easily complete jigsaw puzzles while some requires more time to finish? Or have you ever wondered how some kids can easily identify left and right side of the shoes while others still needed full assistance? These are some of the difficulties of parents and teachers of children with some visual perception difficulties. As adults, we often oversee the importance of our senses. We can easily interpret the world around is through our eyes, ears, nose and hands naturally. However, this isn’t the same way for everyone. From smelling freshly brewed coffee, to

Have you ever wondered why your child avoids paint while other kids enjoy touching it? Or perhaps you've noticed that your child dislikes the bright sun while others enjoy playing outside on a hot summer day? These behaviours could be linked to Sensory Processing Disorders (SPD), a condition where the brain struggles to receive and respond to information from the senses. As children grow and explore their surroundings, they first learn to register information from their senses, process it, and respond appropriately. When this system doesn’t work as expected, sensory processing difficulties can arise, leading to behaviours that may impact daily

Learning environment plays a vital role in terms of our children’s over-all development. For parents, when choosing a school, the environment is the first thing being considered. We want the school to be nurturing, safe and at the same time enjoyable. In Bridging the Gap, we have specially designed environment for our children with diverse needs. More than the classroom set up, we give high importance to our sensory gym where our children can explore, play and also regulate themselves before starting their daily routines. Our sensory gym provides various sensory input for the children. We have different types of

People nowadays are always after their health and well-being. We aren’t against it as it helps in promoting a better lifestyle. With this, people always make sure they eat the healthiest, or can we say the most “instagrammable” meal. People go to the famous fitness centers and try the trendy execises such as HIIT, aerial yoga, pilates, and many more. When people encounter problems with their sense of sight, smell, hearing and taste, it is so easy for them to just go the hospital and see a doctor. However, we always neglect other parts of the sensory system. One of

Diverse – a word that would best describe our children. Each child is unique and as we all say, every child has his or her own pattern. This also goes with communication. Some parents may find it easy to communicate with their children, while some parents struggle. Because of this, questions like: “Can my child even hear me?” or “is there something wrong with the way I talk to my child?” arise. One important factor that can help in improving communication with our children is to know their likes and dislikes. When you know what your child likes, you know

Since Singapore’s Circuit Breaker was implemented, we are all spending most (if not all) of our time at home which means we needed to come up with a number of ways to keep our children entertained. While schools are conducting online teaching and giving out worksheets, there’s so much more activities that can be done at home which our children can benefit from. If you are worried that the space in your home is not enough or if you are thinking you can’t do activities at home because you cannot buy things outside, then you are mistaken. This is why

Playground or play gym is every child’s happy place. This is a place of play and exploration for our kids. This is where they can express themselves, socialize with others and where they can strengthen their motor skills. This is why in Bridging the Gap, we have our sensory gym where the children can express and regulate themselves at the same time. This is very beneficial especially to our kids with SPD or Sensory Processing Disorder. On top of our sensory gym and the various equipments, we would like to highlight the use of tunnels. Tunnels can provide many benefits

When people hear the word GYM, most will think that it is a place to improve physical fitness and health. This is where people run on treadmills and carry dumbbells and whatnot. Also, in most schools, gym is a place where sports leagues are held. But if you walk into a sensory gym, you’d know that it serves a different purpose. What exactly is a sensory gym? A sensory gym is an area for active play which stimulates all the senses of our children. It is a structured environment which includes sensory equipment designed to provide proprioceptive and vestibular sensory

Sensory activities are very beneficial for all toddlers to preschool-aged  children, but they are of particular benefit for children with autism. Children with Autism have varying needs and display a range of different behaviours. Therefore, activities should be patterned according to their needs and according to their Individualised Education Plan. Children with autism do have similar characteristics which includes: difficulties with communication, flexibility and understanding other people’s behaviour; many also have difficulties with processing sensory information. This is often called SPD or Sensory Processing Disorder. So what are the benefits of sensory activities for children's development?  Engaging children with autism in sensory activities