At LLA Therapy our OT staff works with clients to improve day-to-day activities, growing independence and confidence despite impairments, activity limitations, or participation restrictions.
Occupational Therapists help people with physical, emotional or cognitive problems achieve their highest level of self-sufficiency in all aspect of their lives.
Each client and their family will be instrumental in setting goals and together we will develop a specialized care plan which may include:
- ADL (or self care) retraining
- Perceptual or sensory retraining
- Home management retraining
- Upper extremity exercises (including strengthening and coordination activities, orthotics, and cognitive retraining)
Additional Occupational Therapy Information
- Hand-eye coordination
- Fine & gross motor skills
- Balance & coordination
- Social skills,engagement & relatedness
- Body awareness
- Sensory processing & integration
- Motor planning
- Attention
- Bilateral integration
- Developmental delays
- Oral motor skills
- Muscle strength
- Writing & scissoring skills
- Dressing, grooming, buttons, etc.
- Cognitive skills
- Perceptual skills
- Neurological impairments
- Interpersonal skill development
Sensory Integration
Children are constantly taking in information through the five senses that include: sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. We also receive signals from our body position sense (proprioception) and balance and movement (vestibular). Children with sensory integration disorders do not process information correctly when they learn, play and interact with the world, therefore, they may benefit from occupational therapy to help the process along.
Common Signs of Sensory Integration Disorders
- Overly sensitive or under reactive to touch, movement, sights, or sounds in the environment
- Unusually high or low activity level
- Easily distracted, poor attention to tasks
- Delays in speech, motor skills, or academic achievement
- Coordination problems, appears clumsy or awkward
- Poor body awareness
- Difficulty with tasks that require using both hands at the same time
- Difficulty learning new tasks or figuring out how to play with unfamiliar toys
- Appears to be disorganized most of the time
- Difficulty with transitions between activities or environments
- Immature social skills
- Impulsivity or lack of self-control
- Difficulty calming self once “wound up”
Sensory Processing
Sensory processing is the brain’s ability to take in and make sense of sensations entering the brain. Sensory processing underlies the ability to learn, develop motor and social skills, and perform adaptive behaviors. A sensory processing disorder exists when the brain takes in too much information, goes into “overload,” and causes the individual to avoid sensations. On the flip side, if too little information is processed, the brain will seek more stimulation. Our qualified occupational therapists can evaluate your child to determine sensory processing and its influence on behavior and abilities.
Common Signs of Sensory Processing Disorders
- Distractibility
- Very high or low activity level
- Over or under reaction to stimuli
- Self Injury
- Upset with changes in the routine
- Self stimulation like rocking, flapping hands
- Low muscle tone
- Delayed movements
- Poor coordination / clumsiness
- Unpredictable outbursts
- Poor safety / Impulsive actions
- Seems to “mouth” everything
- Delayed developmental milestones
- Picky eaters – difficulty with texture, taste or temperature
- Extreme avoidance of textures such as messy, sticky, slippery
- Does not enjoy learning new tasks
- Difficulty with games, shoe-tying, handwriting
For information on appointments, insurance, office policies, and more, visit the Patient Information section of our website.
Evaluation & Therapy Process
First, an occupational therapist will evaluate your child by making clinical observations, completing a caregiver interview, and they may use standardized assessment tools. After the evaluation, the OT will discuss the assessment findings with you and review recommendations specific to your child. The OT will develop an individualized plan to help your child improve l functional aspects of their day, including play, socialization, self-care, and school related skills such as handwriting.
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