Our Services
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapists work with each child and family to understand their interests, goals, strengths and supports, right from the start. We will support new learning, development and goal attainment through child-led activities and resources that can be used at home or community. Occupational Therapists can collaborate with your child’s support team, through meetings with school, doctors, clinicians, and family members.
Pediatric Occupational Therapists aim to support children and their families to do the things they want, need and are expected to do in their daily lives.
For children, these “occupations” or tasks fall into the categories of Self Care, Leisure, and Productivity. They can include (but are not limited to):
Climbing the play structure – Tying their shoes – Falling and staying asleep
Sitting to complete a worksheet – Baking cookies – Playing with friends or toys
Getting dressed – Eating with family – Enjoying hobbies
Why Choose Berkowitz TheraPeds for Occupational Therapy?
At Berkowitz TheraPeds, we take the time to get to know each child, their family, and support systems in order to develop strategies that work in their lives. We use play and interest-based activities to engage children in tasks that will develop their skills and provide resources they can use in their environments, such as home and school.
Areas of support offered by Berkowitz TheraPeds include:
Sensory Processing – Self-Esteem and Self-Awareness – Sleep Hygiene
School Readiness – Social Communication – Parent Coaching
Play Skills – Executive Functioning – Coping and Calming Skills
Fine/Visual Motor Skills – Self/Co-Regulation – Anxiety Management
Independent Living Skills – Developmental Milestones – Social Skills
Picky Eating – Anger Management – School Consultation
As OTs, we support children and families to participate in and adapt these daily tasks to make them a bit easier! Some ways that we do this involve:
Learning to understand emotions / bodies / feelings - Building family routines
Finding sensory tools to manage daily activities and outings
Learning social communication skills
Strengthening hand and body muscles
Adapting activities or environmental setup
Finding strengths and using interest-based learning strategies
Physiotherapy
Our Pediatric Physiotherapy team at Berkowitz TheraPeds aims to work alongside families in creating and meeting their unique functional movement based goals.
This is typically done in a fun, play-based setting through the use of games, toys and equipment that help children to develop a variety of movement skills at all stages. Often, as Physiotherapists we work collaboratively with Occupational Therapists and Speech and Language Pathologists to create programs that work all areas of development simultaneously.
Some areas where Physiotherapists work with children include (but not limited to):
Mobility/ Range of Motion - I.e. hypermobility (lax joints - too much movement) or hypomobility (tight muscles - not enough movement)
Balance
Meeting Developmental milestones (such as head control, rolling, sitting, standing, walking, etc)
Joint/Muscle Pain related to movement
Strength
Coordination
Infant Plagiocephaly (flat spot on head) and/or Torticollis (tight neck)
Gait (Walking) Deviations (such as toe walking, intoeing or outtoeing)
Developmental Delays
Speech-Language Pathology
Speech-Language Pathologists (or SLPs) work with children and adults to diagnose and treat speech, language, cognitive-communication, and swallowing/ feeding disorders. Our pediatric SLP team are experts in providing family-centered therapy at home, in your community or at our clinic. Speech-Language Pathologists can collaborate with your child’s support team, through meetings with school, doctors, clinicians, and family members. We aim to support your child’s goals using child-led activities and resources, based on their interests, strengths, and supports.
Some areas where Speech-Language Pathologists work with children include:
Speech delays and disorders- this may include articulation, phonological, motor speech disorders, and fluency disorders (stuttering)
Language—how well we understand what others communicate to us and how we use words (spoken, or signed) to communicate with others
Pre-literacy and literacy skills including phonological awareness, decoding, reading comprehension and writing.
Voice and resonance - we may sound hoarse, lose our voices easily, talk too loudly or through our noses, or be unable to make sounds.
Feeding and swallowing—how well we suck, chew, and swallow food and liquid. A swallowing disorder may lead to poor nutrition, weight loss, and other health problems. This is also called dysphagia.
Cognitive-communication - this can include social communication skills, reasoning, problem solving and executive functions.
FAQ
What kind of child needs Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapists work with a wide range of children and families for various needs. We can support children to reach goals related to self/co-regulation, school-readiness, sensory processing, managing emotions and behaviours, executive functioning skills, living skills and more. Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions and to help find the best provider for your child!
Is Physiotherapy right for my child?
Any child that is having difficulty with movement at any stage in their development could benefit from Physiotherapy. This could include children with specific diagnoses such as Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Developmental Coordination Disorder, Down Syndrome, Muscular Dystrophy and other conditions, or children with no diagnoses, just requiring some extra support and time spent moving.
Is Physiotherapy beneficial for children?
Any type of movement is great for everyone, children and adults alike. Working to make movements easier and smoother is always beneficial to decrease pain and improve quality of life. With children, we make sure all sessions are positive and fun, using play to motivate movements and “exercises.”
How will I know which type of service my child needs?
Please feel free to contact us with any questions. We will walk you through the services offered and help determine what service will be best for your child.
What ages do you work with?
At Berkowitz TheraPeds we support children and families from birth to age 21.
Will my insurance cover appointments?
Please contact your insurance provider directly to determine if you have coverage for your child’s therapy services. At this time we do not direct bill to any insurance companies. You will be given a detailed invoice following your session, which can be submitted for reimbursement to your insurance provider, if you receive coverage.
Reach Us Now
You have our support! We are currently scheduling children’s appointments for occupational therapy. Contact us to schedule your first session, or with any questions.
If you are interested in group therapy services or physiotherapy services, please contact us and we will get back to you promptly with additional information.
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The Berkowitz TheraPeds team acknowledges that we live, work, play, and connect on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation. We acknowledge that our water is from Shoal Lake 40 First Nation. In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, we commit to learning and understanding the trauma and harms experienced by Indigenous Peoples. We strive to listen, learn from and collaborate with Indigenous Peoples and Communities.