Special Programs

What special programs are available?
In addition to individual therapy, we offer group therapy for children not eligible for CDS, insurance or third party reimbursement, and looking for ongoing therapy.  The group focuses on improving the foundation skills of body awareness, attention span, self-regulation, motor planning, handwriting and sensory processing. 

Friends Social Group is an activity based group for children with difficulty knowing how to play with others and appropriate social skills.  Included are reading non-verbal cues, problem-solving, strategies, how to make friends, what to do when a friend visits, etc.

Handwriting, including printing and cursive are also available as needed.  Several writing programs are offered, such as “Handwriting Without Tears” and “Loops and Other Groups”.

How Does Your Engine Run?  is a program to enhance self regulation, developed by Mary Sue Williams and Sherry Shellenberger.  We have adapted their program to work with individuals and groups of children to help them develop an awareness of their body as an “engine”, in that sometimes it runs “too high” and sometimes “too low”.  We explore what situations tend to cause their engine to change speeds and what helps them to regain a sense of organization for a more calm-alert state.  Parents are given homework to do with the children to encourage use of strategies within the home.

Bike Riding Clinic is offered on two Saturday mornings in early June to provide children an opportunity to learn to ride a bike.  Typically there are weaknesses in balance, bilateral coordination and security with movement which will prevent the child from successfully learning to ride their bike.  Our strategy is to help them first learn to feel safe before taking the next step of balance and coordination.  Our success rate has been about 75%.

Tummy Time: At various times, depending on the need, we offer Tummy Time groups of 4-5 parents and babies to better understand the importance of babies being on their stomachs.  Methods to have babies on their stomachs as well as how to build their tolerance are worked on.  Babies on their tummies provides the foundation skills of higher level reflex integration, muscle tone, trunk stability, hand control and coordination.

Summer Camp: During the summer months we often offer a sensory camp, bike riding, Friend’s Social Group, Handwriting, and other programs necessary to meet the specific needs of children.

Coming Soon!  In the fall of 207 we will be able to provide Therapeutic Listening®.  This is a method of using listening to specific sounds used in music in conjunction with sensory integrative treatment. Recent clinical practice demonstrates the efficacy of using the sound in conjunction with the sensory integrative treatment strategies.  “Therapeutic Listening® is an innovative program of providing high quality auditory input within the context of sensory integrative treatment.’