Occupational Therapy at SST
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapy (OT) is a health profession that assists pediatric patients to improve the function of their nervous system. An OT is an allied health professional who has been highly trained in multiple areas including: biology, physical science, medical science and behavioral science. Areas of specialization include neurology, anatomy, physiology, human development, kinesiology, orthopedics and psychology. OT’s must be licensed to practice in the state of Texas and are required to complete continuing education classes. Pediatrics is a specialty field of occupational therapy and therapists who specialize in pediatrics treat children from birth to eighteen. Pediatric Occupational Therapists help children develop skills that will assist them to become successful in everyday life including: fine motor skills, gross motor skills, social interactions, academic performance, feeding, reading, writing, visual skills, and behavioral management skills. Pediatric occupational therapists can specialize in many areas including sensory processing, vestibular training, praxis (coordinated movement), visual training, feeding/oral motor, fine motor, handwriting and an array of other areas
Treatment by an Occupational therapists include but are not limited to the following:
For Infants:
For all ages:
Diagnosis treated: (but not limited to)
Sensory Integration
What is Sensory Processing Disorder?
The brain's process of taking in sensory information (what you see, hear, feel, etc.) from the various sensory systems (eyes, ears, skin, etc.) and producing an adaptive response (ex: pulling away from hot stove).
Sensory Integration helps children and adults to understand and properly react to their world.
Signs that your child may have Sensory Integration Disorder:
(not limited to these)
How can Stepping Stones Therapy help?
Our Pediatric Occupational Therapist will help your child by:
Handwriting
Goals:
Vision Training
Occupational Therapists strive to restore, reinforce and enhance patient performance and base treatment programs on the principal of brain plasticity. Occupational Therapy treatment uses exercise as a means to improve brain and body function. Through Vision training with our Occupational Therapists patients are taught to use visual abilities in new or more efficient ways by participating in various vision exercises. During treatment and by the use of specific exercises patients improve the use of different brain processes in order to use visual skills more efficiently for many school activities including but not limited to reading, writing, and math. Vision training also assists patients with sports, gross motor coordination, eye-hand coordination and daily life skills.
Our Vision training addresses:
Who may benefit from Visual Training? (not limited to)
Children/Teens with:
Facts on Vision and Children:
Vison difficulties can be treated and the number of children struggling in the classroom will improve.
“A more comprehensive definition of vision is a dynamic process of identifying, organizing, interpreting and understanding what is seen. Vision is a process that integrates sensory and motor information generated by the brain and body to derive meaning and direct movement.”
Feeding Therapy
Our mission for Feeding Therapy
What our oral motor/ feeding therapy program can do for you and your child
Oral motor/ feeding therapy will increase your child's ability to enjoy and become efficient in eating. Oral motor techniques may be incorporated to increase control and movement of facial and tongue musculature for eating. Our sensory based feeding therapy will assist your child in developing his own internal motivation to eat at his age appropriate level. We develop individual treatment plans addressing all aspects of feeding including difficulties with sensory processing that are contributing to feeding difficulties. Our program is based on the concept of eating being a FUN and enjoyable time with friends and family. We always approach feeding therapy with the goal of your child learning to have fun and enjoy mealtimes.
ILS
What is ILS – Integrated Listening Systems
iLs is based on the fact that we can change our brain – we can essentially re-wire it through specific and repeated stimulation, a concept known as neuroplasticity. As in building strength and endurance with physical exercise, we are able to build neurological pathways and synaptic activity at any age.
iLs trains for brain/body integration through a staged approach, starting with the fundamentals of sensory integration and then extending through more complex cognitive functions, including language, self-expression and social skills.
For more detailed information : http://integratedlistening.com/the-science-of-how-ils-works/
