Ask The Expert: What’s All This I'm Hearing About Heavy-Work?

Laurie Hopkins MS, OTR/L

Spectrum Services OT/PT/APE Department Head

So often therapists will recommend activities under the general title of “heavy-work,” when asked for sensory strategies for students who are challenged to calmly attend, or engage purposefully, in tasks at both school and home.

You might wonder, what “heavy work” means for a preschooler or student who has little to no interest in exercise or structured activities, and further why it has any sensory significance.

If we consider that “heavy work” speaks to a child’s (or adult’s) tactile and proprioceptive receptors, which in turn relay that information to the brain, it could follow that by adding more resistance to an activity, the sensory receptors receive more intensive input.

Resistive input to one’s muscles can release chemicals in the brain to facilitate a more alert, calmer, and focused state of attention...To read the rest of this article, Click Here.

Moving or Relocating? Perhaps Your Child is Staring a New School?

Is Your Family Services Coordinator Aware?

If you're moving or relocating out of the area, or if your child is going to go another school, please make sure your Family Services Coordinator knows as soon as possible.

This is important to ensure there is no disruption to your child's services.

This also gives us time to accept a child who is on a waiting list to be placed within a class.

Preparing for the

Summer Program

Please note that our summer school dates for 2023 are 7/3 - 8/11.

Summer school might be approved as part of your child's IEP, and therefore is an important extension of thier educational plan, and specifically important to prevent regression. Summer school is also lots of fun!

Please remember to schedule family vacations before or after the summer school session. Further, please let your Family Service Coordinator know if you do not plan on enrolling your child for the summer program.

Although we've had some warm days these first few days of the New Year, we know the cold weather will be returning.

Just a reminder that our Kingston School follows the Saugerties District delays/closings, and our Ellenville School follows the Ellenville District delays/closings.

Notifications are covered by most local news sources, and our webpage has a notification bar at the top of the page on days we're delayed or closed. Messages are also texted and emailed out to those parents on School Messenger.

If you're not signed up to receive our texts and emails, please contact your Family Service Coordinator.

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Thank you to those of you who have donated to support our ongoing Annual Appeal--we are so very grateful. Each tax deductible donation goes to supporting our programming, and providing only the best in special education to our students.

If you haven't had a chance to check out our Appeal Letter, and read about some of our student successes, Click Here.