What is sensory integration?
Sensory integration (SI) refers to how our brains take in and process information via all of our sensory systems:
* Vision * Auditory (hearing) * Tactile (touch) * Gustatory (taste) * Olfactory (smell)
* Proprioception (muscles and joints) * Vestibular (how we relate to gravity)
* Interoception (internal regulatory functions)
All of this information is coming in continuously and needs to be filtered, integrated and organized effectively in order to help us make sense of the world around us and the world within us. When this process is working well, it supports how we develop our physical skills, participation in daily life activities, emotional regulation, organization of behavior, attention, and executive functioning. In contrast, when one or more of these systems is not operating effectively, the fundamental building blocks of our neurological development can be balancing on less sturdy foundations.
What do I tell my child about why they are going to Sprout?
We recommend telling your child some version of the following sentiment that feels authentic to how you would communicate with them: Sprout is a place where kids get to play one at a time with a grown up. The grown ups at Sprout help kids figure out what things feel good for their bodies, help kids get stronger and more comfortable, and help make the hard or challenging things feel better and easier.
What do therapy sessions look like?
No two therapy sessions at Sprout will look exactly the same. We start by meeting your child exactly where they are, both in a larger developmental sense as well as by being present with your child and all they are bringing into our therapy space on any given day. Through this context of trust and safety in play, we then help children reach new milestones and achieve their goals. What we have learned over many years of practice is that we can trust a child to lead us to the most potent place to work. Some days will be more about working on specific skills, some about larger schemes of organization, some about frustration tolerance, some about social connection and collaboration, and others about self-regulation.
We will often allow a child to choose their preferred play, and then we make adjustments or changes to provide them with a “just right challenge” to achieve a desired result. Our therapists are skilled at assessing nuanced responses to sensory or motor demands, and then grading the play towards the most productive place. For parents, this can initially look “just like a playdate”, as our sessions are designed to feel just like play for your child. As your child becomes more adaptive and successful with previously challenging skills, the value of our unique style of intervention becomes more and more apparent.
How will we know that we are making progress?
After a few sessions, we like to collaborate with parents to establish specific, measurable and meaningful goals for your child. We start by keeping in mind the concerns you shared when you initiated this process, what we’ve learned about your child’s sensory profile and responses to intervention in the clinic, and progress they’ve already made in those initial weeks. We can then design with you the most relevant goals to ensure that the work we are doing is making a meaningful difference in your child’s life and your family’s life. We revisit and reassess these goals at regular intervals to track our progress.
Do you take insurance?
We are currently a private clinic and we only accept direct payment for services. Although we do not contract with insurance companies, we do provide a "super bill" at the end of the month, which many families submit to their insurance companies for reimbursement. We cannot make any guarantees about reimbursement and encourage you to thoroughly understand your benefits before proceeding.
Do you currently have any availability and how do I get started?
We have a team of 5 therapists sharing the space at Sprout, and we generally see children Monday through Friday, from 9am - 6pm, and Saturdays 9am - 1pm. Our schedule is fairly full, with each therapist having 0-2 openings at at time on average. As children graduate from OT, or move due to schedule changes, our availabilities frequently shift. We are always happy to explore our current openings with new families and try to accommodate the needs of our community. Our policy is that if an evaluation is completed with us, and we cannot find a spot on our schedule for your child, in addition to being placed on our waiting list, we will reach out to local trusted practitioners to help find the best spot for your child as quickly as possible.
If you would like to get started, feel free to email our clinical director, Dani Leon at Dani@SproutCTC.com or call/text her at (310) 918-3733. Text or email is often the easiest way to get started and schedule an initial phone consult.