Functional Kids focuses on children and young adults. The occupations of infants include sleeping, eating and exploration of their physical, social and cultural worlds. With children the occupations added are self-maintenance, play, socialization and school. Adolescent and young adult occupations also add preparation for adult employment, forming intimate relationships, social engagement and community involvement, and managing tasks of life independently such as money management and transportation.

At Functional Kids Clinic we start with the idea that play is children’s work. We believe the best results will come when children participate in activities that are engaging and meaningful to them. That often includes play. Our treatment spaces are set up to encourage climbing (for strengthening, body control, and calming) and swinging (for calming, organizing, eye-hand coordination, and balance), to name just a couple.

We can effectively treat children who have medical diagnoses of Autism, Asperger's Disorder, ADHD, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, incoordination, failure to thrive and sensory processing disorder. We also can successfully treat children with subtle symptoms that are nonetheless interfering with daily life.

The occupational therapists at Functional Kids Clinic have training, experience and, when appropriate, certification in many different treatment approaches.

These include:

Motor skills
Neurodevelopmental treatment
Sensory integration
Perceptual motor
Visual motor
Oral motor
Bilateral coordination

Specific programs we are trained to use:

Wilbarger Touch Pressure Protocol
Therapeutic Listening
Kawar Protocol
Interactive Metronome - IM
CranioSacral Treatment
Brain Gym (Educational Kinesiology)
Bal-a-vis-x
Sequential-Oral-Sensory Feeding - SOS
Relationship Development Intervention -RDI
Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests - SIPT evaluation tool.
Motor-Oral-Respiration-Eyes - M.O.R.E
Alert Program - How Does Your Engine Run?
AIT
Reflex Integration

Auditory Integration Training, (AIT)
An intense sound therapy used to address vestibular dysfunction, gravitational insecurity, auditory defensiveness and attention/focus difficulties. The client receives two 30-minute sessions of sound therapy through headphones per day, for 10 days. The frequency and intensity of this program helps the client to make improvements in a variety of area including, but not limited to: sensory defensiveness, language, regulation, socio-emotional development, eye-hand coordination, balance, and auditory filtering.

Reflex Integration
Reflex Integration primitive reflexes are automatic, stereotypical movements that develop prior to birth and shortly after. When these reflex patterns are not expressed and integrated, development can be compromised. Our therapists are trained in reflex integration testing and integration patterns used by Svetlana Masgutova, PhD as well as Sheila Frick, OTR. Through reflex integration, clients are able to improve motor patterns, decrease sensory defensiveness, and improve modulation and regulation.