In house services offered:
Occupational Therapy,
Speech Therapy,
Feeding Therapy
External services offered:
collaboration with licensed clinical social worker to provide social emotional support for the child and family
Who may benefit from Occupational Therapy and conditions/challenges we treat:
Children may need occupational therapy with or without the presence of a medical condition.
Kids who present with the following medical conditions are considered to be ‘at risk’ for delays in skills that negatively impact function and participation in home and school environments.
birth defects
ADD and/or ADHD
learning difficulties
behavioral and emotional difficulties
developmental delays
post-surgical conditions
other chronic illnesses
How Occupational Therapy makes a difference?
decreasing touch hypersensitivity, movement hyperactivity, and meltdowns related with sensory processing differences
improving feeding and sleeping skills
improving fine motor skills so they can grasp and release toys and develop good handwriting skills
facilitating and improving hand-eye coordination to promote kids’ play and school skills (batting a ball, copying from a blackboard, etc.)
improving social skills to facilitate interpersonal relationships etc.
What is Sensory Processing Disorder?
“Sensory processing, also referred to as Sensory Integration (SI) is the ability to organize sensory information for ongoing use. It refers to the way that the nervous system receives and processes information from all the senses (touch, movement, smell, taste, vision, and hearing), organizes, or integrates that information, and then responds in a meaningful way. Sensory Processing provides the necessary foundation for more complex learning and behavior.
The most important step in promoting sensory processing in children is to recognize the pervasive role that it plays in child development. By learning more about sensory processing, parents, educators and caregivers can provide an enriched environment that will foster health, growth, and maturation."
For most of us, effective sensory processing occurs automatically, unconsciously, and without effort. For most children, sensory processing develops in the course of ordinary childhood activities facilitating the ability to readily adapt to a variety of environments; maintain attention, alertness, and even-keeled behavior; and to motor plan and learn. But for some children, dysfunction in the central nervous system makes it difficult to perceive sensation accurately and/or respond to sensory information in a meaningful, consistent way. The process is inefficient, demands undue effort and attention, and is often unsuccessful. The inability to adequately analyze, organize and integrate sensory information is called Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), formerly known as Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID).
The results of SPD may be evident in challenges in learning, development, or behavior. Dr. A. Jean Ayres, Ph.D., an occupational therapist, pioneered the theory of Sensory Integration to explain the relationship between behavior and neural functioning. Her work continues to be developed and refined through research within the field of occupational therapy and in other fields including neuropsychology, neurology, physiology and child development.”
Signs of Sensory Processing Disorder include
(but are not limited to):
Overly sensitive to touch, movement, sights, or sounds
Under reactive to touch, movement, sights, or sounds
Getting easily distracted
Anxiety
Difficulty maintaining and regulating behavior
Physical clumsiness or apparent carelessness
Impulsivity
Difficulty with making transitions
Difficulty to unwind or calm self down
Delays in speech, language, or motor skills
Difficulty with "student skills"
Social and/or emotional dysregulation
“Speech, language, or hearing problems can lead to trouble making friends and doing well in school. Give your child success—get help early.
Find your child's age below and learn about their speech, language, and hearing development.
Children develop at their own rate. These charts tell you when most children who speak only one language will reach each milestone. Your child should master the skills listed by the time they reach the top of the age range. Missing one skill in the age range does not mean they have a problem. You may want to seek help if you answer "no" to most of the skills.”
- ASHA, Typical Speech and Language Development
What is Social language and Pragmatics?
“If someone has trouble using the social communication skills listed below, an SLP might be able to help if the person or their family would like to work with them. There are three major skills involved in social communication:
Using language for different reasons, such as
greeting (saying “Hello” or “Good-bye”);
informing (saying “I’m going to get a cookie”)
demanding (saying “Give me a cookie right now!”);
promising (saying “I’m going to get you a cookie.”); or
requesting (saying “I want a cookie, please.”).
Changing language for the listener or situation, such as
communicating differently to a baby than to an adult or a friend;
giving more information to someone who does not know the topic;
knowing to skip some details when someone already knows the topic; or
communicating differently in a public place than at home.
Following rules for conversations and storytelling, such as
taking turns being a talker and being a listener;
letting others know the topic when you start talking;
staying on topic;
trying another way of saying what you mean when someone did not understand you;
using gestures and body language, like pointing or shrugging;
knowing how close to stand to someone when talking; or
using facial expressions and eye contact.
Every culture—and even every family—can have its own set of rules. Even different groups of friends might have their own set of rules. These rules are usually not written down, so it can be difficult to know how to act in different situations.
How Can SLPs Help?
SLPs work with children and adults who have difficulty with social communication by supporting communication with others in various places such as at home, at school, or at work. SLPs might work with someone one-on-one or in a group. Below are some examples of social communication in action that SLPs may help someone practice:
Saying “hello” or some other greeting to help jump into a conversation
Using different forms of language that match the situation, like requesting to borrow something from a friend instead of demanding it
Knowing when and how to change the conversational topic
Understanding the meaning of expressions like “it’s raining cats and dogs”
Understanding sarcasm, or how to use sarcasm correctly
Understanding humor and making jokes
Remember, these are just examples—the ways we communicate with others are so complicated that it’s impossible to put them all in one list. A hearing screening may be performed to better understand hearing levels, and the results may help the SLP tailor their treatment to the person’s individual communication needs.”
ASHA, Social Communication Skills
What is Feeding Therapy?
“Feeding is an intricate and very complex combination and coordination of skills. For some infants and children, these skills develop seamlessly, while other children can have difficulties in coordinating this complex combination of sensory and motor skills. When one or more pieces of the feeding puzzle are missing, out of order, or unclear, infants and children can have difficulty eating and drinking.
For these infants and children, every bite of food can be painful, scary, or impossible, potentially impeding nutrition, development, growth, and overall well-being.
If your child only eats certain foods or dislikes trying new foods he or she may be considered a picky eater. The sensory sensitive child may be hypersensitive to the smell, sight, and/or texture of certain foods which limits their overall diet and nutrition. Likewise, a child that does not have the motor skills to successfully move, manipulate, chew, and swallow food and liquids safely and successfully can result in food refusal or limitations in diet. When your child’s sensory and motor skills related to feeding are impacting their ability to eat at an age appropriate level and/or are causing stress around mealtime they may benefit from skilled feeding therapy.
Some very common red flags for feeding challenges in young infants and children include, but are not limited to inappropriate weight gain (under/overweight), choking, gagging, coughing, or vomiting with eating, difficulty accepting different textures of foods, not accepting an entire food group (i.e. fruits, vegetables, meats, etc.), a food range of fewer than 20 foods, and behavioral battles around eating and mealtime between caregivers and the child.
If your child demonstrates one or more of the aforementioned feeding challenges and/or you have concerns regarding your child’s feeding abilities occupational therapy specializing in skilled feeding therapy may be right for you and your child.”
A Pediatric Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) plays a crucial role in supporting both the child and the family in various ways, especially when dealing with emotional, behavioral, or social challenges. Here's how they help:
1. Emotional Support for the Child
Identifying Emotional Issues: An LCSW assesses the child’s emotional state and helps identify underlying emotional challenges, such as anxiety, depression, or trauma.
Developing Coping Skills: They work with the child to develop coping strategies for managing emotions, stress, and difficult social situations. This may include teaching the child how to express feelings, self-regulate, and deal with conflict.
Therapeutic Intervention: Depending on the child's needs, the LCSW may provide individual therapy through play, talk therapy, or other age-appropriate methods to address emotional dysregulation or behavioral concerns.
2. Behavioral Support
Addressing Behavioral Issues: They help the child develop better behavioral responses to situations that may trigger emotional distress or sensory overload.
Collaboration with Other Therapists: The LCSW collaborates with occupational therapists, speech therapists, and educators to ensure the child’s emotional and behavioral needs are addressed holistically.
3. Family Support
Counseling for Parents: They provide guidance to parents on managing stress, communicating effectively with their child, and navigating any challenges related to their child's emotional or behavioral development.
Parent-Child Relationships: The LCSW helps improve family dynamics by fostering stronger relationships between the child and their parents or caregivers, helping everyone in the family understand and address the child’s unique needs.
Crisis Intervention: In cases of family stress (e.g., parental separation, trauma), the LCSW offers crisis counseling and resources to help the family navigate these situations.
4. Social and Environmental Advocacy
Resource Navigation: LCSWs connect families to community resources, such as support groups, financial assistance programs, or specialized services that may help with education, healthcare, or legal matters.
School Collaboration: They work with schools to advocate for the child’s emotional and educational needs, ensuring that Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or other accommodations are in place.
By addressing both the emotional and social aspects of the child's well-being, the Pediatric LCSW helps create a supportive environment for both the child and the family, leading to more successful outcomes in therapy and daily life.