Ms. Rojas, OT

Hello!

Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year!

I've been with CPS since 2007, and Garvy was one of the first schools I supported. I grew up in Portage Park and attended Resurrection High School locally. I completed my undergraduate degree at North Park University and my Master's in Occupational Therapy from Midwestern University. I spend my free time in a Mexican ballet folklórico group and working on my doctorate in occupational therapy with a concentration in Autism supports.

I'm available at Garvy on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays this school year. On days that I'm not at Garvy, I am supporting another school on the north side, but am accessible by email should a question arise.

Once a year, we are required to update students' records, including a physician referral form. Please download this form and bring it to your child's pediatrician to complete. They can directly fax it back to Garvy at 773-534-1124 or it can be sent back completed in person, and I can take it from there.

Feel free to explore the topics below or check out my Amazon Wishlist below!

Shoelace tying tips and videos

Practice on a shoe in the child’s lap facing the way their foot would normally be. Practicing on a shoe with the toe facing the child can lead to direction confusion as they try to do it on themselves.

It’s important the child understands right from left before beginning so they can follow the directions in the video accurately. If left/right discrimination is still developing, marking the shoelaces by color or using a bleach pen can help meanwhile they master the skills.

Take a look at the videos below and see what your child prefers. Like with any motor skill, practice makes the activity easier! Allow enough time during dressing or before having to leave the house to go through all the steps. Rushing can lead to missed steps and frustration.

While in the process of practicing, you can explore the use of magnetic lace clips, tension clips, shoe buttons or elastic laces. The nice thing about shoe buttons and elastic laces are that the child can still practice shoelace tying, but if in a rush they can just slip the shoe on/off.

Traditional Shoelace tying: https://youtu.be/qMrhd61l4Fw

Traditional shoelace tying song: https://youtu.be/jKlB5UCrUrU

Shoelace tying in fewest steps and loops: https://youtu.be/6cBtqhq5P28

Shoelace tying for kiddos with motor dexterity challenges: https://youtu.be/TqPCGGHoxsE

One-handed shoelace tying: https://youtu.be/CLqdQ-f1RO0

Movement Breaks

You may have heard this term used but it can mean different things for different students.

Some students do well with movement while they're learning such as kicking their feet under their chair, sitting on a rocking chair while working, stretch break between activities or sitting on a ball to keep their core engaged.

Other students need to alternate between work and an active break. The active breaks can be something quick like a drink of water, a bathroom break or getting an item from another room. Some students need breaks that are more physically active the form of a walk around the block, running up and down the stairs, or exercises.

Go Noodle is a great platform that has created videos that address children's need for movement. They have a channel on Youtube than you can explore. Take a look at their playlists addressing a variety of topics from calming videos, coordination, guided dancing and more!

You can also play games like Simon Says, hopscotch, rolling a dice to come up with a new movement sequence or exercises based on spelling words or names.

Feel free to reach out if you'd like specific activities for your student.

Amazon Wish List!

School based therapy VS Medical based therapy

Want to meet virtually? A link will be available here by the end of August once my student schedule has been worked out. Please email me to coordinate a time if you'd like to meet sooner.