Occupational Therapy

Our pediatric occupational therapists help children develop the skills they need to grow into functional, independent adults. Below are some of our unique specialty services we offer that have changed and improved the lives of the children we've helped!

The Masgutova Method (MNRI)

The Masgutova Method, or MNRI, is our area of specialty, and is what sets our services apart from other therapy clinics in Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas. Our occupational therapists are some of the only outpatient occupational therapists with extensive training in this highly specialized type of therapy in our area. It includes the use of reflex integration exercises to promote improved function. It's work that involves simple exercises and movements that children can experience passively or actively, depending on their abilities, and with these specialized treatments, children are experiencing global improvements in function. Not only are they experiencing fine and gross motor improvements, but also improved language skills, focus and attention, behavior, as well as decreased anxiety. It's a hands-on set of techniques that can be taught to parents so they can further help their children at home. Children with almost any type of challenge can benefit from this type of therapy, from infants and toddlers who aren't meeting their developmental milestones on time, to kids who are struggling in school, to children with mild to severe Autism. These techniques can truly be life changing for a child with challenges.

Autism Therapy

We take a unique approach when working with children with autism. We realize that autism is very complicated and that all children with autism are not alike. After assessing each child's individual needs, we use a combination of techniques that we believe will result in the best possible outcome for each client. Techniques that we use include: MNRI, or the Masgutova Method, the Son Rise approach, ABA strategies with an OT twist to prevent a fight or flight response, Nonverbal approach, parent education to deal with challenging behaviors at home, sensory integration, visual motor and visual perceptual training, hands on techniques to improve auditory processing and tactile processing, and hands on techniques to take the brain out of stress to improve self regulation and to decrease meltdowns. The owner has a special love for treating patients with autism due to her personal experience with her son's recovery from his autistic behaviors.

Visual Motor Exercises

Visual motor exercises can help a child to use his/her eyes functionally. Often these children have 20/20 eyesight. The way that children use their eyes affects many aspects of life, including performance at school, behavior, the ability to sit still, handwriting, motor coordination, and reading skills. Improvements in these areas are often seen with the implementation of appropriate visual motor exercises. The following are indicators that vision may be a factor in a child's school performance:

Poor sizing of letters and/or spacing between words when writing
Inability to stay on a line when writing
Unable to sit still in class

We evaluate visual perception and visual motor skills and provide in clinic treatments, as well as home exercises to assist with the remediation of visual motor challenges.

Sensory Processing Therapy

We use a combination of Sensory Integration therapy and Reflex Integration techniques to treat Sensory Processing difficulties, and we are seeing amazing results.

Signs that your child may be having challenges with Sensory Processing include but are not limited to the following:

Displaying an unusual need to touch certain objects, or touching people to the point of irritating them.
Withdraws from being in close proximity to others, or flinches when touched by others.
Avoidance of eye contact
Appears to not hear what you say
Misses oral directions in class more than other students
Overly bothered by loud or unexpected noises
Clumsy and awkward with movements
Inability to sit still
Difficulty with tolerating changes in routine

Feeding Therapy

Our therapists use a combination of sensory and ABA strategies to help children learn to love to try new foods. We can also help children who have difficulty with chewing and swallowing their food.