The pediatric occupational, physical and speech therapy Services at Wild Roots may look a little bit different than what you are expecting!

We look at the underlying root causes of concerns.  What caregivers and teachers see might be defiance, difficulty following directions, poor handwriting, inability to ride a bike, scripting language, and stuffing food. What we might see is retained primitive reflexes, trauma responses, poor core strength, decreased body awareness, difficulty moving their body to match their ideas, and much more!  

When we change what we’re looking for, we change what we see, and we change what we do to help! In some sessions we work one on one with kids, some sessions are in a group, sometimes caregivers watch, other times they relax and then we provide ideas for home. It depends on the family, the child, and the day!

What Pediatric Occupational Therapists Do.

Pediatric Occupational Therapists work to improve children’s global development including physical, cognitive, and foundation skills such as sensory processing to assist the child and family in maximizing their success in all areas of daily life.

Occupational therapists work on children’s primary occupations: playing, learning, making friends, and being part of a family.

Pediatric Occupational Therapists work with children with autism, sensory processing disorder, fine motor and/or feeding delays, visual motor and handwriting challenges, developmental differences secondary to trauma, and much more.

Want more information about occupational therapy in different environments (schools, clinics, mental health settings, nursing homes, etc.), click here.

Occupational Therapy team early 2021

Occupational Therapy Team (early 2021)

Our therapists are highly trained in the areas of sensory processing and trauma. “Sensory processing challenges have been shown to negatively impact emotional regulation and self-regulation.  A developing area of trauma treatment utilizes sensory-based interventions to target these concerns.
There is promising evidence for the use of these interventions as part of an integrated treatment approach.”  Complex Trauma in Children and Youth: A Scoping Review of Sensory Based Interventions. Kerry Fraser, Diane Mackenzie, and Joan Versnel. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health.  2017 Vol 33, No 3.  199-216

 

For more information on our professional training in sensory processing please click here.

Speech Therapy

Pediatric speech therapists evaluate, diagnose,  and treat communication challenges, both expressive (saying words) and receptive (understanding language), that cause children to have difficulty with verbal communication.

Speech therapy also treats oral motor concerns, such as chewing and swallowing, as well as articulation, auditory processing, and social skills. Speech therapists can help establish varied methods of communication including augmentative devices.

Our speech therapists have extra training for Gestalt based language acquisition which is common in the autistic population.  These language learners learn in larger units of words first, rather than single words. Embracing this type of developmental language learning can help kids acquire new language/skills through their unique style. 

“Andy taught us how to encourage my daughter to use language and increase her vocabulary. He was very easy to work with and made the sessions enjoyable. She cried when we had to leave therapy!”

JM, Parent

“I just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate Janelle! Since day one, she has been patient and professional.  We are implementing several different methods to meet his feeding needs and expand his diet and are already seeing progress!  He always looks forward to speech (which hasn’t always been the case!) and his language skills are really taking off too!”

TS, Parent

Our Mission:

We support, connect, and enrich the lives of individuals and families across Montana.

You will find approachable staff, a cup of coffee, and a therapist working WITH you and your family to reach your goals.