Occupational Therapy

The Speech& Language Development Center offers Occupational Therapy assessment and treatment to children who have difficulty performing everyday motor processes or who seem to have a sensory processing disorder that disrupts their daily life in a variety of physical, behavioral or emotional ways. We also run a comprehensive food program for young people who have difficulty eating.

Sensory Processing Disorders
Sensory processing disorders can manifest in a variety of ways and affect a child’s motor skills, learning, activity level, behavior, social, and emotional regulation.

Occupational therapists can assess and treat children with sensory processing disorders so that they learn how to better process the stimuli around them. If you suspect a child is suffering from a sensory processing disorder or has a diagnosis on the autism spectrum, our occupational therapists can provide:

• Assessments
• Treatment plans

Behavior-Sensory Pediatric Food Program
Among feeding therapists, occupational therapists have a special focus on feeding as a life occupation. We are in a position to encourage the development of socially appropriate eating skills, to address social and cultural issues related to feeding and eating, and to help a client's family create an enjoyable context for eating.

The Behavior-Sensory Pediatric Food Program is a functional food program for children with food selectivities (organic and non-organic). It is an eclectic approach utilizing the evidence-based practice of ABA as its format, a sensory-behavioral protocol infused with fun food games and supported with individual mealtime stories. It can be implemented to address individual feeding difficulties or in small food groups.

Those who benefit from food therapy include children with:

• Food refusal
• Choking
• Sensory problems
• Lack of appetite
• Swallowing and chewing difficulties
• Picky eaters
• Fear/anxiety related to eating
• Trouble accepting and swallowing different food textures
• Limited food repertoire