Early intervention matters more than most families realize. Depending on the concern, we work with children from birth — including while still in the hospital. If something feels off, the right time to ask is now, not after waiting to see.

It depends on the type and severity of the difficulty, and the client's age and attention span. Most clients benefit from one to two sessions per week — enough to make steady progress while leaving room for home practice between visits.

Parents are encouraged to sit in on sessions, especially for younger children, so the same approach can carry into everyday routines at home. Reading aloud, narrating everyday routines, and following the child's lead in play are among the most impactful things families can do between sessions. For older children and adults, the therapist will walk caregivers through progress and practice ideas at the end of each session.

• Articulation
• Auditory processing
• Following directions
• Word finding
• Vocabulary and Speech grammar / syntax
• Asking and answering “wh-” questions (i.e. who, what, where, when, why, how)

• Listening and reading comprehension
• Sequencing and Narratives
• Fluency (i.e. stuttering / stammering)
• Voice (e.g. hoarse, nasal)
• Pragmatic skills (i.e. the use of language in social contexts including conversational skills, and the use of body language)
• Feeding and swallowing

These difficulties could be due to:

• Developmental conditions such as Downs Syndrome, Autism, Cerebral Palsy
• Neurological conditions such  as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzeimher’s Disease
• Brain Trauma such as stroke, traumatic brain injury
• Medical conditions such oro-pharyngal cancer, cleft lip & palate, pre-term birth

Occupational therapists evaluate kids' skills for playing, school performance, and daily activities and compare them with what is developmentally appropriate for that age group. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life.

Occupational Therapists work on:

• Sensory Processing Disorder (more below)
• Behavior: Teaching children positive ways to redirect their actions instead of acting out
• Attention: To improve focus and concentration
• Fine motor skills: To improve grasp and release of toys, gripping a pencil, cutting, sticking etc.
• Hand-eye coordination: To improve play and academic skills such as hitting a target, batting a ball, copying from a blackboard, etc.
• Activities of Daily Living (ADL): Bathing, getting dressed, brushing teeth, self feeding

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD, formerly known as "sensory integration dysfunction") is a condition that exists when sensory signals don't get organized into appropriate responses.