Community Presentations

Bring the expertise of our staff to your organization! 

Our programs help parents meet their children’s developmental needs with recent research findings and practical strategies. Programs are typically 90 minutes and presented in English, though they may be conducted in several other languages.

We are also delighted to work with you to develop a custom program that will meet the needs of your organization. Contact Beijing or contact Shanghai for more information.

Community Presentation Topics 

General Therapy Topics

 

What is Pediatric Therapy?

This presentation is an overview of pediatric therapy and the services provided by Olivia’s Place.  It includes information on pediatric occupational, physical, and speech therapy.  We will also cover psychology services for children and options for families with children who are faced with learning challenges. This presentation is free of charge.

Olivia and Friends: A Story of helping a child and engaging people in how children with special needs are served in China

Nelson Chow, Founder of Olivia’s Place, discusses his family’s experience with finding resources for their daughter, Olivia, and the adventures of ultimately opening a pediatric therapy center. He will also outline the current state of pediatric therapy and special needs services for children, both foreign and local, in China.  This talk will give cultural context for special needs services here and provide fascinating insight into a quickly developing profession in China.  

Infant and Toddler Topics

Developmental Milestones  – Your Child’s First Two Years

Your child’s first two years are full of monumental milestones, and in fact it seems that every day they learn something new! Although every baby progresses differently, this talk is a brief discussion of your child’s developmental milestones and the general time frames in which they occur. A therapist will discuss how to encourage your child’s development toward these important milestones and when to be concerned.

Tummy Time

A lack of “tummy time” can cause babies to be delayed in learning to roll over, sit up, crawl, and even walk. It can also hamper the development of strong necks and arms, and of good left-right coordination. This class teaches techniques for making tummy time fun (or at least tolerable) for babies and parents. Other topics discussed with the therapist will include positional plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome), torticollis, and how to help your child as he or she learns to crawl.

Motor Development Topics

Helping Your Preschool Age Child with Motor Development

Learn what to expect in terms of motor development during the toddler and preschool years (2-5). Review the skills important to a child’s development – including gross motor skills (running, jumping, climbing, etc.) and fine motor skills (using a crayon, washing hands, etc.). Understand red flags that can signal concern about your child’s development. Take away activities you can do at home with you child to encourage skill development.

Finger Fun: Getting Ready to Write
An occupational therapist will discuss the normal progression of hand skill use, and show you activities to help your child develop the prerequisites for sitting at a desk and writing, as well as other fine motor skills such as playing an instrument. This workshop also addresses problems that school age children encounter while learning and practicing handwriting. This workshop is best for parents of children 3 and up.

The “Write” Stuff: Helping Your Child Improve Their Handwriting Skills

This workshop will focus on how to help children who don’t like to write or who struggle with handwriting or the writing process. How we address poor writing habits or a skill deficit depends on an understanding of the underlying problem or skills that require additional focus. The developmental areas (executive function, motor skills, sensory integration, memory) that are important to both handwriting and the writing process will be discussed. This workshop is most useful for  parents of children ages 5-9.

Speech, Language, and Reading Topics

Speech Development in a Multilingual Household

Growing up in a multilingual family can sometimes stretch children’s language capabilities. In this program, a speech therapist explores how children learn in bilingual and multilingual settings. The issues of identifying speech development delays and other language problem indicators, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of encouraging a child to learn more than one or two languages at once will be discussed. The focus of the talk will include learning strategies and reinforcement of positive language practices.

How to Help Your Child with Speech Development

The development of speech and language is extremely important to a child’s ability to learn about the world around them. What is typical for different age groups? At what point should I be concerned?, What can be done to encourage a child’s speech development at home? Strategies and approaches to help children who are learning more than one language at home and at school will be presented.

Making Reading an Interactive and Fun Activity

“It is the talk that surrounds the storybook reading that gives it power, helping children to bridge what is in the story and their own lives.” Can storytelling increase your child’s literacy development? This seminar will explain why interaction during book reading is critical to the development of emergent literacy skill.  We will discuss specific interactive strategies for parents and caregivers and how to select books that are conducive to interactive learning.

Practical Strategies for Dealing with Dyslexia

What is dyslexia?  Current research suggests that dyslexic students use different parts of their brain for reading than non-dyslexic students; the parts of the brain activated by reading in dyslexic students will be discussed in this seminar. This information is helpful to understand how these students learn. The implementation of learning strategies that help dyslexic students become more successful will be explored in this session.

Sensory Topics

Your Child’s Sensory System

A child’s sensory system is regulated by a complex set of connections between the body and the brain. Our bodies need regular input about the world around us. This helps us to regulate our moods, emotions and ability to concentrate. Join an occupational therapist for this interesting talk about your child’s sensory system, how it works, what it looks like, and how you can help your child’s daily sensory diet.

 

Social, Emotional and Behavioral Topics

Fostering Your Child’s Social Skills

Does your child struggle in social situations? Does your child have trouble making friends at school or have trouble knowing what to do in a new setting? Maybe he or she is overly shy and can’t seem to ask for help when it is needed? Perhaps your child is overly aggressive or can’t control his or her temper? This workshop discusses how to actively teach social skills to your child through various techniques, including modelling, facilitating interaction, and creating opportunities to practice specific skills. The discussion will include topics such as communication, body language, and behavior. This workshop is best suited for parents of children ages 5-12, but is open to all parents.

 

Feeding Topics

Starting Solid Foods

Our feeding specialist discusses the normal development of feeding skills and when and how it’s recommended to begin feeding babies solid foods. Learn about different textures and consistencies of baby foods; how to balance intake of milk vs. solids, and which foods to introduce in which order (and why). The seminar also explores what to do if your baby seems to be rejecting solid foods.

 Parenting the Picky Eater

In this presentation, we discuss the roots of selective eating, how to track progress, and how to bring about change for the picky eater. This three-part series is suitable for any parent whose older child (3-12) is an extremely selective eater. The seminars address the following questions. Does your child have a very limited repertoire of foods? Does he or she refuse to try new foods, or gag when presented with anything outside the ordinary? Does your child not eat lunch at school, or other foods that his or her peers readily consume?

Special Topics

Understanding, Identifying, and Supporting Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The first half of this training will provide an overview of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).  It will separate fact from fiction, increase your understanding of ASD primary features, and alert you to signs that warrant further evaluation. The second half of the training will provide information on evidence-based treatments and introduce you to effective instructional strategies that can be used within the school setting to support children with ASD.

 

Attachment and the Importance of Stress Management for Parents 

After a brief introduction to Attachment Theory and how to develop and maintain a secure attachment with children, we will discuss the impact of stress on the parenting brain and the importance of stress managements in maintaining healthy relationships with children. We will end with a strategy for stress management; an exercise involving compassionate letter writing.

Child Protection: Policy, Procedure, and Practice

 

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