Starfish Therapies

A pediatric therapy company operating in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. We provide physical, occupational, speech and aquatic therapy services in the most beneficial and convenient setting for you and your child, including our clinic, currently located in Burlingame, your home, school or daycare.

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Developing Reaching in Sitting

March 13, 2012 by Stacy Menz

In order to be able to do things in sitting, kiddos need to be able to reach and move without falling over.  Reaching in sitting works with balance and being able to anticipate how the movement is going to affect them and turn the correct muscles on so that they don’t topple over.  Some ways to work on reaching are to have things on the ground in front of, to the side of and in various positions so they get practice moving in different directions.  Its fun to watch them figure out how far they can reach without falling and still be able to return to sitting.  Sometimes they have to take some practice runs until they figure out exactly how their muscles are going to react.  The less support you can provide and still have them be safe during these activities will really help them to use their whole body in a coordinated way.   In addition to having items on the ground, you can also hold them up and have them reach.  Change positions here as well so they get to use one or two hands, and switch between right and left.  You’ll also start to see more trunk rotation developing and cross body reaching as they feel more stable.  You can watch the kiddos find ways to create stability, whether holding one arm in a high guard position or using an arm to prop on the ground, they are figuring out their bodies.  Have fun watching them develop!

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Filed Under: Developmental Milestones Tagged With: balance, coordination, physical therapy, reaching, sitting, Starfish Therapies

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I could see the progress being made in my son’s communication and overall disposition. Not only were the classes fun, but he also became a lot less frustrated when trying to communicate with others.”

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  BURLINGAME / MAIN CLINIC
  1541 Old Bayshore Highway
  Burlingame, CA 94010


  SAN FRANCISCO
  (located in KidSpace)
  3401 Mission St.
  San Francisco, CA 94110


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  (located in Agile Physical Therapy)
  3825 El Camino Real
  Palo Alto, CA 94306


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  (located at Sensitive Solutions)
  30 Avenue Portola, Suite 200 C & D
  Half Moon Bay, CA 94018

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