Therapies
HCA offers three different therapies for children:
Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy. Therapies
are generally offered to children who are in program during class.
However, therapy is also offered to students outside of class time.
Please view our current brochures on Physical and Aquatic Therapies:
Physical Therapy Brochure
Aquatic Therapy Brochure
[
Occupational Therapy |
Physical Therapy |
Speech
Therapy ]
Occupational Therapy
The focus of Occupational Therapy at HCA is to assist infants and
children to achieve their highest level of independence and function
in self-help, play and leisure skills, and school readiness skills.
Occupational Therapy Brochure
OT services are provided in the classroom and/or in the therapy
department. OT can be provided by either a Registered Occupational
Therapist (OTR) or a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA).
The COTA works under the supervision of a Registered Occupational
Therapist.
The Occupational Therapist addresses the following through
evaluation and therapeutic intervention:
- Upper extremity development - using the arms/hands in a
coordinated manner
- Fine-motor activities - the ability to perform activites
that require refined hand/finger movements
- Visual motor activities - the ability to use the eyes and
hands in a coordinated manner
- Oral motor/feeding - the ability to control and move the
oral mechanisms for safe and efficient eating and to self-feed
- Cognition - memory span, attention span, organizing thought,
motor planning
- Adaptive devices - these are used to assist the person with
functional skills, i.e. built up utensils
- Visual perception skills - the ability to execute normal
developmental movement patterns
- Daily living skills - teaching people to perform everyday
tasks, i.e. dressing, feeding, bathing
- Behavioral state, organization and regulation -
psycho/social skills
- Sensory functioning - the ability to perceive the
environment appropriately through our senses
- Adapting the environment for accessibility and function
- Splinting and prosthetics - used to prevent deformity and/or
increase function
- Massage - a family training program involving the use of a
gentle touch approach. Benefits may include: improving the
child's social-emotional development, increased communication,
increased sleeping patterns, gastro-intestinal benefits,
relaxation and stimulation of the muscles, respiratory benefits
and more
Physical Therapy
Movement is an important part of a child's development and learning.
Through movement, children learn about themselves and the world
around them. When the development of normal movement is impaired, a
child's independence may be limited and the performance of daily
activities may consume more time and energy. If gross motor
development problems are suspected, a physical therapy evaluation
may be recommended.
An evaluation will assess the following factors:
- Muscle tone - i.e. how the muscles feel, either tight or
floppy
- Muscle strength
- Flexibility of joints and muscles
- Posture
- Balance and coordination - body awareness/accuracy of
movement
- Motor skills - i.e. sitting, climbing, running, walking,
etc.
- Quality of movement - i.e. is movement easy or difficult, is
there variety in movement, etc.
- Breathing patterns
- Evaluation of the need for foot splinting, assistive devices
such as walkers, wheelchairs, etc.
- Physical fitness
If concerns are found in any of these areas, treatment will be
recommended. Physical Therapy treatment builds on the movement
skills a child already has and seeks to diminish factors that
interefere with functional movement. Through play and physical
handling techniques, therapy focuses on helping a child experience
new movements, and develop safe and efficient movement patterns. The
physical therapist also teaches parents and other care givers how to
handle the child for optimal function and learning.
Speech Therapy
Speech and language skills are an integral part of a child's social
interactions and educational development. These skills develop at
varying rates for children. A speech and language evaluation can
determine when skills are developing normally and when professional
intervention is needed. Services provided by a certified and/or
licensed Speech/Language Pathologist and/or certified Teacher of
Speech and Hearing Handicapped (TSHH) include evaluation, referral
and/or intervention.
Areas of assessment:
- Receptive language - understanding of what is said
- Expressive language - use of language to express ideas
- Articulation/Phonology - speech sound production
- Fluency - disruptions in the flow of speech
- Voice - determination of appropriate vocal quality, pitch
and intensity for age and gender
- Oral motor - inspection of mouth to determine the structural
and functional adequacy for speech production
- Augmentative/alternative communication - non-verbal methods
of communication which incorporate sign language, communcation
boards and electronic devices
Therapy services are provided in both individual and classroom
settings in the home or in child care settings. Therapy is
coordinated with the child's interdisciplinary team
(family/caregivers, teachers, therapists, other involved professions
and agencies). Parental/caregiver educaiton and home programs may be
provided.
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