Allied Health Services for children & adults

Kid's Occupational Therapists specialize in working with children and are trained to create opportunities for them to master developmental tasks and achieve independence in their home, school, and community. A child may be referred to an occupational therapist because of: clumsiness, difficulty with the grasp or motor skills, and difficulty playing or socializing effectively. Primarily, a screening is done to assess the functioning of visual, fine motor skills, and sensory processing skills. After the initial screening is completed, occupational therapy for kids would involve an evaluation to determine the level of development of the child. In addition, informal clinical observations and parent interviewing help the therapist to determine how well the child's sensory processing systems function and how effectively he/she can motor plan within his/her environment. Once the assessment is at its finishing point, the therapist most likely will determine whether therapy is recommended and the rationale for treatment. Our Occupational Therapists address difficulties in motor planning, gross and fine motor skills, feeding, sensory integration, self-care, handwriting, and executive functioning. Occupational Therapy strategies and programs incorporate Sensory Integration, Astronaut training, Therapeutic Listening, Beckman Oral Motor ®, and Handwriting without Tears ®. The occupational therapists utilize various types of measures to help the following issues; sensory processing, sensory integration, motor planning (praxis), fine motor skills, handwriting skills, play and social skills, self-care, oral motor function, environmental adaptations, and adaptive equipment modifications.

The physical therapy services for kids provided by the Mind and Motion Center focuses on addressing gross motor functioning, participation in sports, endurance, and mobility. The average age range of individuals coming to physical therapy at the Mind and Motion Center is from a year to 21 years of age, primarily focused on younger children. Treatments are attuned to the needs of the client as well as what is typical to maintain functioning for that specific age group. For younger children, under 3 years of age, treatments focus on rolling, sitting, walking, and other developmental milestone training. School bound age children and adolescents work on meeting goals such as developing mobility skills like jumping, learning how to ride a bike, climbing the stairs, and running. Adults usually focus on a higher level of balance, coordination, and endurance. Kid's physical therapy is also beneficial for orthopedic conditions, such as sports injuries, joint pain, tension headaches, ankle sprains, rotator cuff impairments, and post surgical cases. The primary goal for children's physical therapy is to have the client become able to actively engage in activities that would promote independence and engagement in physical activities of interest. By working with specific and broad goals, the physical therapist would be able to design an individual unique therapeutic plan and implement stepping stones from the beginning of treatments to the end of treatments. When following the treatment plan, the client would be able to learn key points to help them function independently and with as few restrictions as possible. Individual and family goals and training would need to be implemented to maintain successful outcomes. At the end of the treatment, the client would be able to participate in community sports without restrictions and have the ability to keep up with individuals their age.

After consultation with our certified speech therapists, an action plan regarding treatment for speech defects and disorders can be tailor-made to suit the needs of the clients who require extra help in developing new speech habits. Through the use of pin-point specialty exercises and audio-visual aids, speech therapists and clients can instill the development of new speech habits. The three main categories of speech therapy are articulation, language intervention, and oral motor therapy. The most appropriate technique will depend not only on the specific problem but also its causes and the patient's personal circumstances.