Who Uses Our Services?

Similar observations include:

• Tripping over his or her own feet
• Walking into things
• Constantly falling
• Dropping things
• Delayed with bike riding

Your child may be experiencing poor proprioceptive awareness and vestibular deficits. This is when the brain receives rapid messages from the body letting you know where you are in space. That feedback can be affected by things like low tone, developmental delays, recurring ear infections, etc. An evaluation by one of our skilled physical therapists can help determine if your child needs services.

Similar observations include:

• Hearing only part of a question
• Asking to repeat two or more times
• Repeating what you said to themselves
• Performing part of the question. For example, asking your child to put on their socks and shoes and your child responds by picking up their shoes and don’t remember what else you said.

Your child may be experiencing an auditory processing delay with or without a hearing deficit. An evaluation by one of our skilled speech and language pathologists may help determine the need for therapy and/or a referral to an audiologist. 

Similar observations include:

• Overstuffs mouth
• Chokes or spits out excess food
• Pockets food in cheeks
• Moves tongue only back and forth and not to the sides
• Pushes out pacifier or bottle/nipple when trying to suck

Eating should be enjoyable, not a stressful family event. Our speech therapists can evaluate the mechanisms necessary for feeding. If it is a texture thing, aka “picky eater”, let our sensory specialists do an evaluation. You may need speech and OT to address this complicated feeding journey. 

Similar observations include:

• Constantly fidgeting
• Doesn’t sit at meal times
• Has to stand to complete tasks

Residual primitive reflexes that get in the way of function can cause all sorts of issues. See your OT for more information on this topic. 

Similar observations include:

• Hands over ears
• Fear of high ceilings
• Fear of toilets flushing
• Afraid of heights
• Withdrawals from busy environments

This looks like auditory sensitivity, but it can also be poor sensory processing. When one or more sensory system is “off”, there can be many behaviors that just seem a little too extreme. This requires an occupational therapy evaluation. 

Similar observations include:

• Hugging or hitting too hard
• Throwing themselves to the floor
• “Pushing” or “pinging” off of others in line

This is what sensory dysregulation looks like. The need for more pressure than the average level of input to “act” in an age-appropriate way. See your occupational therapist for strategies to aid in regulation throughout the day!

Similar activities:

• Riding a bike
• Having sleepovers
• Brushing their teeth and/or hair
• Jumping jacks, front roll, hop on one or both feet, hopscotch
• Roll, crawl, walk, talk
• Feed themselves with a fork or spoon

Developmental delays don’t just refer to walking and talking. They interfere with social and emotional development, balance, depth perception, calculated and consciously controlled movements beyond the milestone checklist. Your child may need an evaluation by all three disciplines, occupational, physical and speech therapy if this is the case. 

Similar observations:

• Babies babble and say 50-75 single words by 1 year
• Two word phrases by age 2
• Do you understand your child’s speech?
• Do your family members and strangers understand your child’s speech?
• Can they stay on topic  during a conversation?
• Do they engage in conversation?

Speech and language pathologists/therapists use skilled techniques through play to address these deficits. Language building doesn’t stop at a young age. Unfortunately, research shows that technology today can interfere with social skills, basic human interaction, with verbal and non-verbal communication. Communication and skilled conversation, as well as reading social cues are necessary in life for all kinds of relationship development. 

Similar observations:

• Sock seams
• Shirt tags
• Hair and teeth brushing
• Lotions
• Swinging or slides
• Certain food textures

Tactile defensiveness can be significantly disabling. When the sensitivity becomes more than a preference and interferes with daily activities, you may need an occupational therapy evaluation. 

Similar observations:

• Loses their place while reading
• Distracted by others
• Disorganized folders
• Can’t sit still
• Acts out due to frusteration

This can look like ADHD, but it can also encompass functional vision deficits. When the eyes are not moving in a coordinated pattern, we lose our place, we get confused and frustrated and want to stop participating. Our skilled occupational therapists can make sure your child’s functional vision is age-appropriate and not interfering with learning. 

Similar observations:

• Complains of being dizzy in the car or after car rides
• Avoids playground equipment that goes around
• Throws up on road trips
• Gets headaches on road trips

The visual (eyes) and vestibular (inner ear) systems actually communicate via a series of nerve impulses. When this communication is “off” many things can go array. Make an appointment with one of our occupational therapists to address these everyday challenges. 

Similar observations:

• Avoids talking to others
• Stutters when nervous
• Has difficulty processing
• Gets stuck on certain words

Stuttering is a common disturbance in speech that can interfere with communication and self-confidence. See one of our speech therapists for techniques. 

Similar observations:

• Can they identify letters and numbers or capital vs. lower case letters?
• Do they write letters or whole words backwards?
• Size is too big or too small
• Legibility is unrecognizable
• Form is bottom up approach and/or inconsistent

Although handwriting seems to be antiquated these days due to advancements in technology, it is still an important aspect of development. It can show us visual skills, spatial awareness, directionality and also help determine a subtype of dyslexia. Be sure to ask your occupational therapist about a dyslexia and handwriting screener if your child struggles with these deficits.