Creating opportunities for your child to learn and grow – socially, physically, and emotionally.
PEDIATRIC OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY IN
NORTH LIBERTY IOWA
We understand how hard it is to see your child struggle.
Or even how hard it is to find the right resources when you suspect your child might be falling behind due to a bigger reason like autism or ADHD.
Our approach to occupational therapy looks at the entire child and finds ways to support their progress using play, sensory exploration, and the latest in therapy strategies. You’ll find our clinic provides a safe and supportive environment for children to learn new skills.
Between our caregiver support and uplifting sessions, both you and your child will walk out of each session with increased confidence for the days and weeks ahead.
OT CAN BENEFIT KIDS WITH:
Developmental Delay
Autism
ADHD
Difficulty in preschool
Big emotions
Coordination challenges
Difficulty following directions
Low self-esteem
Poor handwriting
Sensitivity to clothing, sound, or light
Difficulty making friends
Delayed milestones
Toilet Training Challenges
Dyslexia
Cerebral Palsy
OT WORKS ON:
Sensory Processing
Overcoming Frustration
Dealing with change
Coordination
Body awareness
Self-confidence
Social skills
Fine motor skills
Caregiver training
Community Resources
Whole Body Movement
Identifying and appropriately responding to emotions
Independence with self-care routines
Handwriting
A Peek into What’s Offered Inside Occupational Therapy
We look at your child’s entire life and come up with a plan that’s effective, fun, and rooted in research.
Approaches We Use
DIR Floortime
DIR Floortime is a treatment model that focuses on engagement and following the child's lead while challenging them to go to the next level. It is fun, engaging, and creates positive interactions that flow back and forth between child and therapist (or caregiver). You’ll love watching your child’s increased positive interactions during our sessions and using this model yourself.
Sensory Integration
This approach looks at how the brain and nervous system understand and respond to information from the senses (touch, hearing, vision, balance, taste, smell, and even the senses inside your body hunger). Sensory processing challenges are the underlying problem behind a wide range of struggles related to big emotions, learning, behavior, play, and movement.
At Sensory Kids Iowa, we combine our in-depth knowledge of sensory processing and sensory enriched environments to identify and address sensory challenges that are impacting your child’s daily life.
Interactive Metronome
When it comes to cutting-edge treatments that are fun and effective, we love being able to offer the Interactive Metronome.
It looks like a fun activity to match rhythmic beats to exercises on a computer screen. But this is actually an amazing brain exercise to address a variety of skills including:
Focus
Attention
Coordination
Impulse control
Academic performance
It’s a favorite around here because it’s so effective at targeting the underlying neurological skills for those with ADD/ADHD, Apraxia/Dyspraxia, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Auditory Processing Disorder, Dyslexia and other reading, learning, or communication disorders.
Interoception Awareness Program
Using our training in interoception, we help children understand the senses from inside their bodies. This includes understanding signals such as hunger, fullness, thirst, anxiety, or the need to use the bathroom. Our program has successfully helped children who have autism or sensory processing disorder toilet train through increasing their body awareness with emotions.
Intensives
As a graduate of the Star Institute Mentorship program, we’re proud to offer therapy intensives. Intensives are a great way for your child and family to make a lot of progress in a short period of time. With Intensives, plan for therapy several times a week to consistently build towards those key goals.
Sensory Regulation
Did you know that many kids labeled with “behavior problems” actually struggle with regulation issues? We believe everything can change when you start really understanding self-regulation with your child.
At Sensory Kids Iowa, we problem-solve with parents to improve your child’s ability to manage big emotions or impulsive actions. Using programs like the “Zone of Regulation” and “How Does Your Engine Run,” we partner with parents to work on sensory issues, emotion recognition and response, and finding compassionate, actionable steps to take when meltdowns happen.
Mindfulness and Yoga
We use concepts from Little Flower Yoga to help your child connect to themselves and their environment. This program uses calming movements and breath to develop focus, concentration, strength, and confidence.
Fine Motor Skills
If your child is having difficulty writing, cutting, or fastening buttons or zippers, fine motor skills might be the cause. In a nutshell, fine motor skills are the small, controlled movements of the hand that make a big difference in daily life in terms of academic performance and self-confidence.
When it comes to fine motor skills, we get superior results for kids by taking a whole-person perspective that incorporates sensory, strength, visual activities, and coordination practice.
Social Skills
We help you take the mystery out of teaching your child those important social skills. An out-of-sync sensory system can make it hard for children with autism, ADHD, anxiety, or sensory processing disorder to engage and interact with family or peers. By addressing sensory challenges and providing fun and supportive ways to practice, we help your child feel more confident and ready to connect with family and peers.
Available as part of individual sessions or within our popular social groups.
Sensory Gym Design
A home sensory gym can be an amazing tool for meeting your child’s daily sensory needs. Be confident your home sensory gym will be a success by tapping into our extensive experience with matching kids’ needs with the right sensory equipment. We offer suggestions ranging from a few pieces of sensory equipment to everything needed to transform your basement, attic, or spare room into a sensory oasis that’s safe, fun, and effective.
Here’s What to Expect with Your Occupational Therapy
Initial Evaluation
During the first visit, we get to know your child and discuss the root of the challenges you’re seeing for your child. We use a variety of methods including interviews, observation, and formal assessments to really understand your child’s needs and develop a plan to address them.
Individual Sessions
No two sessions look the same because we have a huge variety of treatment options. But what is common for all sessions is the use of fun, effective treatments combined with warm, authentic relationships between parent, child, and therapist.
Whether your child is working in our fun sensory gym or performing tabletop activities, they’ll leave feeling more confident and capable. And you’ll leave with practical ideas to use at home.
Visit our FAQ page to get more details to prepare for your visit.
