Occupational Therapy (OT) puts the “fun” back into functional by providing skilled treatment to help infants,
children or adolescents to perform functionally and to achieve/restore mobility at the highest level possible.

Ashlea-Kersey-OT provides Occupational Therapy

The occupational therapist addresses the treatment and management of infants, children, and adolescents with a variety of congenital, developmental, neuromuscular, skeletal, or acquired disorders/diseases. Pediatric occupational therapy provides skilled treatment for infants and children who need special help developing or regaining functional skills such as self-care and activity of daily living (ADL) skills, feeding and oral-motor difficulties, play and social skills.

Occupational therapy is also indicated for children having difficulties with upper extremity orthopedic/neurological injury, splinting and positioning needs, home accessibility evaluations, motor planning / visual motor control, sensory integration dysfunction, school functional assessments including handwriting. The occupational therapist provides individualized assessment and often early detection of physical challenges. Treatments are play-based and are unique to the developmental level of each child. As with most problems in life, the sooner they are detected and addressed, the higher the success rate. This is especially true for children with special needs.

We can help you address a functional difficulty before it causes a reduction in functional abilities, low self-esteem, poor school performance, or strained peer and family relationships.

Elite Therapy Center’s occupational and physical therapy is provided through Elite Therapy Services. Pediatric occupational therapy provides skilled treatment for infants and children who need special help developing or regaining functional skills such as self-care and activity of daily living (ADL) skills, feeding and oral-motor difficulties, play and social skills. We offer encouragement and celebrate in each client’s success. Remember: Early detection and intervention are key. If you have any concerns, please contact us.

Check to see if your child is hitting motor milestones:

Motor Milestones

Request OT Services

Sensory Processing Disorder

Sensory processing refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into responses. For those with Sensory Processing Disorder, sensory information goes into the brain but does not get organized into appropriate responses. Those with SPD perceive and/or respond to sensory information differently than most other people. Unlike people who have impaired sight or hearing, those with Sensory Processing Disorder do detect the sensory information; however, the sensory information gets “mixed up” in their brain and therefore the responses are inappropriate in the context in which they find themselves.

Sensory Processing Disorder or SPD (originally called Sensory Integration Dysfunction) is a neurological disorder in which the sensory information that the individual perceives results in abnormal responses. A more formal definition is: SPD is a neurophysiologic condition in which sensory input either from the environment or from one’s body is poorly detected, modulated, or interpreted and/or to which atypical responses are observed. Pioneering occupational therapist, psychologist, and neuroscientist A. Jean Ayres, Ph.D., likened SPD to a neurological “traffic jam” that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly.

For more information from SPD: http://www.spdfoundation.net/about-sensory-processing-disorder/symptoms/

Sensory Motor Lab

Elite Therapy Center owner and director of Occupational Therapy, Kari McKown, MOT, OTR, works with schools and other pediatric organizations to help build sensory friendly motor labs. This unique lab is designed to provide a safe and dynamic sensory fulfillment for children in the classroom or learning environment. Each activity area is equipped with sensory items or activities catered to an educator’s specific need. Big or small, the motor lab is used as an additional tool for kids of all ages and abilities.

>> Interested in a motor lab for your classroom? Contact us today!