Sarah Brown OT offers:
In-Person Service in Your Home,
Back-yard, at an Outdoor Location or Virtual Therapy
In-Person Service
I follow the Public Health guidelines of wearing PPE, hand-washing and physical distancing to keep myself and my clients safe from Covid-19. Sometimes, however, hands-on support is needed and I offer that as safely as possible in your home or outdoors where there is greater ventilation.
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Virtual Therapy
With Covid-19 and physical distancing restrictions a part of our reality at this time, I offer virtual therapy services, which might look like engaging the client by the screen or caregiver coaching via phone or screen. Don't let fear of technology stop you from getting the help you need! Even telephone consultation can be enough to get the information and strategies you can use in your daily life with your family member. Contact me and we can see if this is a good option for you.
About Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapists are the "function" people.
We work with people of all ages and abilities so they can be as independent and functional as possible.
OT's focus on:
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self-care (eating, drinking, dressing, toileting, bathing, etc.),
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productivity (tasks related to school or work) and
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leisure (play, sports, connecting with friends, family members or significant others).
We analyze how a person performs a task and determine where things become difficult. Perhaps they need:
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a device or tool.
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to strengthen a step of the task.
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information to better understand their responses to the sensory or social environment.
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information and strategies so that they know their triggers and have strategies to help them calm.
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to set up the environment differently to make it more tolerable, accessible or efficient.
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to alter the task itself so that they can manage within their abilities.
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OT's really want people to be able to Get It Done and to feel great about doing it!
Our aim is to help clients gain and maintain independence in all facets of their lives.
Wheelchair or Walker Assessment
and Prescription
For children and adults with physical limitations a wheelchair can be essential for getting around. In order to get a wheelchair or walker, you need:
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a proper and thorough assessment by an ADP Authorizer, in order to access the Assistive Devices Program (ADP) which provides funding towards approved devices
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a vendor who is ADP-approved and familiar with all of the options available for the device you are seeking; the types of walkers and their features, and both the wheelchair (the frame) and the seating (cushion, back-rest, belts and straps) for a wheelchair
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support to access other funding that may be available, i.e. ACSD/ODSP, insurance benefits, MD Canada, Easter Seals Ontario, OFCP, etc.
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LOOK NO FURTHER! I am an ADP Authorizer for Mobility Devices.
I have experience assessing children, youth and adults with a great diversity of mobility needs. I am thorough in my assessment and am very comfortable and confident in working with individuals with high/low muscle tone, scoliosis/kyphosis, and variable muscle control. I work closely with the individual, family and vendor to come up with a plan for a walker or wheelchair to best support the user in their day-to-day needs. I also have experience with custom molded seating in order to accommodate asymmetries due to muscle tone, as a result of cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, etc. My assessment skills are strong and I listen carefully to the needs of the client to make recommendations for seating and mobility that are going to work for them. If you are looking for an experienced therapist to help you to get a walker, wheelchair, scooter or stroller, please book a consultation.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Are you concerned your child may have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? Or has your child been diagnosed with ASD? OT's work with individuals on the autism spectrum who are having difficulty with:
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activities of daily living, such as picky eating, interrupted sleep patterns, delayed toilet-training, support needed for dressing, etc.
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play, due to difficulties with interacting with other children, delayed motor skills, poor attention and focus, etc.
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social skills and making friends because sensory issues and/or behaviours are getting in the way
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coordination, strength and endurance - motor skills are often impacted in individuals with autism, but this is often not well-understood!
You will gain:
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Assessment of sensory processing challenges
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Practical strategies to use in your day-to-day life
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Coaching through environmental set up
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Support to teach the social and play skills they need to learn and play alongside and with others.
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Strategies to develop motor skills needed to participate fully in school, play and activities of daily living
Your parent/caregiver goals are the same as any other parent/caregiver of a child this age. You want them to be toilet-trained, to eat a good meal at the table with family, get dressed and sleep through the night. And your child wants to be able to cope with their environment and the demands on them without melting-down or dysregulating completely. They want to play with toys and with other children. And you both want school to be a successful experience. ​If there are problems in any of these areas, I can help.
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Is your child with ASD now an adolescent or adult? Are you an adolescent or adult recently diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder? Are you having trouble finding someone to help you now that child-oriented services are no longer available or appropriate? Just because kids get older, it doesn't mean they age out of their challenges! They just become different. Adolescents and adults with autism may still need help developing the living skills they need to become more independent. We can all grow and learn new things as adults, even if funding and service structures don't always reflect that. As an occupational therapist, I am trained to analyze activities and discover the barriers that are getting in the way of success. I will break down tasks and help to build the skills that are needed for success. I have a great deal of experience with individuals with autism. If things are difficult, let's sit down and see how I can help!
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Sensory Processing, Self-Regulation,
Attention & Focus
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Does your child have trouble sitting still for the length of a meal?
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Is getting homework done, pure torture in your house?
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Are teachers saying that your child is distractible? disruptive? not getting work done?
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Has online schooling been a absolute disaster for your child?
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Do you feel like you are walking on eggshells whenever they are around, for fear they will explode or melt-down at the slightest thing?
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Problems with sensory processing can present very differently from person to person. Some people have trouble tolerating sounds, lights or busy-ness in their environments. Clothing may be uncomfortable on their skin and food may feel so yucky that they eat only a few select items. Problems with attention and focus can be symptoms of different things but often there is an underlying sensory processing challenge. In fact, for most people diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, there are also sensory processing challenges getting in the way. Maybe their body needs to move more than other people's. Maybe they hear every noise in the room and are unable to filter that out. Perhaps they sense every movement around them making it impossible to focus on what is in front of them. Children with sensory and attentional challenges very often get labeled as "behavioural" kids. Often they seem to be misbehaving and getting into a lot of trouble at school - sent to the office, suspended. Do you find you're keeping your phone nearby for the next call from the school about the next incident? . A lot of times, it takes an objective perspective to help sort out what helps that individual to engage and to learn. What are their sensory strengths and their sensory challenges, so we can help them cope better and be more successful in their environment? Let's sit down and figure it out together!
Fine Motor Skills
Is your child struggling at school? Are teachers suggesting you consider seeking occupational therapy services to address difficulties learning to print, getting work down on paper or managing pencils/scissors or other tools with their hands? These skills are called "fine motor skills" because they use the small muscles of the hands, wrists and arms to be performed. Take a closer look at what they are doing. Are any of these things going on?
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Are they holding their pencil in a funny way?
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Are they complaining their hand hurts or is tired after a very short time of doing written work?
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Do they press really hard with their pencil or do they make very faint marks so it is hard to see?
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Are they generally clumsy and have trouble coordinating their movements in general?
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Is their printing so hard to read that their teacher can't mark their work?
Children are taught printing very differently from how a lot of parents were taught. They can often navigate to YouTube on your phone in an instant, but can't write down a sentence! Many parents were taught how to print and how to write in cursive, but teachers have very little time to teach that now. Children who can pick it up quickly are successful. Those who can't, flounder. Let me help sort out what is making it so hard for your child. Let's sit down and make a plan for getting to the heart of the challenge and getting them on track at school.