1. Occupational Therapy
2. Speech and Language Therapy
3. Behaviour Therapy (ABA)
4. Special Education

 

1. What is Occupational Therapy for children?
Occupational therapy, or OT for short, is a therapy that helps people achieve independence in all facets of their lives. Most people think of occupational therapy as a treatment for adults that helps them get back to work, but that is a very narrow definition.

“Occupation” refers to managing all the activities important for independent living. For children, their main job is playing, learning and doing age appropriate activities of daily living (e.g. dressing, eating, bathing). If your child has physical or cognitive disabilities, occupational therapy goals can be defined to help your child improve their ability to function in these areas.

2. What Is Speech and Language Therapy?
A speech and language Therapist (SALT) is a highly-trained professional who evaluates and treats children and adults who have difficulty with speech or language.

Although people often think of speech and language as the same thing, the terms actually have very different meanings. If your child has trouble with speech, he/ she struggles with the “how-to” of talking—the coordination of the muscles and movements necessary to produce speech. If your child has trouble with language, he/she struggles with understanding what he/she hears or sees. Your child may struggle to find the right words and/or organise those words in a meaningful way to communicate a message or hold a conversation.
Below is a list of common speech and language disorders with a brief explanation of each.

A. Speech Disorders

• Articulation – the way we say our speech sounds
• Phonology – the speech patterns we use
• Apraxia – difficulty planning and coordinating the movements needed to make speech sounds
• Fluency – stuttering
• Voice – problems with the way the voice sounds, such as hoarseness

B. Language Disorders

• Receptive Language – difficulty understanding language
• Expressive Language – difficulty using language
• Pragmatic Language – social communication; the way we speak to each other

C. Other Disorders

• Deafness/Hearing Loss – loss of hearing; therapy includes developing lip-reading, speech, and/or alternative communication systems
• Oral-Motor Disorders – weak tongue and/or lip muscles
• Swallowing/Feeding Disorders – difficulty chewing and/or swallowing

3. Behaviour Therapy (ABA)
Behaviour therapy in some form can be beneficial for all children with disabilities, whether they have specific behaviour problems or not. The therapy would focus on extinguishing challenging behaviours and teaching new adaptive behaviours in the face of challenging behaviours. For children with developmental disabilities without specific behavioural problems, behavioural therapy may be helpful in motivating children toward specific therapeutic goals.

Behavioural therapy is also very helpful for children with behavioural challenges who do not have a developmental disability.
Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)
There are many forms of specific behavioural therapy. However, applied behavioural analysis is one of the most common types of behavioural therapy used for children with certain developmental disabilities. Applied behaviour analysis, or ABA for short, is characterized by a careful observation and analysis of challenging behaviors as they occur within the child’s natural environment. The analysis is then directly linked to a behaviour intervention plan so as to produce healthy, more adaptive ways of responding to situations. The ABA approach has been used widely with children with autism spectrum disorders and other problems of a developmental nature. ABA techniques can be used to foster development of basic skills such as looking, listening and imitating, as well as complex skills such as reading, conversing and understanding another person’s perspective. These therapeutic approaches might also be used to help a child to handle things such as a change in schedule, changes in their environment or other things that might be difficult for them to manage without support. ABA can reduce the chances that these situations will trigger problem behaviours.
Although there are specific concepts that guide ABA, there is no standard treatment protocol. The concepts are applied to each child based on the child’s skills, abilities, level of functioning and behaviours to tailor a program to individual needs.

4.Special Education
Special Education programs are designed for those students who are mentally, physically, socially and/or emotionally delayed. This aspect of “delay,” broadly categorized as a developmental delay, signify an aspect of the child’s overall development (physical, cognitive, scholastic skills) which place them behind their peers.

Due to these special requirements, students’ needs cannot be met within the traditional classroom environment. Special Education programs and services adapt content, teaching methodology and delivery instruction to meet the appropriate needs of each child.