COMPREHENSIVE THERAPIES

At Milestones we have a variety of highly trained educational clinicians who collaborate to provide the most comprehensive therapy programs for your child. Our therapy sessions are conducted in a one-on-one setting. If a child requires a combination of therapies, Milestones therapists are prepared to conduct multidisciplinary therapy sessions which may involve several professionals working with your child simultaneously to target your child's needs. We believe that the key to helping every child is to identify his/her learning profile and developmental strengths and weaknesses.

Educational Therapy

Occupational Therapy

Pediatric Neuropscychology

Pediatricians

EDUCATIONAL THERAPY

Educational therapy demystifies learning problems and stimulates student's awareness of their strengths so they can use those strengths to overcome areas of difficulties. Our therapist identify and develop a treatment plan the utilizes information from a variety of sources including the student's social, emotional, psychoeducational and neuropsychological background. Our educational therapists are skilled in:

Formal and informal educational assessment

Synthesis of information from other specialist and parents.

Development and implementation of appropriate remedial programs for school related learning and behavioral problems.

Development and implementation of appropriate cognitive programs to help develop foundational skills for successful learning.

Strategies for addressing social and emotional aspects of learning problems.

Formation of supportive relationships with the student and those involved in the student's educational development.

Facilitation of communication between the student, the family, the school and other involved professionals.

An educational therapist provides intervention and remediation for students with a wide range of learning disabilities and learning differences including:

Dyslexia/Reading Disorder

ADHD

Language Processing Disorder

Auditory Processing Disorder

Autism

Asperger Syndrome

Academic Difficulties

Poor Organizational and Study Skills

Poor Motivation

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Occupational therapy is dedicated to helping children develop all the abilities they need for the many "jobs" of childhood, including play, self-care, and school performance. Occupational therapy includes intervention aimed at the acquisition of specific skills, as well as the development of compensatory strategies and environmental accommodations needed to ensure meaningful and successful participation in life. Therapy is designed to seem like play to the children, yet the therapist draws upon extensive training in specialty areas to provide challenging therapeutic activities aimed at developing greater capabilities. Why Are Children Referred for Occupational Therapy Testing? Children are referred by doctors, teachers, physical therapists, speech pathologists and other professionals because of diagnoses such as:

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Attention Deficit Disorder

Down's Syndrome

Asperger's Syndrome

Learning Disabilities

Language Delays

Auditory Processing

Behavioral Problems

Developmental Delays

Dysfunction of Sensory Integration

Pervasive Developmental Disorder

What is Assessed and Treated? Occupational Therapists conducts evaluations, intervention and consultations in the following areas:

Fine Motor/Handwriting Skills

Sensory Integration

Motor Planning

Oral Motor Functioning

Self-Help Skills

Adaptive Equipment Modifications

Environmental Adaptations

Play/Socialization

PEDIATRIC NEUROPSYCHOLOGY

Pediatric neuropsychology is a specialty concerned with learning and behavior as it relates to a child's brain development and function. The neuropsychologist is a licensed psychologist with an expertise in how learning and behavior are associated with the development of brain structures and systems. Formal testing of memory, attention, and language skills is performed by the neuropsychologist to determine how the brain is functioning. A neuropsychological evaluation assists in better understanding your child's functioning in the areas of memory, attention, perception, processing, coordination, language, and personality. For instance your child may be having difficulty in reading because of an attention problem, a language disorder, or a reading disability. Test results can help detect the effects of a developmental disability, neurological or medical problem. Why Are Children Referred for Neuropsychological Testing? Children are referred by doctors, teachers, speech pathologists and other professionals because of one or more problems, such as:

Difficulties in learning, attention, behavior, socialization or emotional control.

A disease or inborn developmental problem that affects the brain in some way.

A brain injury from an accident, birth trauma, or other physical stress.

What is Assessed?

General intellect

Achievement skills such as reading and math

Executive Function Skills such as organization, planning, inhibition and flexibility

Attention

Learning and Memory

Language

Visual-spatial skills

Behavioral and emotional functioning

Social skills

PEDIATRICIANS

Pediatricians evaluate children who have developmental, academic and/or behavioral difficulties which may be associated with learning problems. The goal is to generate a profile and an appropriate diagnosis and treatment plan that reflects the input from all the team members, including the parents. The family plays the key role in the evaluation - a family centered approach is utilized. Usually, the developmental pediatrician evaluates the child initially and upon his referral, the child is seen by other specialists within, and occasionally outside of the clinic setting. Pediatricians are instrumental in monitoring a child's development particularly in the first 5 years of life. It is during this time that early detection and diagnosis of developmental delays and other differences is crucial. Pediatrician's work very closely with our specialists to assist in the diagnosis and appropriate therapy planning based on the child's developmental needs.