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Occupational Therapy

This program utilizes a neurological approach that facilitates development of sensory-motor skills. Academic performance in reading, writing, and math is greatly enhanced by integration of tactile, spatial, visual, and motor processing skills.

Students perform activities which stimulate movement, posture, endurance, balance, bilateral integration, spatial organization, eye-hand coordination, visual tracking, visual perception, and fine motor skills. Improvement in these areas supports handwriting legibility, typing, handling utensils, tying shoe laces, and bike riding.

Older students participate in functional groups that are activity-based and provide practical experiences. Skills addressed include making/keeping appointments, reading maps, using directories and signs, following schedules, and handling money.

Speech/Language

The primary goal of the Speech/Language program is to support development of language and literacy skills necessary for effective classroom performance. Reading and written language problems are often due to dyslexia spectrum disorders. Dyslexia is defined as a language disorder related to the way the brain processes phonological information and may range from a severe reading disability to moderate interferences in spelling and/or written expression. In order for dyslexic students to learn to read and write successfully, direct instruction is essential. Language therapists provide training either individually or in small groups. The therapists also serve as consultants to the teaching staff regarding educational planning for individual language needs in the classroom.

Skills are addressed in the following areas:

Language Processing & Production
Speech Disorders/Pragmatic Skills
Print Concepts
Phonological Awareness
Alphabetic Principle
Reading & Spelling Strategies
Vocabulary Development
Listening/Reading Comprehension Strategies
Reading Fluency
Written Language/Writing Process
Written Output Skills

Counseling

The clinical staff includes full-time social workers, a psychologist, and an art therapist. A psychiatrist consults weekly to assess students and meet with staff.

Counseling goals target problems that are unique to each child as well as those that many students share. A sample of problems addressed could include self-esteem related to past school failure, difficulty with social skills, impulsivity, poor judgment, maturity level issues, frustration tolerance, anger management, conflict resolution, and anxiety.

All students participate in a weekly classroom peer group meeting led by a counselor. Individual counseling is provided on an as-needed basis, and groups are designed to include students with similar issues and interests. Crisis intervention is an important aspect of the program. Art therapy which uses nonverbal modalities such as painting, drawing, or playing may be the treatment of choice when a student finds it difficult to communicate verbally.

Counselors also provide follow-up sessions for new parents, parent consultation as-needed for all students, and ongoing support groups.