Physical therapists work with the child's ability to move his/her body for gross motor activities such as rolling, crawling, sitting, standing, walking, running, climbing, etc. Motor skill knowledge is a major part of early development. Our Physical Therapists treat impairments of movement that lead to functional limitations by addressing issues with muscle strength, range of motion and muscle tone. The therapists also train families on positioning and handling skills to assist their children in meeting motor milestones.

Physical therapy promotes infants and toddlers' gross motor development and balance skills, motor control and planning, muscle strength, increased range of motion, coordination and optimal quality of movement. It enhances children's developmental skills, processing, and overall learning. It also facilitates independence, leading to physical and emotional well-being.

Physical Therapists are experts in human movement who examine and diagnose movement impairments and treat individuals with conditions that limit their ability to move and perform functional activities. We also have a DMI (Dynamic Movement Intervention) certified Physical Therapist on our staff. 

Children with language disorders may need help with their expressive language which is the ability to talk and/or receptive language which is the ability to understand language. If a child has speech-articulation problems, he or she may not be able to articulate age-appropriate sounds to state words clearly. The child may be unintelligible to others, which may result in frustration for both the speaker and listener.

The Speech Therapist's primary task is to provide parent education, play therapy, and speech goals to improve a child's speech-articulation and Expressive/Receptive Language skills. Speech-articulation skills may be improved using tongue-placement, modeling, and auditory feedback methods.

Expressive and receptive language skills may be improved through modeling, repetition and play therapy methods. Often, by using simple sign language, a baby may improve their ability to interact and start saying words. When a child starts saying words clearly, he or she often learns the "power of language." Children learn to speak to get their needs met and influence their environment, which becomes self-reinforcing.

Occupational therapists assist children with their fine motor and sensory development in order for them to attain typical developmental skills. An Occupational therapist will address the underlying foundational skills that are needed for a child to develop independence with activities of daily living.

A child's job is to play with toys, socialize with peers, eat and move around their environment, explore different textures and participate in movement experiences at an age appropriate level. Children learn through experience, thus the therapist will set up new experiences and teach the parent how to do this as well, so that the child can develop the appropriate skills for playing, socializing, eating and exploring his/her environment. The therapist may do this through many different interventions including modifying the environment/activity to the child's developmental level, using equipment that would assist the child in participating in an activity and assisting the child in developing the appropriate muscles to perform all tasks. 

The therapist will guide the child through different positions and activities to develop their muscles and skills and then teach the parent techniques to use at home to follow through with the development.

Occupational Therapy helps children play, improves their school performance, and aids their daily activities. It also boosts their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment by promoting independence.

Child Development Specialists provide family support services and developmental therapy to facilitate children's growth, learning, and development. The specialists will develop educational, play-based activities to address delays in thinking skills, language development, fine and gross motor development, social and emotional development, and self-help skills.

A key element of this service is caregiver coaching. The specialists work closely with each family, teaching and modeling intervention techniques to help infants and toddlers reach important developmental milestones within a child’s natural environment.

This class was developed to promote early language skills including receptive and expressive language, socialization skills, parents training, skills through modeling, peer interaction and parent-child participation. Our goal is to promote the importance of two way communication.

The group includes the therapist, the children, the caregivers, and a therapist's aide. The group setting allows the children to socialize with and learn from their peers. The children have an opportunity to learn sharing, taking turns, classroom routines, and socialization skills. The caregivers have the opportunity to network with one another for support and encouragement.

During the class, all areas of development are reinforced with the main goal of language development or acquisition and social interaction. Many times children show frustration with disruptive behavior due to lack of communication skills but as they learn to communicate their needs by using simple signs or words these behaviors are reduced or disappear. The group activities will include oral motor stimulation, vocalizations, turn taking, sharing, music, drama, pretend play and new vocabulary to enhance communication skills.

The M.O.V.E. program is a top down motor milestone curriculum, designed to develop motor skills through the use of specialized equipment, prompts and routine exercises to promote sitting standing and walking skills in children with motor delays. It creates greater mobility and independence, increasing self-esteem and allowing the participants to be included in more age appropriate settings including a general education classroom setting with the use of equipment.

Children 12 months old and older who have not achieve motor milestones for their age, will benefit from the M.O.V.E program.

Our main goal for the child is to improve functional mobility and gain the independent mobility to sit, stand, and walk on their own.

Infant massage is a type of treatment that uses massage therapy for babies. Studies have shown that routine touch and massage can lead to improved physiological, cognitive, emotional and social development. Specifically, routine baby massage has even been shown to improve mental development and increase alertness and attentiveness. Infant massage encourages bonding through eye-to-eye contact, smiling, soothing vocal sounds, loving touch, and mutual interaction. Early development is influenced by touch and infant massage can support development in these five areas:

• Communication skills – promotes emerging speech, direct eye gaze, listening and turn taking

• Motor skills – improves muscle tone and coordination, increases body awareness

• Social skills – encourages infant and caregiver to engage one another

• Self-help skills – stimulates oral motor musculature awareness, lip closure, and relaxation of tension needed for swallowing

• Cognition – enhances overall awareness of self and body boundaries, cause and effect, and increase in attention span

Feeding therapy helps children develop effective feeding behaviors and patterns by addressing the underlying cause of feeding difficulties. Eating doesn't always come easy and naturally. Some babies and young children don't have an appropriate appetite or eating skills to support the optimal growth pattern for their age. There could be many reasons behind feeding difficulties, ranging from choking when eating to sensory processing or motor deficits associated with an underlying diagnosis. Feeding therapists work closely with children and their families to determine the source of difficulties and develop personalized and specific therapies to make the eating process easier and more enjoyable. Feeding therapy is performed by a trained occupational or speech therapist.