Can you help my child...?
There are a variety of characteristics that respond to our OT interventions. Those that are beyond our scope we can often refer you to other professionals. Parents of current and past clients are probably the best resource in terms of the benefits that can arise, that span a child's daily life. One parent had this to say of her teenage son after 10, 60 minute sessions (focus was on remediating executive functions through the work of Sarah Ward):
"He has reached some kind of turning point and the light is shining!!! He has said several times now “that those ladies and OT are really working”!!! He is keeping his room and space tidy (folding his socks and underwear, hanging his clothes, washing his sheets and making bed, cleaning bathroom!!). He is also planning ahead and organizing himself. He even said he doesn’t feel ready to go to (sport of choice) but will start full day of school and go to (sport) next week. Well not only did he plan ahead he executed beautifully! Packed all for school and (sport) without me saying anything. My sister was here visiting and she also noticed a change in him - studying on his own and not so scattered with his thoughts and generally more mature."
One parent had this to say:
"This report sums (our child) up in a nutshell. Thank you again for doing this for (our child) and our family... You have given us the most time and understanding of our son than most of the people whom have tried to understand my concerns, and you have not judged me or (my child) as too 'complex'..."
What kids say: "my body hates this but my brain loves it!" "Mrs. Sharpe made my brain feel better."
What diagnoses do you have expertise in?
The majority of our clients are ambulatory (can walk) and fit into a variety of diagnostic categories. Whether they medically fit the category of autism (ASD), developmental coordination disorder (DCD), attention deficit disorder (ADD), learning disabilities, anxiety disorders, written output challenges, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), we continue to view the child as a whole being capable of unique functional abilities.
As clinical lead, Diana Sharpe has over 15 years of experience working with children with various areas of "stuckness" in their development.
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapists (OTs) empower people of all ages with the skills needed to perform the job of living. OTs assist people when they have problems that impact their ability to complete occupations (tasks) important to them.
For a child these tasks may be in the realm of:
taking care of oneself ("self-care" e.g. dressing, eating, sleeping, toileting),
pursuing activities that are meaningful ("leisure" e.g. participation in community, sport, art, social, developing talents), and
completing tasks that are needed ("work" e.g. school, learning, academics, doing chores).
OTs take into account all aspects of the child (spiritual, emotional, physical, cognitive) as well as the context in which the child lives (their social/cultural environment, physical environment or institutional environments like schools, churches, or other organizations).
OTs are experts in function and strive to enable each and every person to engage in a meaningful life.
What are your fees?
Please email admin@sharpeot.com to request our fee schedule.
Every session is billed for the duration you see the OT plus 15 minutes for charting/planning the subsequent session.
Involvement of a program assistant with your OT may be recommended (or required for safety), particularly with children who have high impulsivity.
Assistants are able to carry out interventions as prescribed by an OT, during sessions.
When and how often are children seen?
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6:30pm, Tuesday & Wednesday 8:30am-7pm, Thursday 8:30am-6pm, Friday 9am-6:30pm as well as the occasional Saturday.
Many of our clients attend OT every week, some may attend less often (every 2nd week, or in "blocks" i.e. every week for 1 month and off for 1 month).
There continues to be a benefit for children doing sessions 1x/month, depending on the child's needs and goals.
During school breaks we offer longer sessions (2 hours duration) and we offer more intense therapy blocks where children attend 2x/week.
Why do an OT assessment for a child?
Assessment is holistic and can uncover the underlying, foundational issues beneath presenting problems (what is observed by parents/teachers day to day). From there a plan of intervention may be created to address the foundational issues. We are able to bring together the profile of the child (physical, emotional, social, and cognitive abilities) and merge it with the context the child lives in (at home, school, community), and from there identify our key targets.
What will be recommended?
Recommendations follow a developmental approach, are realistic, and family centered. There are alternate routes and methods that can be used to get to the same desired outcome. The route chosen often depends as much on the family situation and culture as on the child's unique profile. Often our strategies are quite simple and can be implemented in day to day living. Other times recommendations will incorporate other professionals that we can connect you with.
At times Ot has a surprising effect...
"What a huge difference I saw in (my child) after working with you yesterday morning.
We went to a farm looking at chickens. He typically jumps up and down, flapping his hands and arms. I did not see anything like that. He calmly approached the chickens and followed directions.
Learning how to ride a bike without training wheels. He tried 4 times and gave up without any meltdowns or frustration. He used his words was reasonably upset. He typically would stomp and get mad.
He played on his own for 1 hour away from the other kids. He played with his fingers for a bit not the whole hour (as he normally does).
We went for a walk. This was the first time he stayed right beside me while walking. He held my hand and had eye contact with me when talking beside me. Typically he holds hands for a short time, then runs ahead not listening when asked to wait.
He watched TV for 20 min. No jumping and flapping hands as he normally would when he gets excited.
I saw the first jumping and flapping hands at 5 pm.
He crashed very tired at 8 pm. He is just waking up now at 9 am.
What an amazing day he had. Being able to focus, doing things what was expected of him. No jumping. I have never seen him that calm and regulated.
Thank you very much for your help. It was amazing. The best day he had since I know him."