OUR SERVICES

Occupational Therapy

The occupational therapists at Oak Tree Developmental Center are equipped with a well versed knowledge base in evaluation and treatment areas of sensory integration, fine motor and handwriting skills, visual-motor and perceptual skills, Therapeutic ListeningTM and the Alert ProgramTM. 

When a child is having difficulty processing or filtering the sensory demands (tactile, auditory, smell, taste, visual, proprioception and vestibular) of their environment, it can be overwhelming for the child and can lead to emotional, behavioral and motor struggles that make it difficult to meet the demands of everyday life.  Observed challenges may include difficulty interacting with peers or adults, aggression, poor attention, poor body coordination (clumsy) and poor sitting or standing posture, emotional irregularity, avoidance of certain textures or food, grinding teeth or chewing on clothes, difficulty with fine-motor or oral motor skills, and excessive seeking or avoidances of movement.

Our OTs work to provide their patients with a safe and positive environment and treatment that allows the patients to learn the sensory, motor and life skills they need to meet these challenges.  Other treatment areas OT may address include life skills (performance of activities of daily life), social skills, handwriting skills and feeding skills (in collaboration with our speech therapist).  Our OTs collaborate with the child’s family, other therapists and members of the team in order to provide treatment ideas that can be carried over to all areas of the child’s life.  OTs provide individual treatment as well as social and motor group treatments in Oak Tree’s “big gym” or in smaller treatment rooms depending on the needs and goals of the child. 

Speech and Language Therapy

Oak Tree Developmental Center’s speech and language pathologists have expertise in administering a wide variety of assessment tools to help you determine your child’s needs.  Our SLP’s are experienced in evaluating and treating delays in expressive and receptive language, articulation, feeding and social pragmatics for kids of all ages.  Our speech and language therapists use our small treatment rooms as well as the big gym area to keep kids excited about developing language skills they need in order to be successful communicators.  Therapists take the opportunity to collaborate with our physical therapists and occupational therapists in order to treat kids as whole people and maximize their functional skills.

Our SLPs also work closely with parents and caregivers to encourage carry over at home.  Speech and language therapy at Oak Tree Developmental Center is delivered in one of three ways.  The first is 1 to 1 direct treatment in a 60 minute session.  The second is in small groups of 2-3 children working together to achieve their social, language goals and/or feeding goals.  Lastly, we offer language motor groups that allow children to combine language skills with gross and fine motor skills to reach their goals around communicating with peers in a group of 6-10 kids. 

 Physical Therapy

Physical therapists at Oak Tree Developmental Center have experience treating kids with orthopedic, developmental and neurological diagnoses.  Physical therapists evaluate a child’s strength, range of motion, gross motor skills (such as rolling, walking, running and throwing), muscle tone, balance, reflexes and motor planning and develop a plan to help your child move safely and independently.  At Oak Tree our PTs use our “Big Gym” where the zip line, balance beam, ball pit and swings make building strength and skills fun.  Our PTs collaborate with the child’s family, other therapists and members of the team in order to provide treatment ideas tht can be carried over to all areas of the child’s life.

 Therapeutic Groups

All groups our led by an occupational therapist and a speech and language pathologist. Oak Tree limits group size to 3-6 children to maintain a high student-teacher ratio in order to foster social development, reinforce new skills, and ensure that every child reaches his or her maximum potential within the group.  Within each group we tailor the curriculum for each child and are continually reassessing each child to provide the best possible placement. 

The goals of the group are to help children with self-regulation, problem solving skills, play skills, and social interactions.  Group is for children who are experiencing difficulty using appropriate communication skills while interacting with peers. We focus on improving social skills by encouraging initiation, turn-taking, flexibility, and creativity, and teaching children to recognize and respond accordingly to non-verbal social cues.  The group will address each child’s individual sensory needs and interests, promote success and progress through feelings of enjoyment and accomplishment.

School Based Therapy

Therapy will be provided on an individual and/or group basis within your child’s school environment.  Therapists will collaborate with the teacher to establish goals and to facilitate therapeutic strategies within the school setting.  We offer free occupational therapy and speech-language screenings.  

 Home Health Therapy

Our providers are all certified through the state of Illinois as early intervention specialists.  We gladly provide therapy in the natural environment of your home.

Who Benefits From Our Services

At Oak Tree Developmental Center our pediatric therapists provide specialized services to families with children who have various diagnosis and special needs.  Some of these conditions include:

  • Sensory Integrative Disorder
  • Autism/Asperger Syndrome
  • Expressive/Receptive Language Disorder
  • Articulation Disorder
  • Handwriting Difficulties
  • Apraxia
  • Torticollis
  • Visual Perceptual Difficulties
  • Neuromotor Dysfunction
  • Gross and Fine Motor Delays
  • Motor Coordination Disorder
  • Attention Deficit Disorder
  • Feeding Difficulties
  • Down Syndrome
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Unspecified Neurological Disorders
  • Orthopedic Disorders