The Adult Clinic

Specific Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy programs are now available

READING

It's NEVER too late to improve the reading, spelling, and writing skills of adults with dyslexia. Without the right type of reading instruction, most adults with dyslexia, no matter how smart they are, can't read or write above the third-grade level.

The Barton Reading and Spelling System is a proven method for teaching adults to read. Using a multi-sensory approach to sight words, individuals learn how to construct sentences as well as write dictated sentences. Reading fluency and phrasing are built in to each lesson. Good reading skills improve job options.

INTERACTIVE METRONOME (IM)

Interactive Metronome focuses on improving the brain’s ability to perform two critical functions: motor planning and sequencing. Motor planning and sequencing are central to human activity – from the coordinated movements needed to walk or climb stairs, to the ordering of words in a sentence to provide meaning.

Because IM addresses underlying motor planning and sequencing capacities considered fundamental for a wide range of cognitive, behavioral and physical processes, it is being used for a variety of conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Sensory Integration Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorders and Traumatic Brain Injury.

IM treatment provides a computer-generated reference tone heard through headphones. The individual learns to match the rhythmic beat of the tone with repetitive hand and foot movements. Over the course of treatment, individuals learn to:

(For more information visit www.interactivemetronome.com)

SENSORY INTEGRATION

Many adults have experienced sensory integration difficulties since childhood but have been labeled as having behavior, social-emotional or psychological problems. As a result, low self-esteem and frustration from social and job-related failures often have led to anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and social withdrawal.

Sensory Integration intervention benefits adults who experience challenges in their every day lives due to sensory processing issues. Sensory defensiveness or over-sensitivity to sensations (touch, sound, visual information or movement) is common and can result in problems with focusing on tasks, participating in everyday activities in busy environments, maintaining work and social relationships, or experiencing physical contact with others.

In addition, adults who may benefit from sensory integration intervention may have a history of significant difficulty with motor skills. They may be clumsy or accident prone, leading to embarrassment in social situations and concerns for personal safety.

Visual-spatial awareness may also be a problem as are organizational abilities. These difficulties can negatively impact everyday skills such as dressing, driving, shopping, cooking meals, and housekeeping. It may be difficult for these individuals to master work-related tasks and to plan and organize their daily lives.

(Taken from “OTA Newsline”, Fall/Winter 2002)