Question 1

Where are Little Strides Therapeutic Children’s Services offered?

Accepted Answer

Little Strides Children’s Therapeutic Services is a private in-home/school/community occupational therapy service. Currently, we service the following areas: Greater Toronto Area, and parts of the York Region. If you live outside of these regions and are interested in obtaining services, please call: 289-204-8527or email us at info@littlestrides.ca.
Little Strides provides private pediatric occupational therapy services for children and their families living in Southern Ontario. Occupational therapy is provided within your community, school, and/or home environment. Services may consist of the assessment, treatment, consultation, and education of: fine motor skills, written output, communication skills, gross motor and coordination skills, visual motor and visual perceptual skills, sensory processing, self-care, social skills, school related issues, etc.
If you are not in our service area, we may be able to arrange therapy services with an additional travel fee (billed at $80/hr). Please give us a call to discuss.

Question 2

I have concerns but I am unsure if my child requires OT?

Accepted Answer

Is your child having difficulty in one or more of the following areas:
Anxiety
Attention and concentration (i.e. difficulty sitting still, paying attention, issues with organization (i.e. belongings, homework), etc.)
Fine and gross motor delays
Feeding (i.e. manage foods in mouth, participate in mealtimes, etc.)
Life skills (grooming, dressing, mealtime/eating, sleeping, toileting, following routines, etc.)
Motor control (i.e. challenges with motor coordination)
Not reaching/meeting developmental milestones
Postural concerns (i.e. poor motor coordination during everyday tasks, poor balance, etc.)
Reading/writing (i.e. difficulty tracking and keeping place when reading or copying from board, etc.)
Self-regulation/ emotional control (i.e. frequent meltdowns, etc.)
Sensory processing (i.e. avoids or seeks sensory input to extremes (touch, textures, taste, sound), avoids playground equipment, etc.)
Social skills (i.e. difficulty socializing and playing with other children, etc.)
Sleep
Visual motor/perceptual challenges (i.e. difficulty with colouring, drawing, cutting, etc.)
If you have concerns about your child’s development, we suggest that you contact us for a free consultation to see if these community-based OT services are the right fit for you and your family. If they are, an initial evaluation will be performed by our occupational therapist, which will help you to determine whether there is a need for therapy.  Assessment results will be discussed, and a treatment plan that best meets the needs of your child and family will be implemented.

Question 3

Who might benefit from pediatric OT services?

Accepted Answer

Many children may benefit from this type of pediatric OT service including but not limited to children with: anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder, developmental coordination disorder, developmental delays, learning disabilities, prematurity, sensory processing disorder, etc.
 
Children do not require a diagnosis or a referral to participate in OT services with Little Strides.

Question 4

How often does my child require OT services?

Accepted Answer

Intervention frequency can vary depending on the area of concern, individual needs, goals, and community resources. A child may come to Little Strides to receive an assessment/evaluation only and/or receive weekly therapy sessions for a specific period of time to address the child and family’s objectives.

Question 5

Do I need a Doctors referral?

Accepted Answer

No, you do not need a doctor’s referral to access private OT services at Little Strides Therapeutic Children’s Services. You may require the referral for insurance coverage. Please check with your insurance company for details.

Question 6

What is play-based therapy?

Accepted Answer

A child’s primary livelihood is “play”. Through play, a child learns how to interact with his/her environment (home, school, and community), make sense of the world around them as well as learn various developmental skills (i.e. fine/gross motor abilities, social-emotional, cognitive, and self-help skills). Thus, your pediatric occupational therapist uses play as a way to develop the whole child.
Although it may appear as though therapy goals are not being addressed and your child is only engaging in “fun and games” throughout their therapy sessions, the occupational therapist is working on specific goals. If you do not understand the purpose, just ask.

Question 7

What is Sensory Integration?

Accepted Answer

Sensory integration is a term used to describe the brains ability to take in additional information from the senses (auditory, olfactory, tactile, taste, visual, as well as proprioceptive and vestibular), organize it, and respond to it during experiences of daily life.

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