Can my child benefit from Ladder Health virtual services, if they’re already receiving school-based therapy?

The short answer is yes! For your preschool to school age child (3-6), home and school are considered natural environments as they tend to spend most of their time between the two places.Therapists often address similar developmental domains including fine motor, gross motor, speech and language, and more. However, the approach, goals, and delivery of services are different.

Ladder Health Therapy 

Ladder Health virtual therapy focuses on addressing skills based on the needs of the home environment as communicated by parents and caregivers. Services can address developing routines and schedules unique to your family, creating play spaces to target specific movement/sensory needs, developing independence in self-care skills, and much more.

Ladder Health therapy occurs:

• By meeting virtually with the child and their family
• In any part of the home or community that is important for the family’s goals 
• Using caregiver-mediated intervention (therapists teach parents and caregivers how to provide intervention strategies).

Ladder Health virtual therapy can focus on:

• Developing routines and schedules specific to each family
• Developing independence in self-care skills (dressing, using eating utensils, brushing teeth, etc)
• Providing strategies for sensory regulation
• Improving mobility around the home and in the community
• Improving communication
• Address feeding skills during meal times
• Creating play spaces to target specific movement/sensory needs

School-Based Therapy

School-based therapy focuses on developing skills specifically for the academic environment through collaboration with the classroom staff and parents. 

School-based therapy occurs:

• By seeing students one on one or in a group setting.
• In the classroom, the lunchroom, on the playground, or in a designated area.
• If a child is eligible for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan

School-based therapy can focus on:

• Using age-appropriate classroom tools including: markers, crayons, pencils, scissors
• Being able to sit in a chair, on a carpet, and maintain personal space
• Moving about a classroom and a hallway without bumping into furniture or classmates, tripping, or falling
• Improving your child’s ability to copy (and identify) shapes, letters, and numbers
• Being able to access and use playground equipment
• Developing fine/visual motor skills to be able to look up at the board and down at their paper
• Developing social skills to improve peer relationships
• Improving speech articulation and language skills

Parents may have concerns regarding their children that the school is unable to address as it does not impact the child’s ability to be successful at school. Ladder Health is able to provide services to your child and family centered around your unique needs within the home/community environment through virtual services.

If you have concerns about your child and their ability to participate in meaningful activities at home, take our free intake screener today!

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