Treatments

SENSORY INTEGRATION
Sensory Integration refers to a neurophysiological theory and a treatment approach, both developed by Dr. A. Jean Ayres, Ph.D., OTR, FAOTA.  Sensory integration is the organization of sensory information for ongoing use.  It is the ability to receive and process information from all of the senses, organize, and integrate that information within the brain and respond in a meaningful way.  Sensory integration provides the necessary foundation for more complex learning and behavior, including motor planning, attention, adaptive behavior, and academic learning.  When inefficient sensory processing occurs, a number of functional challenges may exist.

Sensory integrative treatment is a child-directed, developmental approach.  When the child actively engages in meaningful activities that meet the intensity, duration, and quality of input needed, integration occurs, adaptive behaviors improve, and learning improves.

THERAPEUTIC LISTENING®
Therapeutic Listening® is a type of sound therapy that is individualized to each client and is often one component of home programs.  Therapeutic Listening® is not a stand alone treatment, but rather part of a comprehensive treatment plan for individuals with sensory processing difficulties or other disorders.  Through the use of specialized headphones, CDs specific to Therapeutic Listening®, and a portable CD player the client can receive therapy while participating in other activities like play.  Benefits may include improvements in sensory processing, auditory processing, balance and motor planning, social competence, and language to name a few.

Please visit Vital Links for more information on Therapeutic Listening®: 

POSTURAL / CORE DEVELOPMENT
A strong core equals a stable base to work from and develop coordinated motor skills and movement.  Core development starts with the ability to assume and maintain certain positions against gravity.  The focus for treatment usually starts with strengthening anti-gravity positions through playful activities.

REFLEX THERAPY
Babies are born with primitive reflexes needed for survival and later used for movement and developing motor patterns for activities like reaching and crawling.  Once a motor pattern has been established the child does not need primitive reflexes to move and the reflex should have less of a presence.  For some children these reflexes are not integrated and solid motor patterns are not developed.  Relying on primitive reflexes, that should have been integrated, can cause challenges with motor skills, visual perceptual skills, academics, and more.  Reflex therapy is a developmental approach that works on building strong foundational motor patterns through movement, heavy work activities and games.

MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
Through motor activities and other strategies, the child develops efficient, developmentally appropriate motor patterns while eliminating insufficient patterns and compensatory strategies.  child lead activities are expanded upon by the therapist to give the child a "just right" challenge (without pushing too far).

ORAL MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
The Suck, Swallow, Breathe (SSB) synchrony is another foundational pattern important for survival, regulation, organization, and exploration.  The SSB synchrony is essential for postural development, arousal, psyhcosocial development and more.   Treatment involves fun oral motor activities like blowing bubbles for improvement with breathe, muscle strength and more.

VISUAL PERCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT
Approximately 80% of the material a child learns in school is processed visually.  Visual perceptual difficulties often go unnoticed and can make school challenging.  Working the visual system can be tiring and stressful for a child, so the focus for treatment is finding fun and motivating ways to challenge the visual system for each child.  Home programs are often given for children with visual perceptual challenges.

DIR®/FLOORTIME™
DIR stands for Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship-Based model.  The DIR®/Floortime™ approach was developed by Stanley Greenspan, M.D., and Serena Wieder, Ph.D.  This approach involves meeting the child at his/her current developmental level and using his/her strengths to progress through clearly defined social-emotional stages.  Treatment is child directed and tailored to the child's individual needs.

SELF-CARE SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Dressing, grooming and participation in other daily tasks at home are an important part of childhood.  Often there is an underlying reason for difficulties with these skills, without knowing the root cause working on self-care skills at home can be a challenge for some families.  Treatment is focused on the underlying deficits and towards making self-cares fun for the child.