Michelle

Our son, Dominic, was born in October and four days after his birth we received a surprise diagnosis of Down syndrome. We were shocked and felt lost on where to go from there and how to help our son in the best way possible. We connected with several therapists at Shine Therapy and they’ve paved the way for us and Dominic! We work with physical therapist Michelle….we walk away from each physical therapy session with more knowledge and encouragement. Michelle has been so observant with everything about Dominic and voiced concerns that she had that we followed up with the doctor on. Michelle is so friendly to work with and her care and compassion for Dominic really shine through as she works with him. We have seen him make such big strides since starting therapy a few months ago. 

We are also working with Kristin for Feeding Therapy. Kristin has been so encouraging to me with my breast-feeding goals. When we started out, I was unsure of if Dominic would be able to ever primarily breast-feed or not and Kristin was so encouraging and also reassuring that whichever avenue Dominic takes will be the best avenue for him. I am always uplifted during our appointments that I’m making good choices with our son’s care and always feel rejuvenated that what we’ve done over the past month helped put us in the right direction. We have been so impressed by Shine Therapy and plan to recommend them to anyone that we may encounter that needs therapy services in this area.

An 8-week program for children age 3-6 with sensory processing differences

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Children with sensory processing differences have difficulty with regulation, which sometimes makes it difficult for them to interact with the world around them. Our Sensory Explorers group targets regulation in order to build engagement! This group is led by pediatric occupational therapists Mackenzie Baldock (2:30 group) OR Meghan Day (8:30 group) and developmental therapist/PLAY Project Consultant Brenna Thompson, all of whom specialize in using developmentally appropriate strategies to support children so they can learn new skills. Group meets once/week for 60 minutes.

Wondering if this class is appropriate for your child? Some characteristics of kids who benefit: easily frustrated with play, repetitive play, difficulty sitting/keeping still to engage in play, refuses to allow others to engage in play, unable to be messy, overly busy, quickly overwhelmed in a busy environment, picky eater, difficulty tolerating grooming/dressing/diapering routines, struggles with transitions/following a group plan/routine. 

Goals of the group include:

  • Child participating in a variety of sensory play activities
  • Engaging socially with others in the group
  • Providing a non threatening environment where children can experience new sensations with the support of a pediatric Occupational Therapist and PLAY Project consultant
  • Providing personalized resources to caregivers, so they better understand the sensory system and learn strategies to assist their child with regulation outside of group
  • Opportunity to meet with other local families
 
 

GROUP MEETS for 8 weeks:  Caregivers must stay on the premises to support their child and learn helpful strategies. Children will separate from caregivers for the session; caregivers can socialize in the lobby (we will also provide a few toys for siblings to play). Caregiver education is a key component of this program. 

 

OPTIONAL Summary Report available at close of session. This 2 page report will summarize your child’s participation in the class and provide helpful sensory strategies to increase their participation in activities. This report could be given to teachers in classrooms & daycares or utilized to help educate other caregivers about ways to help your child participate. This option includes a 30 minute Zoom meeting with Brenna and MacKenzie/Brenna and Meghan to review the report and discuss your child’s progress in Sensory Explorers. COST: $100 due at sign up

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