KIDS MAKING STRIDES
News from TLC's Pediatric Outpatient Services
With the pandemic creating challenges for all of us, The Treatment and Learning Centers (TLC) is serving the various needs of our community, while prioritizing health and safety. We are now offering a hybrid model of on-site and telehealth services in our outpatient clinic; we want YOU to be comfortable in your decision to come to our office or complete therapy via Zoom, you are truly in the driver's seat! Since late March, our telehealth model in Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology and Testing, Tutoring and Counseling has proven very successful for many clients, and we will continue providing this service. For our on-site services, TLC will operate and look quite different during this time of COVID, but what will not change is our same high-quality services that the community has come to expect!  

This summer we are using space in our Katherine Thomas School as well as in our outpatient clinic at Gaither Road for individual therapies, evaluations and screenings. The safety of our staff and clients is our top priority and we follow CDC guidelines for social distancing and continue our stringent cleaning procedures. Below are some of the specific protocols and procedures we have put into place.

  • Limited number of staff in the building; staggered staff schedules to accommodate both telehealth and in-person sessions.
  • Outside pick-up/drop-off – our waiting room will remain closed.
  • Staff and family will answer a COVID questionnaire each day prior to entering the building.
  • Handwashing/hand sanitizing is mandatory prior to entering the clinic.
  • Masks are required by all employees and all caregivers when approaching and when inside the center; children are encouraged to wear a mask; staff will also wear a face shield during sessions.
  • Frequent cleaning of high-touch surfaces; disinfecting of all therapy materials/equipment after use per CDC guidelines.

Director of TLC's Clinical Programs
5 Ways to Find Your Peace While Parenting During the Pandemic from TLC's Testing, Tutoring, and Counseling Department
During this time, parents have been highly-focused (and rightfully so) on the needs of their children and how to support them during this time. Parents have become educators, tutors, behavior management coaches, and more recently, camp counselors! However, the impact of the pandemic on daily life, as well as the uncertainty it has brought, has led to significant stress in families, especially among parents. But we can find ways to take back our peace! Here are 5 suggestions, taken from the Coronavirus Anxiety Workbook, published by the Wellness Society.

  1. Plan your information diet. What type of information are you taking in and how often? The brain can only process so much emotionally heavy information in an objective manner. Are you balancing stressful news with light-hearted or positive information? Are you ensuring the information you read is from a trusted source? Are the sources you are reviewing meant to increase your emotional stress (this is often a tool used to increase consumption)? Make a concrete plan of how many news articles/videos you plan to review and plan to increase our positive information consumption.
  2. Challenge Your Thinking. While everyone agrees these are stressful times, the amount of stress an individual will experience can vary. Part of this difference depends on the types of thoughts we focus on. When you are feeling anxiety, think about your thoughts and ask: Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it inspiring? Is it necessary? Is it kind? Plan to journal about this process to get out on paper what your thought process is. This will help you notice any patterns in your negative thinking. 
  3. Work on the mind-body connection. Small physical changes can have a profound impact on our mental health. Getting enough sleep, making healthy eating choices, and getting regular exercise go a long way toward clearing our mind and alleviating stress.
  4. Make Time for You. Sometimes people respond to stress by “fixing.” We assume if we can fix our issues, our stress will go away. As parents, we focus on “fixing” our kids online learning, “fixing” summer planning, and focusing on helping our children find normalcy in their life. These tasks are CRUCIAL for a parent to engage in! Make sure you also spend time on things that bring joy to your life as well. Find moments that you can find joy in doing things (maybe in a modified way) that enrich your life. 
  5. Practice self-compassion. Most of all, be kind to yourself. Forgive yourself often, give yourself pep talks, and take time to appreciate all you are doing.

For more information, or to practice some of these steps, please use the Coronavirus Anxiety Workbook here.
Occupational Therapy Department Update
TLC’s OT Department continues to be available to assist and work with children to achieve their developmental milestones and to improve their skills, despite our current COVID climate. There's no greater time than the present (if we could only turn back the clock!) to boost your child’s gross motor, fine motor, coordination, motor planning and play skills before school resumes in the Fall.

Virtual Services via Zoom
Our amazing OT’s now have many tools in their toolbox to use virtual platforms to provide screenings, evaluations and weekly therapies from the safety and comfort of your home. If you are not sure if your child will benefit from telehealth, please contact us for more information or for a trial session.

In-Person Services
Our doors are now re-opened, even if things look a little different. We are providing weekly therapy, evaluations and screenings while following all safety precautions. Our experienced staff is back in the clinic and able to resume in person therapies using parts of our sensory motor gyms and other therapy equipment. We are thrilled to be able to also provide therapy with groups of two children for socially distanced fun using the great outdoors!
Thoughts for At Home

While many families are finding themselves at home more often these days, here are a few simple strategies or ideas to provide calming activities for our kids. These may come in handy after too much screen time, to relax before naptime or bedtime or if you start to notice signs of frustration, fear or anxious feelings. Sometimes, taking a few minutes to reorganize and reengage, buys a lot more cooperation than other methods.  The environment and space play an important role in supporting calm feelings. 

  • Designating a quiet and safe space somewhere in your home.
  • Chewing resistive food (bagel, tootsie roll, raw veggies).
  • Drinking a smoothie through a straw.
  • Massage (not tickle).
  • Taking 10 deep breaths.
  • Sit on a bean bag and read a book.
  • Turn off the lights/dim the lights.
  • Weighted blanket/weighted animal on a lap while reading or coloring.
  • Using a slower quiet voice.
  • Blowing a pinwheel or bubbles or pretend candle.
  • Squeezing into a small safe space – between couch cushions.
The Speech-Language Pathology Department at TLC Has New Services Starting This Summer! 
  1. Spanish Speech-Language Evaluations and Treatment is now available at TLC! We are excited to offer these services to children of all ages. They are available for articulation, feeding, augmentative alternative communication (AAC), language, and fluency evaluations and treatment. 
  2. Feeding Therapy and Evaluations for newborns through teenagers. We are expanding our feeding therapy to include newborns and infants. We are also now offering more after school hours for services. Our feeding program can address concerns with sensory and food aversions, failure to thrive, dysphagia, and oral motor difficulties. We offer a fun, play-based approach that is child-focused and we support parents by providing strategies to try at home.  
  3. Virtual Speech-Language evaluations, screenings, and therapy will continue to be offered. Look out for our free screenings coming in the fall! We offer teletherapy services to children of all ages and with a variety of different diagnoses. We strive to keep all of our services engaging and fun for our clients, and are especially mindful of screen fatigue that many children are experiencing after several months of virtual school. We keep adding to our toolbox to keep children interested and participating. Check out our new green screens! 
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