Here's a list of common diagnosis we treat but are not limited to:
AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER is a condition that affects a child's nervous system, growth, and development. It usually appears during the first three years of a child's life. Children with ASD may seem disinterested in other children and lack social awareness, often living in their own world.
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ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER / ADD is a neurological disorder that causes a range of behavior problems, including difficulty attending to instruction, focusing on schoolwork, keeping up with assignments, following instructions, completing tasks, and social interaction.
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ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER / ADHD is a chronic condition that affects millions of children and often continues into adulthood. ADHD includes a combination of persistent problems, such as difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior.
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CEREBRAL PALSY is a condition that affects muscle tone, movement, and motor skills. It is often caused by brain damage that occurs before or during a baby's birth or during the first three to five years of a child's life.
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CONVERGENCE INSUFFICIENCY is an eye disorder characterized by the inability to maintain binocular function (keeping the two eyes working together) while working at a near distance. Typically, one eye will turn outward (intermittent exotropia) when focusing on a word or object at near.
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DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES are conditions that affect children's physical, learning, language, or behavioral abilities. These conditions result from mental or physical impairments. In the USA, one in six children has developmental disabilities and delays. Children face difficulties in language, mobility, learning, self-care, and independent living. These are caused by various factors such as genetics, complications during pregnancy or birth, chromosomal abnormalities, infectious diseases, nutritional deficiencies, severe head injury, and exposure to environmental toxins such as lead or mercury. Common disabilities include intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, degenerative birth defects, metabolic disorders, and sensory-related disabilities. The symptoms are characterized by physical, sensory, psychological, cognitive, and speech impairments. Early detection is crucial to correct problems and provide the necessary support to help children reach their full potential. Some possible signs include falling behind other children in fine motor skills, language, and thinking, difficulty reading nonverbal cues, difficulty self-soothing or expressing feelings, hearing loss, sensitivity to noises and vision problems, continued infant-like behavior, lack of curiosity, problems with sleep, attention or aggression, difficulty controlling and coordinating movement, problems with posture, balance or coordination, and falling behind in school.
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DOWN SYNDROME Therapy can be very beneficial for children with Down syndrome in developing fine motor, cognitive, and functional life skills. Our team works closely with our patients to help them achieve skills for independence, such as self-care, feeding, dressing, motor skills, school performance, play, and leisure activities. During infancy, we can assist mothers who have children with feeding difficulties due to weak muscles. Early childhood therapy can focus on mastering motor skills for independence, emphasizing low muscle tone, loose ligaments at the joints, and visual deficits. For school-aged children with Down syndrome, self-care skills such as zipping a jacket, cutting with scissors, or completing classroom routines can greatly facilitate participation in school activities. Our aim is to develop a program that helps them acquire and utilize skills throughout their lifespan, enabling them to lead a fulfilling life.
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DYSLEXIA is a learning disorder that makes it hard to read, write, spell, and speak. It happens when someone has trouble recognizing sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words. However, with the right teaching methods, people with dyslexia can learn successfully. Signs of dyslexia include struggling with reading, trouble sounding out words, avoiding reading out loud, difficulty following directions, and trouble organizing thoughts when speaking. Emotional and social issues may also occur. Ways to help children with dyslexia succeed in school include teaching them how to identify sounds, letters, and decoding words, specialized instruction, reading programs, simplified directions, and access to helpful resources. If you suspect your child may have dyslexia, talk to their teacher.
We are now offering TOD (Tests of Dyslexia) which is a way to accurately assess and diagnose dyslexia and specific learning disabilities in reading, it provides risk and probability indexes, and includes intervention recommendations based on assessment results. The TOD identifies the risk and probability of dyslexia or specific learning disability in reading in individuals aged 5 to 89. The TOD also provides instruction and intervention recommendations based on assessment results.
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DYSGRAPHIA is a learning disability that affects writing. Identifying the issue can be challenging if a child is struggling with reading or writing. Kids with dysgraphia may have poor handwriting, spelling, and grammar, and find it hard to organize ideas. They may become anxious and have low self-esteem. Fortunately, there are several ways to help them, such as occupational therapy, providing a checklist, using graphic organizers, extended time on tests, and speech-to-text tools.
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FEEDING DIFFICULTIES regardless of what caused them, are classified under a broad term. This includes any problems that hinder providing food to a child, such as difficulties in gathering food or preparing to chew and eat. For instance, a child with difficulty picking up food or completely closing their lips to prevent the food from falling out may have feeding difficulties.
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FINE MOTOR SKILLS Refers to the ability to use the smaller muscles in our hands, fingers, and wrists. These skills are crucial for a child's development and enable them to perform everyday tasks such as writing, drawing, cutting with scissors, using computers, and even eating. When children have well-developed fine motor skills, they can complete tasks with higher quality and speed. These skills require the integration of several independent skills to manipulate objects or perform tasks efficiently.
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GENETIC DISORDER A category of diseases that can be inherited from one or both parents includes certain types of birth defects, chronic diseases, developmental problems, and sensory deficits. Symptoms can vary depending on the type of disorder, organs affected, and its severity. Some common symptoms are behavioral changes, breathing problems, cognitive deficits, developmental delays, eating and digestive issues, limb or facial anomalies, movement disorders, neurological issues, poor growth or short stature, and vision or hearing loss. Common genetic disorders include chromosomal disorders, Down syndrome (Trisomy 21), Fragile X syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, Triple-X syndrome, Turner syndrome, Trisomy 18, and Trisomy 13. Other genetic disorders and defects include Angelman Syndrome, Deficiency, Birth Defects, Carpenter Syndrome, Cleft Lip/Cleft Palate, Cloverleaf Deformity, Clubbed Foot, and Craniofacial Disorder. There are also rare genetic disorders such as GRIN2B, PDD-NOS, AA amyloidosis, Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Mitochondrial diseases, and Usher syndrome.
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INTELLECTUAL & DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS / IDD are disorders that are usually present at birth and that negatively affect the trajectory of the individual's physical, intellectual, and/or emotional development. Many of these conditions affect multiple body parts or systems.
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LISTENING THERAPY - is an interpersonal confirmation process, involving all the senses, in which the therapist attends with empathy to the child's verbal and nonverbal messages to facilitate the understanding, synthesis, and interpretation of the client's situation.
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NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS - There are instances where individuals experience abnormalities in their brain, nervous system, or muscle cells, leading to various disorders such as epilepsy, migraine headaches, tic or movement disorders, and more. Occupational Therapy focuses on empowering individuals to learn the necessary skills and techniques, including the latest technologies, to gain as much independence as possible in their daily lives. We help you in developing a personalized plan that caters to your child's unique requirements and objectives. These goals may include enhancing self-care activities, home care tasks, parenting and caring for others, leisure activities, vocational tasks, and various functional activities.
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SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDER - What are the building blocks necessary to develop efficient sensory processing?
For effective sensory processing, all the sensory systems must work together. It is crucial to understand that the sensory system comprises various senses, and these senses process information as the foundation for many other skills. It is important to recognize the significant role that these sensory systems play in our overall functioning.
Visual sense: the ability to understand and interpret what is seen. The visual system uses the eyes to receive information about the contrast of light and dark, color and movement. It detects visual input from the environment through light waves stimulating the retina.
Auditory Sense: the ability to interpret information that is heard. The auditory system uses the outer and middle ear to receive noise and sound information. They receive information about volume, pitch, and rhythm. It is important for the refinement of sounds into meaningful syllables and words.
Gustatory Sense: the ability to interpret information regarding taste in the mouth. It uses the tongue to receive taste sensations and detects the chemical makeup through the tongue to determine if the sensation is safe or harmful.
Olfactory Sense: is the ability to interpret smells. It uses the nose to receive information about the chemical makeup of particles in the air to determine if the smell is safe or harmful.
Tactile sense: the ability to interpret information coming into the body by the skin. It uses receptors in the skin to receive touch sensations like pressure, vibration, movement, temperature, and pain. It is the first sense to develop, and as such is very important for overall neural organization.
Proprioceptive Sense: the ability to interpret where your body parts are about each other. It uses information from nerves and sheaths on the muscles and bones to inform about the position and movement of the body through muscles contracting, stretching, bending, straightening, pulling, and compressing.
Vestibular sense: the ability to interpret information relating to movement and balance. The vestibular system uses the semi-circular canals in the inner ear to receive information about movement, change of direction, change of head position, and gravitational pull. It receives information about how fast or slow we are moving, balance, movement from the neck, eyes and body, body position, and orientation in space.
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TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY ~ (TBI) occurs when an external impact causes a change in brain function. TBI is a leading cause of acquired disability and mortality. It typically results in mobility, cognition, language, swallowing, and daily activity impairments. For those who have suffered a traumatic brain injury, Occupational Therapy can be a life-changing treatment option. The most common causes of TBI are a blow to the head, car accidents, and falls. Physical therapy can help patients with a wide range of symptoms, including mental, physical, emotional, and behavioral changes. Even a mild concussion can be considered a traumatic brain injury.
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VISUAL MOTOR DELAYS ~ Children who experience visual-motor problems may fail to meet developmental milestones or experience delays in gross motor skills such as crawling, standing, and walking, as well as fine motor skills such as grasping and manipulating objects and holding crayons. These difficulties arise because they have trouble coordinating body movements in response to visual cues. Early identification of these issues helps build a strong foundation for proper brain function as the child grows up. Difficulty in learning to write or draw may be the first warning sign of such visual-motor problems. This problem lies in the mechanism that enables the visual and motor systems to work together.
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VITALSTIM THERAPY ~ is a form of neuromuscular electrical stimulation that helps to activate the muscles responsible for swallowing. The electrodes, which are usually placed on the cheeks or the front of the neck, deliver an electrical current to stimulate the muscles. VitalStim is the only device approved by the FDA for treating dysphagia (swallowing difficulties). Your child may feel a slight tugging or tingling sensation once the electrodes are in place. VitalStim is used alongside feeding and swallowing activities, and our speech-language pathologists will determine whether you are a suitable candidate for VitalStim based on your child's medical history.
- AUTISM SPECTRUM
- ATTENTION DEFICIT DELAYS / ADD
- ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER / ADHD
- CEREBRAL PALSY
- CONVERGENCE INSUFFICIENCY
- DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
- DOWN SYNDROME
- DYSLEXIA
- DYSGRAPHIA
- FEEDING DIFFICULTIES
- FINE MOTOR SKILLS
- GENETIC DISORDER
- INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS / IDD
- LISTENING THERAPY
- NEUROLOGICAL DISORDER
- SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDER
- TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY / TBI
- VISUAL MOTOR DELAYS
- VITALSTIM THERAPY
AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER is a condition that affects a child's nervous system, growth, and development. It usually appears during the first three years of a child's life. Children with ASD may seem disinterested in other children and lack social awareness, often living in their own world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER / ADD is a neurological disorder that causes a range of behavior problems, including difficulty attending to instruction, focusing on schoolwork, keeping up with assignments, following instructions, completing tasks, and social interaction.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER / ADHD is a chronic condition that affects millions of children and often continues into adulthood. ADHD includes a combination of persistent problems, such as difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CEREBRAL PALSY is a condition that affects muscle tone, movement, and motor skills. It is often caused by brain damage that occurs before or during a baby's birth or during the first three to five years of a child's life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CONVERGENCE INSUFFICIENCY is an eye disorder characterized by the inability to maintain binocular function (keeping the two eyes working together) while working at a near distance. Typically, one eye will turn outward (intermittent exotropia) when focusing on a word or object at near.
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DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES are conditions that affect children's physical, learning, language, or behavioral abilities. These conditions result from mental or physical impairments. In the USA, one in six children has developmental disabilities and delays. Children face difficulties in language, mobility, learning, self-care, and independent living. These are caused by various factors such as genetics, complications during pregnancy or birth, chromosomal abnormalities, infectious diseases, nutritional deficiencies, severe head injury, and exposure to environmental toxins such as lead or mercury. Common disabilities include intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, degenerative birth defects, metabolic disorders, and sensory-related disabilities. The symptoms are characterized by physical, sensory, psychological, cognitive, and speech impairments. Early detection is crucial to correct problems and provide the necessary support to help children reach their full potential. Some possible signs include falling behind other children in fine motor skills, language, and thinking, difficulty reading nonverbal cues, difficulty self-soothing or expressing feelings, hearing loss, sensitivity to noises and vision problems, continued infant-like behavior, lack of curiosity, problems with sleep, attention or aggression, difficulty controlling and coordinating movement, problems with posture, balance or coordination, and falling behind in school.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DOWN SYNDROME Therapy can be very beneficial for children with Down syndrome in developing fine motor, cognitive, and functional life skills. Our team works closely with our patients to help them achieve skills for independence, such as self-care, feeding, dressing, motor skills, school performance, play, and leisure activities. During infancy, we can assist mothers who have children with feeding difficulties due to weak muscles. Early childhood therapy can focus on mastering motor skills for independence, emphasizing low muscle tone, loose ligaments at the joints, and visual deficits. For school-aged children with Down syndrome, self-care skills such as zipping a jacket, cutting with scissors, or completing classroom routines can greatly facilitate participation in school activities. Our aim is to develop a program that helps them acquire and utilize skills throughout their lifespan, enabling them to lead a fulfilling life.
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DYSLEXIA is a learning disorder that makes it hard to read, write, spell, and speak. It happens when someone has trouble recognizing sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words. However, with the right teaching methods, people with dyslexia can learn successfully. Signs of dyslexia include struggling with reading, trouble sounding out words, avoiding reading out loud, difficulty following directions, and trouble organizing thoughts when speaking. Emotional and social issues may also occur. Ways to help children with dyslexia succeed in school include teaching them how to identify sounds, letters, and decoding words, specialized instruction, reading programs, simplified directions, and access to helpful resources. If you suspect your child may have dyslexia, talk to their teacher.
We are now offering TOD (Tests of Dyslexia) which is a way to accurately assess and diagnose dyslexia and specific learning disabilities in reading, it provides risk and probability indexes, and includes intervention recommendations based on assessment results. The TOD identifies the risk and probability of dyslexia or specific learning disability in reading in individuals aged 5 to 89. The TOD also provides instruction and intervention recommendations based on assessment results.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DYSGRAPHIA is a learning disability that affects writing. Identifying the issue can be challenging if a child is struggling with reading or writing. Kids with dysgraphia may have poor handwriting, spelling, and grammar, and find it hard to organize ideas. They may become anxious and have low self-esteem. Fortunately, there are several ways to help them, such as occupational therapy, providing a checklist, using graphic organizers, extended time on tests, and speech-to-text tools.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FEEDING DIFFICULTIES regardless of what caused them, are classified under a broad term. This includes any problems that hinder providing food to a child, such as difficulties in gathering food or preparing to chew and eat. For instance, a child with difficulty picking up food or completely closing their lips to prevent the food from falling out may have feeding difficulties.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FINE MOTOR SKILLS Refers to the ability to use the smaller muscles in our hands, fingers, and wrists. These skills are crucial for a child's development and enable them to perform everyday tasks such as writing, drawing, cutting with scissors, using computers, and even eating. When children have well-developed fine motor skills, they can complete tasks with higher quality and speed. These skills require the integration of several independent skills to manipulate objects or perform tasks efficiently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENETIC DISORDER A category of diseases that can be inherited from one or both parents includes certain types of birth defects, chronic diseases, developmental problems, and sensory deficits. Symptoms can vary depending on the type of disorder, organs affected, and its severity. Some common symptoms are behavioral changes, breathing problems, cognitive deficits, developmental delays, eating and digestive issues, limb or facial anomalies, movement disorders, neurological issues, poor growth or short stature, and vision or hearing loss. Common genetic disorders include chromosomal disorders, Down syndrome (Trisomy 21), Fragile X syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, Triple-X syndrome, Turner syndrome, Trisomy 18, and Trisomy 13. Other genetic disorders and defects include Angelman Syndrome, Deficiency, Birth Defects, Carpenter Syndrome, Cleft Lip/Cleft Palate, Cloverleaf Deformity, Clubbed Foot, and Craniofacial Disorder. There are also rare genetic disorders such as GRIN2B, PDD-NOS, AA amyloidosis, Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Mitochondrial diseases, and Usher syndrome.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
INTELLECTUAL & DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS / IDD are disorders that are usually present at birth and that negatively affect the trajectory of the individual's physical, intellectual, and/or emotional development. Many of these conditions affect multiple body parts or systems.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LISTENING THERAPY - is an interpersonal confirmation process, involving all the senses, in which the therapist attends with empathy to the child's verbal and nonverbal messages to facilitate the understanding, synthesis, and interpretation of the client's situation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS - There are instances where individuals experience abnormalities in their brain, nervous system, or muscle cells, leading to various disorders such as epilepsy, migraine headaches, tic or movement disorders, and more. Occupational Therapy focuses on empowering individuals to learn the necessary skills and techniques, including the latest technologies, to gain as much independence as possible in their daily lives. We help you in developing a personalized plan that caters to your child's unique requirements and objectives. These goals may include enhancing self-care activities, home care tasks, parenting and caring for others, leisure activities, vocational tasks, and various functional activities.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDER - What are the building blocks necessary to develop efficient sensory processing?
For effective sensory processing, all the sensory systems must work together. It is crucial to understand that the sensory system comprises various senses, and these senses process information as the foundation for many other skills. It is important to recognize the significant role that these sensory systems play in our overall functioning.
Visual sense: the ability to understand and interpret what is seen. The visual system uses the eyes to receive information about the contrast of light and dark, color and movement. It detects visual input from the environment through light waves stimulating the retina.
Auditory Sense: the ability to interpret information that is heard. The auditory system uses the outer and middle ear to receive noise and sound information. They receive information about volume, pitch, and rhythm. It is important for the refinement of sounds into meaningful syllables and words.
Gustatory Sense: the ability to interpret information regarding taste in the mouth. It uses the tongue to receive taste sensations and detects the chemical makeup through the tongue to determine if the sensation is safe or harmful.
Olfactory Sense: is the ability to interpret smells. It uses the nose to receive information about the chemical makeup of particles in the air to determine if the smell is safe or harmful.
Tactile sense: the ability to interpret information coming into the body by the skin. It uses receptors in the skin to receive touch sensations like pressure, vibration, movement, temperature, and pain. It is the first sense to develop, and as such is very important for overall neural organization.
Proprioceptive Sense: the ability to interpret where your body parts are about each other. It uses information from nerves and sheaths on the muscles and bones to inform about the position and movement of the body through muscles contracting, stretching, bending, straightening, pulling, and compressing.
Vestibular sense: the ability to interpret information relating to movement and balance. The vestibular system uses the semi-circular canals in the inner ear to receive information about movement, change of direction, change of head position, and gravitational pull. It receives information about how fast or slow we are moving, balance, movement from the neck, eyes and body, body position, and orientation in space.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY ~ (TBI) occurs when an external impact causes a change in brain function. TBI is a leading cause of acquired disability and mortality. It typically results in mobility, cognition, language, swallowing, and daily activity impairments. For those who have suffered a traumatic brain injury, Occupational Therapy can be a life-changing treatment option. The most common causes of TBI are a blow to the head, car accidents, and falls. Physical therapy can help patients with a wide range of symptoms, including mental, physical, emotional, and behavioral changes. Even a mild concussion can be considered a traumatic brain injury.
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VISUAL MOTOR DELAYS ~ Children who experience visual-motor problems may fail to meet developmental milestones or experience delays in gross motor skills such as crawling, standing, and walking, as well as fine motor skills such as grasping and manipulating objects and holding crayons. These difficulties arise because they have trouble coordinating body movements in response to visual cues. Early identification of these issues helps build a strong foundation for proper brain function as the child grows up. Difficulty in learning to write or draw may be the first warning sign of such visual-motor problems. This problem lies in the mechanism that enables the visual and motor systems to work together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
VITALSTIM THERAPY ~ is a form of neuromuscular electrical stimulation that helps to activate the muscles responsible for swallowing. The electrodes, which are usually placed on the cheeks or the front of the neck, deliver an electrical current to stimulate the muscles. VitalStim is the only device approved by the FDA for treating dysphagia (swallowing difficulties). Your child may feel a slight tugging or tingling sensation once the electrodes are in place. VitalStim is used alongside feeding and swallowing activities, and our speech-language pathologists will determine whether you are a suitable candidate for VitalStim based on your child's medical history.
Our positions require a Doctor’s referral in order to provide services, once we receive the referral the insurance is verified and the family is called. We set up an initial evaluation with the child and therapist, which includes assessing the child for developmental delays and concerns that warranted interest in our profession. Then a treatment plan is determined by clinical determination and parent’s/caregivers input. The child is then scheduled for services with a frequency of treatment based on need.”