Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists at Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center offer treatment to students with a mandated service on their Individual Education Plan (IEP) through both our Preschool classrooms and Primary School programs, as well as our Community Programs and Contracts departments.

Many of our occupational therapists are trained in the DIR Floortime Approach and use a multitude of interventions to create meaningful relationships with each child. Using this bond, therapists are able to develop treatment plans and help the child progress toward their individual goals.

Children diagnosed with Autism, and many other disabilities, have difficulty regulating and processing the wide array of stimuli they receive from the environment around them. Most of us do not even recognize this stimuli – bright lights, subtle sounds, textures of clothing – but to a child with a sensory integration disorder, these things can be very dysregulating. Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center’s Sensory Room is one of the effective methods used in therapy sessions to help children adapt to the world around them.

If your child is experiencing difficulties with any of the skills below, contact your local Committee on Preschool Special Education to inquire about an evaluation. For more information about Occupational Therapy services offered through Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center, please call (716) 885-8318.

overall attention is a concern
appears to have activity level that is unusually high/low
very sensitive to touch, sounds, or sights
fearful of movement/hesitates to explore playground structures
seems to have a high pain tolerance
requires additional cueing when verbal/visual instructions are given
appears clumsy/accident prone
tires quickly when sitting or participating in fine or gross motor tasks
poor awareness of personal space
difficulty with organization of self, personal items and tasks
poor time management

avoids tabletop activities
rushes through craft/writing activities
difficulty completing craft and writing activities in a timely manner
difficulty holding and manipulating a writing utensil or other classroom tools
appears to tire quickly when participating in craft and writing activities
drawings are not recognizable
illegible handwriting
arms shake or hand fumbles when working with manipulatives
often fumbles when picking up small objects
difficulty with turning pages of a book
difficulty with turning door knobs

covers or closes one eye when reading, rubs eyes, complains of headaches, eyes burn or tear up
complains of words moving on the page, excessive head movement when reading, tilts the head when reading
inattentive
is exhausted at the end of the day
difficulty with shape, letter, number and word recognition
reverses letters and numbers • can respond orally but not in writing
mistakes words with similar beginnings
loses place often when reading, must use finger to keep place, skips lines and words
poor recall of visual material, trouble copying from board or book
trouble learning math facts

difficulty imitating new motor movements
performs slowly, or is not able to perform at all, when asked to follow multi-stepped directions
requires longer exposure to a new activity in order to learn it
may initially use trial and error approaches to a task until able to generate a motor plan about how to approach the activity
frequently becomes frustrated with motor tasks
needs extra time to complete motor tasks
has difficulty organizing environment (i.e. desk, book bag, class work)
has difficulty organizing him or herself (i.e. shirt is untucked, takes longer route to arrive at destination)

appears awkward in movements that require using both sides of the body, poor coordination of right and left
prefers to use one hand alone than both hands together
Infrequent crossing middle of body to reach for objects or perform gross motor movements
difficulty with using one side of body to assist the other side, poor dominance
poor rhythm, can't keep a beat
frequent hand switching during writing, drawing or cutting tasks after age 5
struggles with fine motor tasks such as tying shoelaces, drawing a line with a ruler, threading
beads, lacing, using a knife and fork together and cutting
struggles with gross motor activities such as jumping, catching a ball or beating a drum with rhythm

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At Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center, we are dedicated to helping you overcome any hearing, speech, communication, or educational need you have. Call us to speak with a Specialist or Write Us A Message.

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(716) 885-8318

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