Published November 4, in The Washington Post

In a hurry-up world in which doing more and doing it faster is often the goal for children no matter how old they are, authors Carol Kranowitz and Joye Newman are spreading a different message: Slow down.

Give children time to explore, play, engage in lots of physical activity and do things for themselves, and they will get the basic skills they will need for reading and writing, the Bethesda authors say in their recently published book, Growing an In-Sync Child.

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“NEW PARENTING BOOKS”

Help your children develop their motor skills in The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz, M.A., and Joye Newman, M.A.

Child development occurs at different stages, but what can you do to help your child if he or she is a little behind, or “out of sync”?  Based on the authors’ experiences working with children, this book gives you many different, fun activities to do with your children to help fine-tune their development skills.

Because sedentary activities can be a problem, the authors’ In-Sync program requires children to get up and move.  The activities are organized into beginner (skills of a typical preschooler), intermediate and advanced.  There are also “menus” of things to do when your child is out of sorts, at the grocery, getting ready to do homework, instead of going to the playground or video games, just because, before bed and for those interested in music.  There is also a week 1-3 checklist before getting started.

Activities run anywhere from “Amazing Delivery Kid”  to “Arm Circles” to “Singing String,” and much more.  Each activity tells you what it will help your child develop and enhance, what is needed, what to do, how to make it more challenging and what to look for.

The Out-of-Sync Child is published by Perigee, a division of Penguin.  It is $15.95.

May 4, published in Perigee Bookmarks: Improving Your World One Book at a Time

In my (gulp) twenty years as an editor of nonfiction, I’ve learned countless things from the authors I’ve worked with. Thanks to these amazingly varied and knowledgeable writers, I can hold my own in cocktail-party conversations about the differences between cirrus and stratocumulus clouds, how to carve a pumpkin using a power saw, the history of the phone book, and how to pop a Champagne cork with a sword — among many other topics (I could go on, and I often do, especially after a whiskey smash or two).

But one of the most fascinating things I’ve learned comes from what also happens to be the first book I edited when I came to Penguin in the summer of 2004 — the revised edition of a special-needs bible called The Out-of-Sync Child, which has sold more than 750,000 copies to date.

Here’s what I learned: We have seven senses, not five.

Sure, we’ve got sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. But we also have a sense of what our body is doing, even when we can’t see it (the proprioceptive sense), and a sense of balance (the vestibular sense). When the brain isn’t processing sensory information efficiently, these two senses, along with the others, can be a bit “out-of-sync.”

Working with an author like Carol Kranowitz – whose book has been translated into a dozen languages and has touched countless special-needs parents, educators, therapists, and of course kids – is truly a privilege, and a learning experience.

Now, twelve years after The Out-of-Sync Child was first published, I have the added privilege of working with Carol and her talented new co-author, perceptual motor therapist Joye Newman, on book that, we all hope, will touch an even wider audience.

The Out-of-Sync Child takes the principles of the first book to a new level, because it turns out that ALL kids, not just those with special needs, need to run, jump, roll, skip, and balance on their tip-toes. Why? Because these movements help the brain develop as it’s supposed to.

So take your kids to the park. And let’s go out for a cocktail sometime (but only one, or else my seven senses will start to get a little foggy).

Published in Advance for Occupational Therapy Practitioners (February 21, 2005)

Finally, a book written in “kid language” to help children with sensory processing disorders understand their senses! The Goodenoughs Get in Sync is a charming story that will delight young readers and adults alike as they learn about sensory modulation disorders, sensory discrimination disorders, and sensory-based motor disorders.

The book describes a tough day in the life of the five-member Goodenough family and their naughty dog, Filibuster. Darwin, 11, who has a sensory-processing disorder, describes a “meltdown.” Edward, 5, is sensory unresponsive, and because of his poor oral-motor skills, has difficulty with his speech. Carrie, age 13, is a “sensory slumper and fumbler,” and she enlightens readers with her challenges with dyspraxia and postural disorders.

The author has cleverly used two different size fonts – one for the main story and another in smaller print that provides technical information on what being “out-of-sync” means. And the story explains occupational therapy by describing how the family benefits from the valuable input of Grace, the Goodenoughs’ occupational therapist.

This book is a quick read for students and parents alike, and it can help explain the valuable role OT plays in unraveling sensory processing challenges. In the appendix, Darwin Goodenough describes the family’s indoor and outdoor sensory diet activities for “self regulation,” along with equipment suppliers, web sites, and a glossary.

This book can be obtained from Sensory Resources, 2500 Chandler Avenue, Suite 3, Las Vegas, NV 89120-4064. www.SensoryResources.com

Trinell Bull is an occupational therapist with the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit in Lewisburg, PA, where she serves preschool and school-age children.

Published in Washington Parent’s supplement, “All Kinds of Kids” (Spring/Summer, 2005)

The Goodenoughs Get in Sync describes the varying degrees of sensory processing disorders that each of the five Goodenough family members faces. This well written, uniquely styled book catalogs Sensory Modulation Disorder (Sensory Over-Responsivity, Sensory Under-Responsivity, Sensory Seeking), Sensory Discrimination Disorder, and Sensory-Based Motor Disorder (Postural Disorders and Dyspraxia).

Each of the five members of this family describes, from a first person’s point of view, how their bodies feel, how they deal with their differing sensory feelings, and the different activities, strategies and coping mechanisms they use. They detail the exercises, equipment, body movements and dietary changes that enable them to have better control over their sensory systems.

This is a book to read to your children, or for your children to read on their own. It is written in an interactive form so that children with similar processing disorders can understand not only that other people have the same feelings that they do, but they can also begin to understand the reasons their bodies are acting a certain way.

Carol Stock Kranowitz has written a wonderful book that explains, in easy-to-read language, the many troubling and confusing issues that make up sensory processing disorders.