Frequently Asked Questions
What is Social-Based Learning?
What is Play-Based Therapy?
What is Co-Treatment Therapy?
What are the Benefits of Occupational Therapy
What are the Benefits of Speech-Language Therapy
KIDA’s signature programs (Club KIDA, Pre-K Social Group, KIDA Block, and Adolescent Social Group) all share the same goal: Enhancing the social skills of children of all ages and ability levels through exciting and purposeful interactions with peers. We call this “social-based learning”, because in the context of these group settings, many new skills can be acquired.
All of the therapists at KIDA share the same vision of giving children the boost in social development necessary to have successful and fulfilling interactions with others. From infancy to adolescence, KIDA has social-based learning programs for every age and ability level.
Unlike traditional tools, play-based therapy allows children to initiate and engage in play activities that are natural and enjoyable.
Children demonstrate a full range of behaviors when given the opportunity to play which helps therapists assess, target, and treat the skills that need improvement. The therapeutic play can benefit all areas of development including social skills, gross and fine motor, and cognition.
In a co-treatment approach, two or more disciplines work cooperatively to treat each child. Certified therapists from each field collaborate on treatment plans and goals, as well as treat together during the sessions. KIDA currently offers Occupational Therapy and Speech Language Therapy co-treatments.
Providing children with sensory and motor experiences facilitated by an occupational therapist, enables them to focus and more readily engage in communication and expressive language facilitated by a speech pathologist.
Working with either an occupational therapist or speech-language therapist alone will assist a child in his or her development, but the combined strengths of both disciplines in a blended therapeutic model result in an effective and exciting treatment program.
Occupational Therapy focuses on assisting children to develop skills and improve their independence and ability to participate in their occupations of play, learn, social, and self-help skills. The emphasis of therapy is to utilize sensory and motor experiences using highly specialized equipment and goal-directed activities to promote skill development and a child’s ability to successfully interact in his/her environment.
Therapists engage children in functional and play-based fine and gross motor activities to improve the quality of the child’s performance in day to day activities that are purposeful and meaningful to the child and his/her family.
Some children have difficulty effectively using language. A child may misuse and also misunderstand language on a consistent basis whether he or she is non-verbal or extremely verbal, and in such cases, speech-language therapy is an effective treatment. This therapy focuses not just on the oral-motor skills necessary for proper speaking (proper structure and function of the lips, tongue, jaw and cheeks), but on the overall ability of the child to effectively communicate.
Problems in communication such as severe language deficits, frequent repetition of words or phrases, conversation skills, understanding facial expression, body orientation, echolalia and improper rhythm and intonation are addressed by speech-language therapists.
