SERVICES
Occupational Therapy focuses on the development of life skills. For children, occupations include activities such as eating, dressing themselves, writing and classroom skills, playing and socializing. Occupational therapists are uniquely trained to be able to assess how the demands of an activity or environment match the skills of the individual. When demands and skills are poorly matched, OT's are able to modify environments and strengthen skills, in order to impact overall performance and well-being.
Feeding Therapy - Children can develop feeding problems if something about eating is too difficult or uncomfortable. OT can work on oral motor skills such as chewing, controlling food within the mouth, and swallowing. OT can also work on improving a child's ability to tolerate the feel, smell, taste or texture of foods and help kids become more comfortable trying new foods. OT can also help recognize signs of other problems related to eating such as gastrointestinal problems, aspiration (fluid/food getting into the airway during swallowing), or other neurological problems.
Sensory Processing Disorder - We all receive, interpret and act on sensory input, throughout our entire day. The way a child senses the world around them can have a big impact on how well they function during all the activities that make up a child's day including school, meals, bath time and play. Occupational Therapy can assess difficulties your child may be having with the sensory input in their world. OT's can provide education on how to make routines and environments more sensory friendly, for your child. During therapy, activities will be structured to gradually challenge your child's sensory systems and foster appropriate responses, so that your child can learn to be more successful in everyday situations.
Motor Development - Typical development occurs spontaneously through play and experience, without the help of special activities or intervention. Children learn to crawl, use utensils to feed themselves, draw with a crayon, pump on a swing and ride a bike, with relatively little direct assistance. However, when children have difficulty with strength, coordination, motor planning, sensory processing disorders, muscle tone impairments, and other genetic or neurological conditions, their motor development can be delayed or even develop abnormally. OT's can provide interventions to make kids stronger, develop body awareness and coordination and learn to master developmental tasks.
Self and Emotional Regulation - Self-regulation is the skill of being able to manage your own body, energy level, attention and behavior, in order to meet the demands of the environment. Different demands are required of children at home vs. at school vs. on the play ground. Adapting to the changing demands on the body's nervous system requires complex processing in the brain. When the skill of self-regulation is difficult, children may have a meltdown, be overly excited, shut-down, act inappropriately for the situation, or become anxious. Occupational Therapy can help kids recognize their own feelings and behaviors, teach kids to self monitor their behavior, and teach calming and coping skills that are individualized to the child's unique personality.
Executive Functioning Skill- Executive Functioning skills are a set of cognitive skills that help us to pay attention, plan, initiate, and execute tasks. These cognitive skills guide a child's thoughts and actions throughout their entire day, so that they can independently fulfill responsibilities at home and school. Poor executive functioning skills can lead to difficulty with frustration management, time management, organization of school work, and poor follow through with plans. Executive functioning can commonly occur in children with other specific conditions including ADHD, learning difficulties, and anxiety. Occupational Therapy can improve executive functioning by identifying the specific cognitive skill that is weak, strengthening cognitive skills, teaching self-monitoring and goal setting, and helping families establish behavioral modification plans.
Sensory Processing Disorder - We all receive, interpret and act on sensory input, throughout our entire day. The way a child senses the world around them can have a big impact on how well they function during all the activities that make up a child's day including school, meals, bath time and play. Occupational Therapy can assess difficulties your child may be having with the sensory input in their world. OT's can provide education on how to make routines and environments more sensory friendly, for your child. During therapy, activities will be structured to gradually challenge your child's sensory systems and foster appropriate responses, so that your child can learn to be more successful in everyday situations.
Motor Development - Typical development occurs spontaneously through play and experience, without the help of special activities or intervention. Children learn to crawl, use utensils to feed themselves, draw with a crayon, pump on a swing and ride a bike, with relatively little direct assistance. However, when children have difficulty with strength, coordination, motor planning, sensory processing disorders, muscle tone impairments, and other genetic or neurological conditions, their motor development can be delayed or even develop abnormally. OT's can provide interventions to make kids stronger, develop body awareness and coordination and learn to master developmental tasks.
Self and Emotional Regulation - Self-regulation is the skill of being able to manage your own body, energy level, attention and behavior, in order to meet the demands of the environment. Different demands are required of children at home vs. at school vs. on the play ground. Adapting to the changing demands on the body's nervous system requires complex processing in the brain. When the skill of self-regulation is difficult, children may have a meltdown, be overly excited, shut-down, act inappropriately for the situation, or become anxious. Occupational Therapy can help kids recognize their own feelings and behaviors, teach kids to self monitor their behavior, and teach calming and coping skills that are individualized to the child's unique personality.
Executive Functioning Skill- Executive Functioning skills are a set of cognitive skills that help us to pay attention, plan, initiate, and execute tasks. These cognitive skills guide a child's thoughts and actions throughout their entire day, so that they can independently fulfill responsibilities at home and school. Poor executive functioning skills can lead to difficulty with frustration management, time management, organization of school work, and poor follow through with plans. Executive functioning can commonly occur in children with other specific conditions including ADHD, learning difficulties, and anxiety. Occupational Therapy can improve executive functioning by identifying the specific cognitive skill that is weak, strengthening cognitive skills, teaching self-monitoring and goal setting, and helping families establish behavioral modification plans.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
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Picky or Problem Eaters
Aspiration or swallowing problems Oral aversion Food Allergies / Gastrointestinal Problems ADHD/ADD Learning Disabilities Visual Impairment Anxiety Down Syndrome |
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Sensory Processing Disorder Cerebral Palsy Developmental Delay Dyslexia Food allergies or Gastrointestinal Problems Executive Processing Disorder Difficulties in school Difficulty with Handwriting |
