Services

Heart 4 Kids Therapy provides a variety of speech, language, feeding, occupational and physical therapy services, targeting the following:

• Apraxia of Speech

 

A disorder of motor planning in the absence of impaired muscle

 

control that affects voluntary positioning and sequencing of muscle

 

movements for speech.

 

 

• Auditory Processing Disorders

 

Deficits in the information processing of audible signals not attributed

 

to impaired peripheral hearing sensitivity or intellectual impairment.

 

Specifically, Central Auditory Processing Disorder refers to limitations

 

in the ongoing transmission, analysis, organization, transformation,

 

elaboration, storage, retrieval, and use of information contained in

 

audible signals. Auditory Processing Disorders can negatively impact

 

a child’s ability to attend to, discriminate, restore, organize, retrieve,

 

and use information.

 

 

• Augmentative/Alternative

  Communication

 

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) includes all forms

 

of communication (other than oral speech) that are used to express

 

thoughts, needs, wants, and ideas.

 

People with severe speech or language problems rely on AAC to

 

supplement existing speech or replace speech that is not functional.

 

Special augmentative aids, such as picture and symbol communication

 

boards and electronic devices, are available to help people express

 

themselves.

 

 

• Autism Spectrum Disorders

 

Autism is a developmental disability. Children with autism, also known

 

as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD, have social, communication and

 

language problems. They also have restricted and repetitive patterns

 

of behavior, interests, or activities, such as flipping objects, echolalia,

 

or excessive smelling or touching of objects. Autism may be mild or

 

severe. All children with autism don't have the exact same problems.

 

 

 

• Down Syndrome

 

Down Syndrome occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra

 

copy of chromosome 21. This additional genetic material alters the

 

course of development and can cause the following characteristics

 

associated with Down Syndrome: increased risk for certain medical

 

conditions, low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to

 

the eyes, a single deep crease across the center of the palm, and

 

cognitive delays.

 

 

 

• Dysphagia

 

A swallowing disorder. The signs and symptoms of dysphagia may

 

involve the mouth, pharynx, larynx, and/or esophagus.

 

 

• Expressive and Receptive

  Language Disorders

 

When a person has trouble understanding others (receptive

 

language), or sharing thoughts, ideas, and feelings completely

 

(expressive language), then he or she has a language disorder.

 

 

 

• Feeding and Oral Motor Delays and

  Disorders

 

Delayed or disordered placement of food in the mouth; difficulty

 

in food manipulation prior to initiation of the swallow, including

 

mastication; and the oral stage of the swallow when the bolus is

 

propelled backward by the tongue. In pediatrics, this term may be

 

used to describe a failure to develop or demonstrate developmentally

 

appropriate eating and drinking skills. Disorder may be further

 

complicated by oral motor deficits (insufficiencies or weakness with

 

movement and coordination of the lips, cheeks, tongue, and jaw)

 

warranting need for oral motor therapy in conjunction with feeding

 

therapy.

 

 

 

• Fluency Disorders (Stuttering)

 

Fluency disorder is a “speech disorder” characterized by deviations in

 

continuity, smoothness, rhythm, and/or effort with which phonologic,

 

lexical, morphologic, and/or syntactic language units are spoken.

 

 

• Hearing Impairments

 

Hearing Impairment is a term used to mean a deviation or change for the

 

worse in either auditory structure or auditory function, usually outside

 

the range of normal.

 

 

 

• Learning Disabilities and Literacy

  Difficulties

 

Language-based learning disabilities are problems with age-

 

appropriate reading, spelling, and/or writing. This disorder is not

 

about how smart a person is. Most people diagnosed with learning

 

disabilities have average to superior intelligence.

 

 

• Neurological Impairments and Disorders

 

Any impairment or disorder originating in the body nervous system.

 

Structural, biochemical or electrical abnormalities in the brain, spinal

 

cord or other nerves can result in a range of symptoms. Examples

 

of symptoms include paralysis, muscle weakness, poor coordination,

 

loss of sensation, seizures, confusion, pain and altered levels of

 

consciousness. Cerebral Palsy, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Stroke are

 

some examples of disorders that are neurological in nature.

 

 

• Pragmatic/Social Language Disorders

 

A disorder that involves the use of language (greeting informing,

 

demanding, promising, and requesting), changing language according

 

to speaker or environment, and following conversational rules (turn

 

taking, introducing topics, staying on topic, rephrasing, use of verbal

 

and nonverbal signals, proximity of closeness, and use of facial

 

expressions and eye contact).

 

If problems in social language use occur often and seem inappropriate

 

considering the child's age, a pragmatic disorder may exist. Pragmatic

 

disorders often coexist with other language problems such as

 

vocabulary development or grammar. Pragmatic problems can lower

 

social acceptance. Peers may avoid having conversations with an

 

individual with a pragmatic disorder.

 

It is important to note that social rules can vary across cultures and

 

within cultures.

 

 

• Speech Sound Disorders

 

Most children make some mistakes as they learn to say new words. A

 

speech sound disorder occurs when mistakes continue past a certain

 

age. Every sound has a different range of ages when the child should

 

make the sound correctly. Speech sound disorders include problems

 

with articulation (making sounds) and phonological processes (sound patterns).

 

An articulation disorder involves problems making sounds. Sounds can

 

be substituted, left off, added or changed. These errors may make it

 

hard for people to understand you.

 

A phonological process disorder involves patterns of sound errors.

 

For example, substituting all sounds made in the back of the mouth

 

like "k" and "g" for those in the front of the mouth like "t" and "d"

 

(e.g., saying "tup" for "cup" or "das" for "gas").

 

 

• Velopharyngeal Dysfunction

 

Velopharyngeal Dysfunction (VPD) can be caused by a history of cleft

 

palate, or by other factors. Types of VPD are based on the underlying

 

causes and include the following:

 

Velopharyngeal Insufficiency (history of cleft palate or submucous

 

cleft, short velum or deep pharynx, irregular adenoids, enlarged

 

tonsils, or complications after surgery)

 

Velopharyngeal Incompetence (poor muscle function due to history

 

of cleft or submucous cleft, pharyngeal hypotonia, velar paralysis or

 

paresis, neuromuscular disorders, etc.)

 

Velopharyngeal Mislearning (abnormal articulation of certain sounds

 

causing nasal air emission, conversion disorder, and/or hearing loss).

 

 

• Voice Disorders/Vocal Fold Dysfunction

 

Voice disorders are characterized by the abnormal production and/or

 

absences of vocal quality, loudness, resonance, pitch, and/or duration,

 

which is inappropriate for a child’s age and/or sex.

 

It is important to note that in the case of pathology (e.g., vocal

 

nodules, carcinoma) voice therapy cannot and will not be conducted

 

unless the child has been adequately referred and diagnosed by an

 

Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctor.

 

 

 

 

Specialized Treatment Programs

 

 

 

• Beckman Oral Motor Therapy

 

 

This skilled approach to oral motor therapy was developed

 

by Debra Beckman for individuals with impaired oral

 

motor skills that are not able to follow a command

 

for oral movement. Beckman worked to develop

 

specific interventions in order to provide movement to

 

activate muscle contraction and to provide movement

 

against resistance to build strength. The focus of these

 

interventions is to increase functional response to pressure

 

and movement, range, strength, variety and control of

 

movement for the lips, cheeks, jaw and tongue.

 

 

 

• Behavioral Modification Approach to Feeding

 

 

This evidence-based approach aims at increasing

 

appropriate actions or behaviors, including increasing

 

compliance, and reducing maladaptive behaviors.

 

Behavioral interventions include such techniques as

 

shaping, prompting, modeling, stimulus fading, antecedent

 

manipulation, alternate behavior, and differential

 

reinforcement, as well as implementation of basic

 

mealtime principles (e.g., scheduled mealtimes in a neutral

 

atmosphere with no food rewards). Evidence indicates that

 

behavioral interventions were "associated with significant

 

improvements in feeding behavior" (Sharp, Jaquess,

 

Morton, & Herzinger, 2010).

 

 

 

• Language Acquisition through

  Motor Planning

 

 

Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP) is

 

a therapeutic approach based on neurological and motor

 

learning principles. The goal is to give individuals who

 

are nonverbal or have limited verbal abilities a method of

 

independently and spontaneously expressing themselves

 

in any setting. LAMP focuses on increasing independent

 

access to vocabulary on voice output AAC devices with the

 

use of consistent motor plans for accessing vocabulary.

 

Teaching of vocabulary happens across environments, with

 

multisensory input to enhance meaning, with the child's

 

interests and desires determining the vocabulary to be taught.

 

 

 

• Hodson’s Cycles Approach for Remediation

  of Phonological Processes

 

 

This specific approach can be used for children who exhibit

 

severe phonological disorders and limited intelligibility

 

(“understandability”). The Cycles Approach addresses a

 

child’s use of phonological processes by cyclically targeting

 

affected sound classes. A different process is targeted

 

every 1-2 weeks and 2-4 processes are targeted within a

 

cycle. Processes that remain problematic are addressed

 

in later cycles by recycling patterns and targets until the

 

client becomes intelligible. Each individual session includes

 

both a perception and a production component and a home

 

program is sometimes implemented. The Cycles Approach

 

aims at eliminating a few specific sound errors in order to

 

cause a change in the underlying phonological process and,

 

therefore, be generalized to all phonemes affected by that

 

process.

 

 

• Lidcombe Program of Early Stuttering

  Intervention

 

An evidence-based practice behavioral treatment program

 

for children younger than six years of age; however, there

 

is research reports that it may be efficacious for school-age

 

children. During treatments, parents (or guardians) present

 

the treatment to the child in everyday environments. The

 

cornerstone of treatment is weekly visits between the

 

parent, child and clinician, who facilitates, supervises, and

 

tracks progress during the course of the therapy program.

 

 

 

• Literacy Speaks!

 

 

A systematic program that utilizes evidence-based

 

techniques that improves children’s speech intelligibility

 

and language skills while developing a strong literacy

 

foundation. Children in preschool through early elementary

 

school, children with special needs, English language

 

learners, economically disadvantaged students and children

 

with communication disorders are all appropriate candidates

 

for Literacy Speaks!

 

 

 

• Picture Exchange Communication System

 

 

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a unique

 

augmentative/alternative communication intervention

 

package consisting of six phases for individuals with Autism

 

Spectrum Disorder and/or related developmental disabilities.

 

Functional verbal operants are systematically taught using

 

prompting and reinforcement strategies that will lead to

 

independent communication. Some learners using PECS

 

may develop speech while others may transition to a voice

 

output system.

 

 

 

• Pivotal Response Treatment

 

 

A play-based and child-initiated behavioral treatment for

 

autism with objects for development of communication,

 

language, and positive social behaviors while decreasing

 

disruptive self-stimulatory behaviors. Focus is on specific

 

areas of a child’s development, including motivation,

 

response to multiple cues, self-management, and the

 

initiation of social interactions.

 

 

• Sequential Oral Sensory Approach

  to Feeding

 

Sequential Oral Sensory (S.O.S) Approach to Feeding

program integrates sensory, motor, oral, behavioral/learning,

medical and nutritional factors and approaches

 

in order to comprehensively evaluate and manage children

 

with feeding/growth problems. It is based on, and grounded

 

philosophically in, the “normal” developmental steps, stages

 

and skills of feeding found in typically developing children.

 

The treatment component of the program utilizes these

 

typical developmental steps towards feeding to create a

 

systematic desensitization hierarchy of skills/behaviors

 

necessary for children to progress with eating various

 

textures.

 

 

 

• PROMPT

 

 

PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic

 

Targets) is a multidimensional approach to speech

 

production disorders that utilizes well-known physical-

 

sensory, cognitive-linguistic, and social-emotional aspects

 

of motor performance. PROMPT is about integrating all

 

domains and systems towards positive communication

 

outcomes. It may be used (with varying intensity and focus)

 

with all speech production disorders from approximately 6

 

months of age onward.

 

 

 

 

VitalStim®

 

 

 

VitalStim® Therapy System is a safe and effective

 

treatment for patients suffering with difficulty swallowing or

 

dysphagia. It is a non-invasive, external electrical

 

stimulation therapy cleared to market by the Food and Drug

 

Administration for the treatment of dysphagia with

 

application on the anterior neck. VitalStim® Therapy is

 

backed by comprehensive clinical data and is designed to be

 

used in conjunction with swallowing exercises. VitalStim® has

 

been found to:

 

-Be safe and effective for patients

 

-Accelerate the recovery time from a restricted diet

 

-Help patients achieve sustained improvement and long

 

term results. Heart 4 Kids Therapy will be offering this

 

service starting May 1st, 2015.

 

 

Evaluation and Treatment Services

 

 

• Screenings

 

A screening is an informal observation

 

to help determine if a more comprehensive evaluation

 

is necessary. Screenings typically last 15 minutes and

 

involve an observation and/or a brief parent interview

 

with recommendations. There are no written reports

 

following a screening. Screenings can be scheduled

 

individually, for mother’s day out programs, or for any

 

childcare or daycare facilities.

 

 

• Consultation

 

A consultation is a review of your

 

child’s previous reports, a brief parent interview, an

 

informal observation of your child, a discussion of

 

any concerns or questions a parent may have, and/

 

or coordination with other disciplines, schools or

 

facilities at the parent request. There are no reports

 

provided with a consultative appointment and fees

 

are charged by the hour, however, fees may be pro-

 

rated as needed. Please contact our clinic for further

 

information.

 

 

 

• Speech and Language Evaluation

 

 

A speech and language evaluation is a review of previous records,

 

patient history, formalized testing (for approximately

 

one to two hours), administration of informal measures

 

(including language sample as necessary), and a

 

written report with scoring, interpretation, additional

 

analyses, and recommendations. Recommendations

 

may incorporate a treatment plan and home program.

 

Review of the report with parent is also included.

 

An evaluation may extend to two separate sessions

 

depending on the nature of the difficulties for your

 

child.

 

 

 

• Feeding Evaluation

 

A feeding evaluation will incorporate a review of previous

 

records, patient history, formalized testing (for approximately one to

 

two hours), and a written report with interpretation

 

of observation, results, additional analyses, and

 

recommendations. Recommendations may incorporate

 

a treatment plan and home program. Review of the

 

report with parent is also included. During a feeding

 

evaluation, further speech and language assessment

 

may be recommended if determined necessary.

 

 

 

 

• Functional Treatment Plans

 

If therapy is recommended based on a previously completed

 

evaluation or consultation, a treatment plan will be

 

generated that will include long-term and short term

 

goals for therapy. At Heart for Kids Therapy, each

 

therapist works with the family to develop functional

 

goals to increase a child’s communicative ability using

 

individualized evidence-based methods and strategies.

 

Home programs (homework) will be utilized as the

 

treatment plan progresses to assist in increasing skills

 

and generalizing skills to other environments and

 

targets. These are typically provided at the end of the

 

session.

 

 

It should be noted that a treatment plan cannot be

 

generated after a screening based on the limited

 

amount of information gathered at that time.

 

 

 

• Individual Therapy

 

At Heart 4 Kids Therapy, a therapist will meet with your child

 

a specified number of times a week based on recommendations for 30-45

 

minutes to implement their treatment plan. Therapists

 

will consult with you after each session to report

 

progress during the session, describe any challenges

 

encountered and provide suggestions (as part of their

 

home program and family education). Caregivers are

 

encouraged to ask questions and/or watch sessions so

 

that they can remain partners in fulfilling their child’s

 

communicative goals.

 

 

 

• Group Language Therapy

 

Heart 4 Kids Therapy has two, 4-week language-based

 

group programs (two times a week) that may be offered seasonally

 

based on availability. The purpose of either program

 

is to facilitate receptive and expressive language

 

development, as well as pragmatic language use

 

between peers. The first program is for younger

 

children (2-3 years of age) and can assist in

 

preparation for pre-school. The second program is

 

for children 4 years of age and incorporates activities

 

aimed at increasing early literacy skills related to

 

phonemic and phonological awareness.

 

 

 

• SLP-Led Preschool Social Skills Group

 

 

The preschool social skills group focuses on developing

 

and nurturing cooperative play skills. Language is

 

elicited through play by creating natural opportunities

 

for social interactions. The children are engaged in a

 

variety of adult and child directed activities in order

 

to help develop and refine gross, fine motor, and

 

communicative development. This group is appropriate

 

for children who need help developing basic skills

 

needed to actively participate in a preschool setting.

 

The class meets once weekly for 10 weeks.

 

 

• Language and Feeding Camp

 

 

Based on need and demand, Heart 4 Kids Therapy hosts a 10

 

week language and feeding camp in which children

 

are expected to attend 1 1⁄2 hour group sessions

 

twice a week. Sessions include language stimulation

 

through songs and books, non-food and food sensory

 

exploration activities, gross motor stimulation

 

activities, and feeding and/or oral motor therapy

 

during snack time. This camp is particularly helpful for

 

children with varying degrees of sensory aversion to

 

food and liquids.

 

Note: New patients, who have not received a

 

comprehensive speech and language and/or feeding

 

evaluation with Heart For Kids Therapy, will need to

 

complete a consultation prior to beginning group therapy.

 

 

Additional Services

 

 

• Workshops for Parents or

  Teachers

 

Workshops may be provided to small and large group

 

settings based on need and demand. Topics include:

 

 -Developmental Milestones

 

 -Warning signs of communication issues

 

 -Ways parents may facilitate communication in daily activities

 

   or play interactions

 

 -General Question and Answer Session for various

 

   communication topics

 

 

• Detailed Summary

 

Detailed summaries can be written

 

to document current levels of functioning,

 

progress, and current strategies and methodologies

 

used since the last written report. This report is more

 

comprehensive than a progress report which provides

 

current progress to goals, and is only completed by

 

a child’s therapist at the request of the family for an

 

additional fee. Please contact Heart 4 Kids Therapy

 

if you would like a detailed summary for your child

 

completed.