eBeanstalk Experts
Barbara Greenspan, OT Dexterity and Play Skills
Barbara Greenspan is a pediatric occupational therapist with over 20 years of experience treating both children and adults. She works in a center-based private practice in Greenwich, Connecticut with children with various special needs including spectrum disorders, sensory integration issues, fine motor and/or handwriting difficulties and delays in development. She also has her own 2 school age children. Barbara previously worked at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and The New York University Hospital-Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine. With a Bachelor’s Degree from Boston University’s Sargent College of Allied Health Professions and an Advanced Master of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy Education from Columbia University, Barbara is an enthusiastic OT who loves to play!
Frequently Asked Questions
- My 4 year old loves to write and color. What should I give the child to encourage the best “grasp pattern”?
- The best thing to give your child is small, little pieces of crayon. By holding these crayons your child will strengthen the muscles in the hand necessary to hold a pencil in the future.
- My 9 month old loves to crawl. What kind of games can I play with him to make it more fun?
- It is a great idea to have your child move his body in different ways and have his head in different positions other than upright. Set up an obstacle course and encourage him to crawl through tunnels, over bean bags and around cones. Begin to teach prepositions like “over, under and through”.
- My 6 month old puts everything in her mouth. Is this normal?
- Babies learn about the world by putting things in their mouths. Make sure you have plenty of safe toys with different textures so that they can use their hands to bring the toys to their mouths to bite, suck and chew.
- My baby loves to play with her food at every meal. Is that normal?
- Feeding time is a great time for babies to learn! They learn about different textures and cause and effect all while developing the small muscles in the hand. In fact, we recommend you give them opportunities at other times to make a mess, too.
For example, use foamy soap during bathing, make playdough with them and let them play in a sandbox. Give their hands and bodies lots of “tactile” input to help them learn!
Developmental Articles
