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.

  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • FAQ
  • Our Services
    • Motor Smart Kids
    • Continuing Education
    • FREE Resources
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Corona Virus (Covid-19) Response / Move to Telehealth

3 Cues for Movement

August 12, 2020 by Stacy Menz

When we are encouraging or teaching a new movement, we often have to provide cueing for the child. I thought I would take a moment and breakdown 4 of the main types of cueing that are used.

  1. Visual – Visual cues are cues that your little one can see. This could be in any format. The following are some examples to show how varied they can be. For instance with going up and down stairs, we will sometimes use tape on the steps to encourage reciprocal stepping to show where to place the foot. This could also be a toy that lights up encouraging the child to reach for it. It could also be you doing the exercises with the child and modeling it. We do this with jumping jacks a lot of time or with a mirror. It’s anything that is used visually to encourage the movement.
  2. Auditory – Auditory cues are cues that your little one can hear. Again, this can look differently depending on the scenario. It may be counting to help pace the activity such as for jumping jacks. Or when a child is learning to skip or hopscotch the cues may be more about what they are supposed to be doing like ‘step hop, step hop’ or ‘one foot, two feet.’ It may be about speed or direction such as steering and riding a bicycle. Or just asking a child to do a movement a certain way and waiting for them to initiate. Rattles and toys that make noise are also auditory cues to encourage reaching or moving towards an object.
  3. Tactile – Tactile cues are cues that your little one may feel. It could be a light touch to remind them to use one side rather than the other. We often use tapping on the leg we want the child to lead with when going up a step. It could be something like a hand over hand for encouraging reaching. Tickling is another cue to help remind the muscle to turn on, we often use it on the core for postural control.

You can also combine cues if needed. For instance tapping their leg while saying ‘this foot’ for going up stairs. Or using a toy that lights and makes noise. What does the child need to be successful and to start to learn the skill?

Some of the reasons cues may be used are to:

  • initiate movement
  • sequence movement
  • improve movement accuracy

The goal is to be able to gradually decrease the amount of cueing that is needed for the child to successfully initiate and complete the skill. You also need to keep in mind that some cueing may be more beneficial for kids than others. Just like you or I may learn better if we hear something versus read something, the same for kids. If a child has a type of apraxia they may have a hard time following auditory cues but do ok with visual cues or tactile cues. Same with if a child has visual challenges, they may need auditory or tactile cues. It’s also important to give time for the child to process the information before you give the cue again. And, if nothing happens after I give a verbal cue and wait a while, I might try a tactile cue the next time. It’s all about discovering the best ‘learning style’ for your little one!

Related

Filed Under: Blog, Developmental Milestones Tagged With: body awareness, coordination, core, cueing, developmental delay, education, exercise, fine motor development, gross motor development, kids, moms, motivation, Motor Smart Kids, occupational therapy, physical therapy, Starfish Therapies, tactile cues, verbal cues, visual cues

Search

Subscribe To Our Emails

Subscribe and receive access to our FREE products, incredible list of pdfs, websites, readings, and many other useful recommendations!

Primary Programs

  • Motor Smart Kids
    • Free Play
    • Kids Action Hour
    • Yoga for Kids of All Abilities
    • Functional Movement Screen
    • Video Running Analysis
    • Youth Sports Injury Prevention
    • Concussion Screening and Management
  • Continuing Education
    • PNF 1: Introduction to PNF
    • PNF 2: Accessing the Trunk
    • Strength Training in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder
  • Resources
    • Telehealth
    • Informational Handouts
    • Useful Websites
    • Recommended Readings
    • Helpful Products
    • Blogs to Follow
    • Favorite Therapy Products at amazon.com

What Clients Are Saying

“We have been so happy with our experience with Stacy. She is a skilled therapist who is so open to all of our questions and ideas. We have worked with a number of different therapists over time, and Stacy has truly been the best therapist for our son! We have also done physical therapy intensives with different clinics across the country, and found our intensive with Starfish to be the most useful and most tailored to what our son needs (not just a cookie cutter formula). We are grateful for all of the time/effort/sweat Stacy puts in for our son!”

Recent Blog Posts

  • Occupational Therapy Round-Up
  • Should I Be Concerned?
  • Dr. Seuss Books and Activities
  • More Ideas for Catching
  • Book Inspired Activities

Disclaimers

  • Full Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • HIPAA Patient Notice
  • Accessibility Statement

Search

Patient Resources

  • New Patient Intake Forms
  • Starfish Resources
  • Our Services

Clinical Resources

  • Career Opportunties
  • Continuing Education

Contact

  (650) 638-9142
  (650) 638-9141
  admin@starfishtherapies.com

Join Our Online Community

Location

BURLINGAME
  1541 Old Bayshore Highway
  Burlingame, CA 94010

© Copyright 2023 Starfish Therapies · All Rights Reserved · Powered by babaLucas

 

Loading Comments...