Occupational Therapy for Children

Services

 
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Occupational Therapy

Clinic and home-based occupational therapy evaluation and treatment with a focus on family centered care, parent training, and using play to help children learn new skills. Virtual visits can also be provided. Services are available for children birth to 8 years of age with challenges in the following areas of development: 

  • social interaction and communication 

  • emotional regulation and sensory processing

  • play 

  • self-care including dressing, toileting, and feeding 

  • motor development

  • visual-perceptual abilities

  • cognitive development

Feeding Therapy

Many children have feeding difficulties and feeding is a very complex task and can be extremely frustrating for both a child and their parent/care-giver. We provide a a comprehensive assessment of a child’s feeding skills analyzing the factors contributing to the child’s difficulty and then work with the parent/care-giver to develop an individualized treatment plan. Areas that can be addressed include:

  • oral motor difficulties

  • sensory based challenges

  • delineating between “picky eaters” and “problem eaters”

Several treatment approaches are used to support feeding therapy including:

  • SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory)

  • DIRFloortime

  • Neurodevelopmental

PLAY Project

The PLAY Project is a home based intensive program for children with autism ages 18 months to 6 years. PLAY focuses on improving a child’s social communication and interactional skills, the core challenges of children with autism using the DIRFloortime Model. PLAY can be an alternative or an addition to ABA services.

Children, including children with autism, learn best through play in the natural environment of the home. The secret is knowing how to engage your child in a playful way that promotes his or her development. Parents are seen as their child’s best play partners and therefore provide the intervention. A PLAY Project Consultant teachs parents and/or care-giver’s specific methods, techniques, and activities to incorporate into their daily activities to help their children learn new skills.

Demonstration, coaching, video analysis, and written materials are used as teaching tools. 

The program begins and ends with a comprehensive assessment looking at the following areas:  

  • Child’s ability to communicate (non-verbally and verbally) during daily activities.

  • Child’s ability to interact and play with others

  • Child’s ability to process sensory information

  • Child’s motor skills-how your child moves and his/her ability to explore the world with his/her hands

Intervention is individualized for each child and family based on the child’s strengths, interests, and challenges.

For further information, click on the following website: http://www.playproject.org

Mentorship

Profession training/mentorship is available to:

  • support entry level occupational therapists in clinical practice

  • provide additional training and mentorship to clinicians (occupational therapists, speech therapists, educators, physical therapists, mental health professionals, social workers, etc.) in addressing children’s social-emotional development and sensory processing challenges through the use of the DIRFloortime® Model

  • assist clinicians (occupational therapists, speech therapists, educators, physical therapists, mental health professionals, social workers, etc.) in using collaborative relationships and coaching to empower parents/caregivers