Establishing the Foundational Skills for Children’s Development
Whether a child’s delay is in communication, social, emotional, sensory or motor skills, our creative team provides the individual care and attention required to foster their maximum potential.
Occupational Therapy
Our Occupational Therapists address fine motor skills, activities of daily living, (such as self-feeding, grooming, dressing), play skills, sensory integration and regulation. Therapists guide children through play-based motor activities in our sensory gyms, outfitted with the latest suspended equipment and materials, in the context of valuing relationships and interactions.
Sensory and motor experiences are facilitated by therapists in our sensory gyms equipped with swings, trampolines and a climbing wall to meet the unique needs of each child. Therapists collaborate with the teaching team by providing strategies and support to ensure that the classroom environment is a sensory friendly space to promote optimal individualized learning.
Physical Therapy
Our Physical therapists address gross motor, strength, endurance, stair negotiation, balance and coordination skills. Through active play in our sensory gyms and rooftop playground, children develop the foundational skills required to safely navigate the school, home and community environment.
Our rooftop playground is a natural environment where therapists collaborate with teachers to guide children playing with peers, while negotiating climbing equipment. This space affords children the opportunity to improve their motor planning, safety awareness and overall physical development. As children’s physical skills and confidence increases, meaningful changes are observed in their ability to learn and interact with the environment.
Speech and Language Therapy
Our Speech and language pathologists address receptive, expressive language, social communication, feeding and play skills. Our team includes a bilingual Spanish certified pathologist and a certified feeding specialist. Our play-based philosophy is embedded within our therapy sessions that include both structured and unstructured activities that promote development. Both individual and group sessions are provided. Group sessions are developed to promote social communication with peers and the development of friendships.
At NYCCD, therapists collaborate with the teaching team to help tailor the classroom to meet the individualized needs of the children. Ongoing team coordination and individual and group therapy sessions using the latest strategies, all combine to help maximize children’s potential.
Mental Health Services
Understanding the critical importance of the home and school connection and the family as the expert on their child, we partner with caregivers. Every family and child at NYCCD is paired with a social worker. Social workers provide each child and family with individualized support. Therapists address children’s overall social and emotional development through counseling sessions (e.g., play therapy): focusing on regulation, engagement, social communication, and shared problem solving.
