Therapeutic Listening™
Therapeutic Listening™ is a program that uses sound in combination with sensory integrative treatment strategies to improve a child's ability to "listen with their whole body". Listening is a function of the entire brain and goes well beyond stimulating the auditory system. In order to fully address listening difficulties one must attend to the listening functions of both the hearing ear and the body ear. TL improves a child's ability to process sensations of movement through the vestibular system and localize sounds through the cochlear system (both located in the inner ear). Changes you may see include:
Handwriting Without Tears™
Our Handwriting Without Tears™ (HWT) program is based on the complete handwriting curriculum developed by Jan Z. Olsen. This is both a developmental and multisensory approach to teaching handwriting skills. Designed for children from kindergarten pre-writing level to printing and cursive. Group sessions will be one time per week for four weeks and will require some homework in between sessions. The instructor is a registered occupational therapist with training in the HWT curriculum. For more information: http://www.hwtears.com.
Vital Stim®
VitalStim electrical therapy is most often used to stimulate inactive swallowing muscles found in patients with dysphagia (swallowing problems). The therapy works like this: A VitalStim-certified speech-language pathologist places four electrodes on the patient’s neck to stimulate specific muscles for swallowing. The therapist uses a control box to regulate the electrical stimulation. Patients progress by swallowing substances of various consistencies – pudding, for example – while the therapist monitors the patients’ swallowing technique. 20 sessions are generally recommended. Patients generally see improvement after 10 to 14 sessions.
The following types of patients are
candidates for VitalStim swallowing therapy: a child on
a feeding tube, on thickened liquids or on a modified consistency diet such as
pureed or chopped meats; a childwho has a history of pneumonia, who drools,
who is known to aspirate, who complains that food getsstuck in the throat, or
who has had a stroke, a traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, mouth or
throat cancer, cerebral palsy, or other degenerative and
neuromuscular
conditions. For more information:
http://www.vitalstimtherapy.com.
TheraTogs™
TheraTogs™ are a therapeutic system intended for use as an adjunct to sensorimotor training, pediatric joint and bone development, and to physical rehabilitation following brain injury, stroke, and orthopedic surgery or neurosurgery. The idea behind TheraTogs™ is to enable the therapist's hands to "go home with the child". For more information: http://www.theratogs.com.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
The speech therapy staff has experience using a variety of different communication systems, including Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), low-tech devices, as well as high-tech (computerized) devices. The staff also has had great success in receiving funding for children who need such devices.
Partial Weight Bearing
T.E.A.M. has the ability to work on walking in a suspended harness system called the WalkAble™. The WalkAble™ is a therapy device used to promote the generation of normal walking patterns by controlling weight bearing, balance and posture during gait training. Partial weight bearing is useful with children who have the following diagnoses: Spinal Cord Injury, Head Injury, Cerebral Palsy, Amputation, and/or Orthopedic problems. For more information: http://www.litegait.com.