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The Occupational Therapy Looking Glass

You drop your child off at the front office of the clinic, at the front doors of the school, or at the bus stop and say goodbye. Later, you get a note from their Occupational Therapist that says they had a good session today, but have you ever wondered what that “good session” looks like? I can give you a general idea, but keep in mind as you read through this ever-entertaining and insightful blog, that every child that receives OT is different – their goals, strengths and how the session is structured. 

Your child might tell you that they got to play in the gym, do an obstacle course, or do some exercises in OT today. As a therapist, I don’t just see your child playing on the swing, jumping on a trampoline, doing jumping jacks, or wall push-ups. I want to know if your child avoids certain movements and equipment, or if they seek that out and what that means for their sensory system. I make notations if your child is having a hard time attending to a task and if they do better after getting some movement breaks. I see if they have the motor planning to properly sequence an obstacle course and do so safely. 

Your child’s therapist may have written down or told you that they played a game. Why do we use games so much in therapy? Let’s use the game Connect 4 as an example. As a therapist, I don’t view Connect 4 as just a fun game to pass the time. I consider what skills are needed to play the game and how they are foundational to so many other skills. For this one simple game, my observations reveal how:

  • the act of placing the disc into the slot is practice for managing buttons independently
  • the act of using the fingers and thumbs to pick up the disc from the table is building the intrinsic muscles of the hand to foster a proper grasp on pencils 
  • the ability to visually scan across the board is training the eyes to read across the whiteboard in school 
  • reaching into various planes and across the body promotes motor planning and bilateral integration

To me, I am interested in what muscles, movements,  skills, and what thought processes have to go into playing that game. So, there is a good chance that your child participated in a game-like activity in therapy today!

Your child comes running out of the office or off the school bus and hands you a lovely craft that they worked so hard on in therapy for you to proudly display on the refrigerator. Crafts can be used to work on so many skills. They can involve using scissors, pencil grasp, bilateral integration and coordination, coloring, and drawing pre-writing shapes. They also provide opportunities for children to practice writing their names, writing sentences, strengthening by squeezing the glue bottle, and sequencing by following the steps to complete the task. 

Your child might tell you that they had to do some writing, or typing, or practice their zipper, or whatever their goals may be, and it wasn’t very fun. While we strive to make therapy as enjoyable as possible, there may be a time during the session that one has to practice the not-so-fun stuff. These are the activities that your child’s therapist has identified as goals to work on. That means that these tasks may be more difficult and not as preferred. Let’s be real for a moment, if I have a hard time doing something, chances are, even as an adult,  I am going to avoid having to do it and if I can’t avoid it, I’m probably not going to have a good time doing it. The same goes for the kids that I work with when it comes to addressing the goals head on. My job is to try and find ways to make those difficult tasks easier by building those foundational skills. 

Wow, that was a mouthful! Essentially, your child’s therapy sessions will typically involve various games and activities that work on developing  foundational skills needed to make  difficult tasks less challenging.  You know… that “walk before you run” saying… same concept. There will most likely be some type of strengthening activity, whether it be strengthening just the hands and fingers, the whole arm, or the trunk as well. Movement breaks and crafts are also popular while promoting improved skills. Then there will be the direct interventions on those identified and targeted goals. We have a tendency to reward hard work, so there is a good chance that the session will end with one of your child’s favorite activities, but don’t worry, it will still be therapeutic! ?

-Madonna Smith, OTR/L

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Patient Reviews

LLA Therapy

Patient Reviews

Crystal Scheibe

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Great place, glad we found them. Been going to Medina over 2 months now and he loves Lauryn and Kyler. Wish they had more ABA therapy places available... live in Wooster and long drive everyday.

Karrie Swan LaRock

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My 11 year old son has dyslexia and has made noticeable gains in working At LLA THERAPY. Katie is strong in her approach toward him and also keeps him comfortable enough to perform well. We will continue visiting both the Fairlawn and Hudson offices and recommend them highly.

Ron Monroe

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My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

Heather Dougherty-Pantoja

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My son’s Occupational Therapist, Jess, is an amazing OT! She gives practical tips on working with my son at home and school!

Terri Apgar

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I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

Kelli Geisler Davisson

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for my son as well as my family! My son always asks, "When can I go see Ms. Jeannine again, is it Monday??" He has also made huge gains in only 5 months! I would highly recommend LLA and have already shared my experience with friends looking for services!

Victoria Hansford-Price

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We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

Laura Lee Hogsett

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They have helped in numerous ways. Speech, OT and behavioral. I've had numerous compliments on my son's progress thanks in very large part to LLA. I would recommend LLA before I recommend our local children's hospitals, though they are good, they don't have the staff that LLA does.

Amy Furukawa

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We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

Jessica Havalotti

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!
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