Developmental Therapy Services of Sacramento offers pediatric therapy services to children and families in the greater Sacramento area.
Services
Evaluations and Assessments
Therapists use a combination of records review, skilled observation, parent report, and standardized assessments to complete their analysis. Private evaluations can be formal (with a written report) or informal (without a written report) depending on family’s preference. Evaluations for school districts, Alta California Regional Center, or Insurance companies will be carried out per contract negotiations.
Individual Sessions
One–on-one instruction with client and therapist plus parent training/education.
Co-Treatments/Collaborations
Sessions include working with both an occupational therapist and speech therapist for 6 weeks to establish a comprehensive treatment plan before moving forward with individual sessions with one discipline.
Consultation
Consultative sessions are available for parents and/or students. Sessions are as needed and could take place in-clinic, video conference, or over the phone.
Telehealth
Telehealth is a service model that allows us to provide individual, consultation, and parent coaching/training sessions remotely. In person sessions are the expectation, however telehealth is offered on an as needed basis. Using Google Meet our therapist would interact with you and your family to provide treatment strategies, activities, and home programs to address identified areas of need. In order to provide effective Telehealth services, you will need reliable internet, a webcam, microphone, speaker, and an activity helper to assist your child with treatment activities.
Specialties
Occupational Therapy
Pediatric occupational therapy focuses on assisting children in attaining the gross motor, fine motor, visual motor, visual perceptual, sensory regulation, bilateral coordination, praxis, and self-care skills needed to be successful in their everyday activities and environments. Our team of occupational therapists focus on providing services that are holistic and developmentally focused, so clients obtain the building blocks they need for all area of their lives. Sessions are typically 60 minutes long.
Speech Therapy
Our team of Speech-Language Pathologists provide pediatric speech and language evaluations and treatment for clients from birth through 18 years. Our speech-language pathologists use a developmental and holistic model that emphasizes parent education and coaching to promote generalization of skills from the clinic to home and school. Sessions are typically 30 minutes or 60 minutes in duration and determined based on need of the client.
Speech and language services may target:
- Expressive language – the ability to express oneself, verbally or non-verbally, to effectively communicate wants, needs, thoughts, and ideas
- Receptive language – the ability to comprehend spoken language
- Articulation and Phonology – the production of speech sounds to improve intelligibility
- Motor Speech Disorders – planning and coordinating oral musculature to produce speech
- Alternative and Augmentative Communication – working with low-technology and high-technology to find alternatives to verbal speech
Feeding Therapy
Feeding therapy’s primary focus is to teach children how to eat. Feeding therapists are specially trained in oral motor skills, developmental food progression, and eating techniques to help children eat and drink more effectively, easily, and with more FUN! Here at Developmental Therapy Services of Sacramento we use the SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) feeding approach. This approach encourages children to explore new foods through a play based, sensory exploration, and stress-free setting. So, prepare to get messy! Through a multi-sensory food play and a systematic approach, children develop the oral motor, behavioral, and sensory processing skills needed for successful and safe eating. Sessions can be provided one-on-one or in a small group setting (based on need and availability) and are typically 60 minutes long.
Early Intervention
Early intervention is the term used to describe the services and supports that are available to babies and young children ages 0 through 3 years. The focus is to address the child’s developmental delays with a family centered focus. Early childhood intervention programs are designed to address factors that place children at risk for delays in motor, cognitive, self-care, language, and behavioral skills as they develop and grow. Research shows that children who receive early intervention services before the age of 3 years have better chances to become independent and functional participants in their home, school, and social environments. Our staff strongly believes in the benefits of early intervention and are well trained in providing these services to our families. Developmental Therapy Services of Sacramento contracts with Alta California Regional Center to provide assessments and treatments for eligible children and their families.
Specialties
Executive Functioning
Executive functioning involves high-level cognitive skills that are required to pay attention, plan, execute, and organize daily routines and activities. It involves skills like organizing, planning, memory, time management, flexible thinking, multitasking, problem solving, analyzing, and strategy. When a child’s executive functioning skills are weak, any task from making a bed to completing a school project can become challenging.
integrated Listening System (iLS)
ILS is a multi-sensory program for improving brain function through the use of modulated music with developmentally appropriate activities. ILS was developed from the concept of neuroplasticity-the idea that our brains can be changed and re-written at any age through specific and repetitive stimulation. With improved brain function, our ability to focus, think, and engage successfully in social situations also improves. For more information visit: integratedlistening.com.
Therapeutic Listening (TL)
Therapeutic Listening is a program that uses modulated music to support individuals with sensory processing, listening attention, and communication challenges. For more information, visit Vital Links. vitallinks.net.
Learning Without Tears (HWT)
The HWT curriculum follows a simple vertical style letter formation using a multi-sensory developmental approach for teaching capital and lowercase letters. For more information, visit Learning Without Tears, lwtears.com.
Sensory Processing
Sensory processing involves 5 main sensory systems:
- tactile (touch)
- vestibular (balance/movement)
- proprioception (body awareness in space)
- visual
- auditory
The main ones being tactile, vestibular, and proprioception. Our bodies are constantly interpreting sensory input from these systems and when our body processes the input correctly, we are able to function successfully in everyday activities. However, when one or a few systems are not being processed or regulated optimally, attending to, participating in, and completing daily activities becomes challenging and overwhelming.
Emotional Control
Emotional control is about learning how to regulate ones emotions in their environment. Sessions including emotional control support can include working with the child on identifying their emotions and selecting appropriate coping strategies to educating families on how to address emotional control in their home environment.
Zones of Regulation
“The Zones is a systematic, cognitive behavioral approach used to teach self-regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete colored zones. The Zones framework provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of and independent in controlling their emotions and impulses, manage their sensory needs, and improve their ability to problem solve conflicts.” –www.zonesofregulation.com
Here at Developmental Therapy Services of Sacramento, we use the Zones curriculum to teach our clients how to advocate for their body’s feelings and needs. However, the full curriculum is not always a good fit for every child, so we also use strategies from the Zones program and adapt it to fit each child’s individual needs.
To learn more visit: www.zonesofregulation.com
