Toronto Children’s Therapy Centre is excited to partner with registered occupational therapist Ali Cooper to launch a new online program!

Sprouting Seedlings:  An OT based approach to infant development (Ages 6-12 months)

This program provides parents and caregivers with the knowledge and skills to optimally promote their infant’s growth and development, as guided by an occupational therapist and aided by a detailed workbook.

The goal of the program is to coach parents and caregivers to optimally promote their infant’s growth and development through an Occupational Therapy perspective.

Sprouting seedlings: an OT-based approach to infant development has been developed for the parents and caregivers of babies aged 6-12 months. This is a developmental period when babies grow and learn through exploration and play at an astonishing rate, all while developing motor, cognitive, and emotional skills. This program teaches parents fun and engaging strategies that promote their child’s optimal growth and well-being.

Participants will be provided with evidence-based, actionable, and accessible information that is tailored to them and their child. Each session will start with a discussion of participants questions and concerns about their infants development, creating a highly personalized program. Topics covered include, but are not limited to:

•    Motor development and milestones – Motor development includes rolling over, sitting up, self-feeding, and much more.  We will discuss expectations and identify techniques to encourage progression of these milestones.

  •  Feeding– This section identifies practical ways to create healthy and positive feeding behaviours that make mealtime fun for everyone.

  •  Co-regulation and Self-Regulation– A detailed introduction to co-regulation and self-regulation will be discussed, including how to incorporate them into a supportive and warm parenting environment as your child begins developing their thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

  Parenting is hard, and can often feel isolating at the best of times. Our current world situation intensifies these difficulties. This program aims to alleviate some of these challenges in two ways: via practical, evidence-based strategies for effective parenting, and through an opportunity to create a social network of like-minded caregivers in a world of social limitation. We can build this foundation together.

 BIO:

Ali’s introduction to motherhood was not the glimmering, shiny moment she had thought it would be.  As with many parents, those first few months proved to be draining and emotional.  However, as her son began to develop and undertake new skills and milestones seemingly daily, Ali became emboldened.  She began to be able to implement the knowledge she had gained through her training and experience as an occupational therapist, and before she knew it she was preparing for each new milestone with intentional techniques that combined play and engagement to help her son grow.  She realized how valuable it was to take the guess work out of parenting, and discovered that an OT-based approach to raising her own child not only improved his development, but also allowed her to more thoroughly enjoy her experience as a mom.  She became fully immersed in his progress and, as a result, built an evidence-based roadmap for teaching other parents how to get the most out of their sprouting seedling.