Characteristics of Persons Served:
Children ages birth to adolescence 21 may be served.
Medical Acuity & Medical Stability:
Children must be healthy and cleared for treatment by their physician. Children may not receive services if they have illnesses such as: fever of 100.5 or greater; pink eye; vomiting and/or diarrhea; or other highly contagious viruses and/or diseases.
Admission Criteria:
Children who experience delays, or are at significant risk for delays, in any area of development which negatively affects his/her functional performance and ability to participate in home, community and school activities.
Children from birth through 21 years of age will be considered for evaluation.
- Financial responsibility is established in accordance with the Financial Policy.
- An evaluation is completed which identifies the need for intervention.
- Additional factors considered before admission include areas of expertise of therapy staff and availability of appropriate treatment materials and equipment. If a client would benefit from treatment but is not approved for services at Joy Therapy and Learning Center due to the factors previously identified, he/she may be referred to other agencies that can provide needed services.
- Reports less than 3 months old for children under 3 years of age and less than 6 months old for children over 3 years of age from other agencies will be reviewed and may be accepted in lieu of performing an evaluation.
Discharge Criteria:
It is the policy of Joy Therapy and Learning Center to discharge clients who meet any of the following criteria: are 21 years of age; no longer demonstrate need for intervention; do not appear to benefit from continued services; are not meeting financial responsibilities to Joy Therapy and Learning Center; do not meet the required attendance; are removed at the request of the caregiver; or are removed at the discretion of the agency (including for safety reasons).
- No Longer Demonstrates Need: If a child has demonstrated sufficient progress in therapy and testing reveals the child’s skills are at age-appropriate levels (i.e., no further intervention is indicated), the therapist will review the child’s progress with the caregiver and plan a discharge date.
- Does Not Appear to Benefit: Progress in therapy is reviewed on a continuous basis. If a client does not meet therapy goals and/or does not demonstrate progress on re-evaluation after six months in therapy, the treating therapist will discuss the lack ofprogress and the treatment plan with their clinical supervisor and the child’s caregiver. They may revise the treatment plan to better fit the child’s needs at any time.
If a client does not meet therapy goals and/or does not demonstrate progress on a re-evaluation during the second six month treatment period, the treating therapist will discuss the treatment plan with their clinical supervisor and the child’s caregiver. An interdisciplinary team review shall be initiated. This discussion will include the possibility of revising the treatment plan, increasing or decreasing the frequency of sessions, and discharge if no progress continues to be noted.
At the end of 18 months of treatment, if no progress has been noted and the above steps were taken, the client may be discharged.
Financial Responsibility:
If a family is not meeting financial responsibilities to the agency as outlined in the Financial Policy, the client
may be discharged from therapy.
Poor Attendance:
Poor attendees may be discharged per the Attendance Policy.
Caregiver Request:
Discharge will be completed upon caregiver request.
Agency Discretion:
The agency reserves the right to discharge any client at any time for any reason.
Changing Therapists
A child may, at one time or another, experience a change in his or her therapist. This may happen for any one of the following reasons:
- Therapist relocation
- Therapist illness or family emergency
- Scheduling issues in which the family requests a different day of the week or time of day for ongoing therapy sessions. We will accommodate changes as they arise; however, this will occasionally result in the child switching therapists.
- Lack of progress or ‘connection’ with the child’s assigned therapist. Our number one goal is for the child to receive a maximum benefit from therapy. Occasionally, a child has a personality conflict with the assigned therapist or just doesn’t develop a good working relationship with the assigned therapist. In cases like this, it is in the best interest of the child to re-assign them to a different therapist. Additionally, the child or therapist may reach a point where the child still needs therapy but is failing to make acceptable progress. The change to a new therapist may assist the child to begin making progress once again.
- Change in the specific therapist’s schedule.
We make every effort to maintain continuity of care with as few changes as possible. When changes do arise, we will assist families in making the transition as smooth as possible.
Evaluation and Intervention:
Therapeutic evaluation and intervention is provided by state licensed and appropriately credentialed occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists. Occupational therapy assistants, speech language pathology assistants, and physical therapy assistants provide services under the supervision of an occupational therapist or speech-language pathologist or physical therapist. In a collaborative process with the child and his/her caregiver, outcomes for therapeutic intervention are created and reassessed every 6-12 months to
determine frequency and duration of service.
Occupational therapy evaluation and intervention focuses on factors affecting the child’s independence in their occupations in the home, school, and play environments. A child’s occupation includes play, learning, peer interaction, and self-care skill development. Intervention techniques utilized are based on clinical reasoning, theories of occupational therapy practice, and evidence based practice. Intervention techniques include but are not limited to:
- Neurodevelopmental treatment approach
- Sensory Integration and modulation techniques
- Normal development of fine motor and visual motor skill activities
- Adaptive equipment
- Positioning equipment
- Oral motor intervention
- Cranio-sacral therapy
- Education of caregivers, child and family members
- Therapeutic Listening and Integrated Listening Systems (iLs)
- DIR Floortime
Physical therapy evaluation and intervention focuses on factors affecting mobility in the home, school, and play environments. Intervention techniques utilized are based on clinical reasoning, theories of physical therapy practice and evidence based practice. Intervention techniques include but are not limited to:
- Neurodevelopmental treatment approach
- Normal development of gross motor skill activities
- Adaptive equipment
- Positioning equipment
- Orthotic development
- Myofascial release
- Education of caregivers, clients, and family members
Speech therapy evaluation and intervention focuses on factors affecting the child’s speech, language, peer relationships, feeding and swallowing skills, and social skills in the home, school, and community environments. Intervention techniques utilized are based on clinical reasoning, theories of speech therapy practice, and evidence based practice. Intervention techniques include but are not limited to:
- Normal developmental sequences of expressive and receptive communication
- Oral motor intervention for feeding and swallowing safety
- Articulation intervention techniques
- Augmentative device selection, design, and programming
- Education of caregivers, clients, and family members
Our ABA staff will provide developmentally appropriate curriculum, experiences and activities, as well as therapeutic intervention. Joy Therapy & Learning Center is staffed by highly trained professionals. Staff and Administration will provide a program that:
- Promotes cognitive, emotional and physical development.
- Maximizes the independence and enhances the function and potential of young children.
- Provides individualized, quality services to children and their families.
- Provides a family-centered program to ensure that each family’s priorities, concerns, and cultures are addressed and incorporated into their child’s daily activities.
- Provides a naturalistic environment where each child’s overall development is enhanced and enriched.
- Includes children as active participants in their learning experience.
- Maintains and increases the expertise of staff and quality services by providing opportunities for ongoing professional development.
In order to accomplish these goals, we will provide a program that enthusiastically:
- Promotes regular communication with parents.
- Promotes specially trained staff and assistants.
- Promotes frequent, positive and warm interactions among adults and children.
- Provides planned learning activities and material appropriate to each child’s developmental age.
Our ABA department consists of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) who is licensed by the national Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) as well as holds a Master’s degree in education, as well as Registered Behavior Technician’s (RBT’s) who are also certified by the BACB and receive 5 to 20 hours of documented direct supervision from the BCBA.