Occupational Therapy
Build confidence and enhance social and emotional well-being
We support children and adolescents in developing the skills necessary to thrive at home, school, and in the community. Our tailored Interventions help children and adolescents to successfully engage in their activities of daily living by fostering a range of skills including:
• Emotion regulation
• Flexible thinking
• Perspective taking
• Increased self-awareness
• Sensory-motor function
By empowering children and adolescents with the skills to better understand and manage themselves, our OTs help their clients improve their quality of life and relationships.
Our OTs are registered with the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario and use several frameworks, including sensory integration, cognitive, sensory-motor, and neuro-developmental approaches.
Tailored and targeted interventions
Our OT team works with children and adolescents who are struggling with:
• Self-Regulation
• Social Skills
• Behaviour
• Anxiety
• Sensory Integration
• Fine, Gross and/or Visual Motor Coordination Difficulties
• Handwriting
• Visual Perception
• Activities of Daily Living
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OT assessments are play-based and engaging. Our OTs use standardized tests, parent questionnaires, and clinical observations of neuromuscular integration and function to assess a child or adolescent. Based on the results of the assessment, the OT will recommend a course of action and establish therapy goals. Detailed reports are prepared when appropriate.
Treatment Modalities
Our OTs draw upon the following treatment modalities when supporting children, adolescents and parents:
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A framework that helps children understand and manage their emotions and behaviours by categorizing them into four coloured zones, promoting self-awareness and regulation.
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A program that teaches children how to interpret social cues and develop appropriate responses, enhancing their social skills and interactions.
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A therapy that helps children with sensory processing issues by engaging them in activities that challenge and improve their ability to process and respond to sensory information.
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A program that helps children and adults understand and manage their self-regulation. It teaches how the body can feel like a car engine running high, low, or just right, and offers strategies to adjust alertness levels for various activities throughout the day.
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Handwriting Without Tears™ offers a comprehensive, research-backed curriculum designed to make learning to write easy and effective for students from Pre-K to 5th grade. It combines explicit instruction with guided practice and multisensory learning to engage visual, audio, and kinesthetic learners.
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Therapeutic Listening® is a sound-based intervention that helps individuals with sensory processing and self-regulation issues. By using electronically modified music, it provides unique sensory input to improve attention, behaviour, and overall physiology. The program is tailored to each individual's needs and can be integrated with other therapies to enhance its effectiveness.
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The SOS Approach to Feeding is a transdisciplinary program designed to assess and treat children with feeding difficulties. It distinguishes between picky eaters and problem feeders, offering tailored strategies to help children develop a healthy relationship with food.
Parent Support
Parent support is an integral component of the support we provide to families at Red Oak. We support parents in understanding the lagging skills and environmental factors that underlie their child’s challenging behaviour. We provide parents with language and strategies to support their child at home. Parent involvement in their child’s OT therapy helps parents to better understand and support their child’s needs improving treatment outcomes.
Parent feedback is provided in the last few minutes of the session. The OT will share a brief session summary and any relevant strategies and resources for home.
Parent sessions are also available for more comprehensive parent support.
