With the changing of the seasons, it is a great time to revisit our routine and incorporate new healthy habits! One easy way to “spring into health” with the spring season is to keep track of our movement. It is so important to move every day, and all movement matters!

Try this simple way to reach a place of calm when you are feeling anxious or stressed. Each card has ideas to engage one sense (and one wildcard to incorporate a random sense!) After you’ve printed out your cards, give them a shuffle, then choose a card.

Self-care looks different for everyone and sometimes it is difficult to decide how you want to engage in self-care. Our Self-Care Alphabet can give you a new idea to incorporate into your routine! Be sure to make time for yourself and prioritize the activities that will support your emotional, mental, and physical well-being.

We all have different abilities and can use support to keep our life more organized. Life skills develop over time and can be reinforced with regular practice of habits. See what’s included in our packet!

In our article, Autism Awareness — Caregiver Support, we talk about the numerous ways that caregiving is often a lifelong commitment to another, which comes with difficulties, stress, and adjustments along the way. For caregivers of all kinds, it can be one less item on the list to have a tool to keep track of things! Use our information worksheet to log the health and well-being of your loved one.

This craft uses fine motor skills to cut, trace and paint if you choose. Work on visual motor skills with tracing and cutting with accuracy, along with hand strength and dexterity to cut and assemble the house. We use our executive functions when following steps of sequencing correctly as well.

Planting a seed and tending to its growth uses fine motor skills with pinching, pouring, and scooping the seeds and dirt. Work on development of language skills to describe the items. This activity includes sensory exploration through different textures, socials skills to communicate and share (if doing with another person). Utilize executive functions through sequencing each step in the correct order.

Nature provides a sensory experience with visual, gross motor, and auditory input. Through the different sights, sounds and textures, balance and coordination through walking on uneven terrain, linguistic skills to name animals or plants that are seen during your walk, this experience has so many therapeutic benefits for all ages.

Some individuals with multiple sclerosis may find it difficult to exercise. Swimming is a great option due to its low impact on your joints, less intense resistance for muscles, and the ease of movement from your body’s buoyancy in water.

Alcohol is still the number one addictive substance that kills young people compared to any other substance. Knowing this, we must continue to understand the facts about alcohol consumption in order to keep young adults safe. Alcohol Awareness month takes place throughout the month of April.

Mental health has become a growing conversation since the late 1940s when trends began to display a decline in our cognitive functioning. However, 100 years prior, William Sweetzer first used the phrase “mental hygiene” and began to explore what encompasses mental health.

Providing support for someone on the autism spectrum can be a lifelong commitment. While high-functioning adults, or those who need less support in their daily lives, may be able to live on their own and provide for themselves, those diagnosed with severe ASD are typically unable to live on their own and may require assistance from a guardian their entire life.

The month of April is Occupational Therapy month! We aim to bring awareness to others about the discipline of occupational therapy this month and throughout the year. Occupational therapists can work with individuals of all ages, throughout the lifespan.

These tasks encourage mindfulness, creativity, self-care, and light physical activity, making it easier for individuals to integrate moments of well-being into their daily routines. Each task can be done in just a few minutes, helping reduce stress and promote a positive mindset!

For individuals with special needs, practicing life skills can develop further with regular engagement. In the morning, there are a few items that can be worked into your routine to help reinforce some of these important life skills.

Keeping track of how well you sleep can help you better understand your overall sleep hygiene and health. Forming habits around your sleep routine starts with being proactive and mindful about it! Take action with our sleep tracker worksheet.

Have you taken a look at a nutrition facts label lately? Over time, the label has changed according to guidelines from the FDA. For instance, today, most Americans get the vitamin A and vitamin C they need through a typical diet.

Did you know that what you eat can have an effect on your stress level? It is important to keep your body balanced in many ways, including managing the stress hormones in your body.

Prevention is often the best way to manage symptoms that are not treated with alternative methods such as medication. For individuals with epilepsy, being mindful of the triggers that might cause a seizure or episode can help prevent or reduce them significantly.

Adults with Multiple Sclerosis can benefit from engaging in activities which involve proprioception, which is your awareness of your body and range of movement. It is important to bring awareness to each part of your body to help the brain “feel” the connection.