Our Services
Behavioral Strategies
Are you or your child struggling with “switching gears” while maintaining emotional regulation? Do aspects of the daily routine feel stressful or like going into battle? Behaviors can look like meltdowns with screaming, crying, or becoming physical to self or others. They also can seem like attempts to escape a task, like “shutting down” or not listening. Strategies that focus on the root cause for behaviors and are sensory informed can make a huge difference with daily routines. We utilize a strength-based approaches tailored to the client and family to improve self-regulation.
Motor Skills
Motor skills include fine motor skills (movements that pertain to the hands and fingers) and gross motor skills (movements pertaining to larger muscles such as arms, legs, and trunk). Motor skills are integral for moving our bodies through the world, completing tasks, and overall feeling successful. Issues in these areas impact skill acquisitions such as handwriting, using feeding utensils, typing, running, jumping, throwing, even postural control when sitting or standing. When addressing motor skills we believe it is of the utmost importance to make interventions motivating and fun so that our clients are willing to practice motor tasks that are difficult for them.
Self Care Managment
Self care management refers to a person’s ability to complete their activities of daily living (ADLs). This includes dressing skills, toileting, bathing, self feeding, grooming (i.e. brushing teeth), and even completing simple meal prep. Issues in this area may look like putting clothing on backwards or inside out, aversion to brushing teeth, forgetting to complete certain tasks, or a caregiver providing more help than developmentally needed. It is also not uncommon for individuals to struggle with sensory aspects with their ADLs. Adaptive approaches can be used in this area to improve independence and success of carryover.
Life Skills
Life skills refer to a broad set of abilities and competencies that are necessary for individuals to effectively navigate and succeed in various aspects of life. They are essential for personal development, social interactions, and overall well-being. Life skills encompass a wide range of capabilities.
They include: Communication Skills, Emotional Intelligence, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Decision Making, Time Management, Stress Management, Financial Literacy, Collaboration and Teamwork, Adaptability and Flexibility.
Executive functions are also a huge part of life skills. Executive functions refer to a set of cognitive abilities that enable individuals to plan, organize, prioritize, initiate, and self-regulate their thoughts, actions, and behaviors. These higher-level cognitive processes play a crucial role in goal-directed behavior, problem-solving, decision-making, and adaptive functioning
Parent Education
Parent education is crucial for success and promoting independence outside of therapy sessions. This includes understanding the different learning styles of parents, identifying parental values, and also supporting effective ways for parents to integrate concepts from their child’s time in OT into their own routines as well. Education can also focus on connecting parents to community resources and teaching them how to advocate for their child’s needs at home, in school, and in the community. Alison has extensive experience with the IEP process and is happy to offer education in this area as well.
Home Adaptations
Sometimes the key to success and independence includes home modifications. This can be as simple as moving furniture, setting up visual cues like whiteboards and calendars, or as complex as structural changes in the home. Alison offers home assessments and consultations regarding equipment or changes that are beneficial for client success.