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Change the World!
"Learning Today For A Better Tomorrow."
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preschoolers in a music therapy session
preschoolers in a music therapy session
Occupational Therapy
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Play is an essential part of a child’s life. Through play, children develop cognitive skills, socialization, fine and gross motor development. Often, children who have motor coordination difficulties avoid and limit certain types of play.
The registered and licensed Occupational Therapists at Leeway School are trained in evaluation and treatment of fine motor skills, sensory processing and functional self care development, through the use of play.
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Fine motor skills generally refers to actions of the hands, wrists, and arms, including dexterity, coordination, and strength. Handwriting is a complex process of managing written language by coordinating the eyes, arms, hands, pencil grip, letter formation, and body posture. Sensory Integration (SI) is the process of receiving, organizing, and interpreting input, becoming the basis for motor planning, learning and behavior. If the occupational therapist is working on sensory issues (Sensory Processing Integration), they are working with your child’s ability to process and respond to sensory information within the environment. The therapist will use various interventions that focus on providing the child with different sensory experiences and helping them become accustomed to those experiences. Our Occupational Therapists will tailor your child's learning experiences based on their IFSP or IEP goals.
At Leeway School, we encourage parents to keep in touch with their child’s therapist through your child’s communication notebook to find out how you can carry over some of the skills they are working on in school. If you would like to observe your child’s occupational therapy session please contact your son or daughter’s therapist to make arrangements.
Sensory Garden
Our Sensory Garden is a project lovingly put together by our Therapeutic staff to enhance the experiences of our children. The garden plantings were chosen by their unique characteristics that can help the students learn more about the world around them. Soft, curly, tall, and fragrant plantings make these concepts come to life. There are also chimes and stepping stones to make the garden more interactive. Next time you are at Leeway, stop by to visit our garden. We are looking to possibly expand it in the future. Thank you to all the dedicated staff that gave of their time to put together our sensory oasis!
Areas of focus include pre-writing and pre-scissors skills, mealtime strategies, visual perceptual activities, facilitation of appropriate responses to sensations within a child’s environment.
Some useful links:
Fine Motor Skills for Infants, Toddlers, and Children-
http://www.earlyinterventionsupport.com/development/finemotor/default.aspx
Supporting Children’s Development: Fine motor skills-
http://ncac.acecqa.gov.au/educator-resources/pcf-articles
/Supporting_children's_development_fine_motor_skills.pdf
Fine Motor Skills Developmental Milestones: Early Childhood Activities-
(click view full article)-
http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Ready_Fine_Motor/
Early Identification- Motor Skills Milestones-
http://www.ldonline.org/article/6045/
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Handwriting-
http://www.aota.org/Consumers/consumers/Youth/Handwriting.aspx