OUR SERVICES

We treat a wide range of concerns that your child may be experiencing, including:

Articulation Difficulties
Expressive Language Difficulties
Comprehension Difficulties
Autism
Social communication skills
Down Syndrome
Apraxia of Speech
Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC)
Behavioral Difficulties
Tongue Thrust
Early Literacy
Pre-Writing & Writing Abilities
Reading & Writing Difficulties
Fine & Gross Motor Skills
Social-Emotional Regulation
Executive Functioning
Self-Regulation
Sensory Integration
Plagiocephaly (flat head)
Cerebral Palsy
Poor Coordination & Motor Planning

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Assessment

A thorough assessment is conducted to determine the best therapy plan for your child. Depending on the age and needs of your child, formal (standardized) and informal assessments will be used to acquire a complete picture of your child’s skills. A written report will be compiled from the assessment, case history form and other professionals if needed.

Therapy Sessions

A to Z Therapy Clinic aims to begin therapy as early as possible in order for goals to be implemented at the clinic and at home. Assessment and therapy takes place in the clinic room with the therapist and your child. Parents (or caregiver) are encouraged to be present in order to understand the assessment and therapy process. Our professionals will be reviewing your child’s goals and needs throughout the therapy process as well as provide updates.

Activities and games selected each session are designed to be fun and rewarding for your child while also complementing their interests. Research supports that children learn best through play; which is why we implement a child-centered, relationship based approach to our therapy.

Home Care

We believe that home practice is the key to success for your child to transfer skills from the clinic to outside of therapy. The therapist will provide specific advice, ideas or handouts to incorporate into daily activities. At the same time, we do understand the demands of everyday life therefore the therapists will help establish a realistic plan for home practice.

Group Therapy

Group therapy promotes peer learning in an environment that is interactive, motivating and supportive for your child.

At A to Z Therapy Clinic, group programs are evidence-based and are carefully planned to help with carryover of your child’s current therapy goals or supplement the learning your child is currently doing (i.e. at school, home, or in individual therapy). Most importantly, these groups encourage children to learn from one another while building confidence to apply new skills outside of therapy with their peers. Group therapy is a reliable and affordable way to maximize your child’s exposure to learning.

Special Interests Group

In these sessions, children are given the opportunity to naturally form friendships in a fun and interactive way as they choose the activities. Social communication skills are developed as they collaborate on shared tasks with their clinicians.

Reading & Writing Workshop

Our workshops at A to Z Therapy Clinic are carefully programmed, designed by a Speech-Language Pathologist and Occupational Therapist for children who may benefit from extra support with reading, writing and spelling skills. Speech-language pathologists are recognized experts in school-age literacy, while Occupational Therapist are experts in devolping fine motor skills that coincide with school tasks (pencil grasps, printing & cursive writing).

Joint Therapy Services

Joint therapy services consist of a Speech Therapist (SLP) and Occupational Therapist (OT) who collaborate both their goals to optimize your child's therapy sessions. For example, many OT tasks and activities can incorporate speech and language goals; therefore making therapy functional and effective.

What Is A Speech-Language Pathologist?

Speech Pathology stems from two key words. Speech, meaning communication and pathology, meaning someone who studies cause and effect. Together, these words refer to someone who provides therapy for communication as well as swallowing disorders. A pediatric speech-language pathologist supports children from 18 month to 18 years of age.

Gestalt Language Processing

A type of language development in which children process early language in “strings of sounds” or “chunks” of language, rather than processing single words. Children processing language this way may echo back words, phrases and sentences other people say –also known as echolalia (e.g. “to infinity and beyond”).

This repetition of words or chunks of language may be stored in a child’s memory after the child has heard it (e.g. from song, people, tv shows, books, etc.).

Did you know?
Gestalt Language Processing is a type of language development that is often seen in Autistic children. An estimated 75 - 90% of autistic children learn language this way.

Why is this important?
Children who are gestalt language processors require a different approach for assessment and intervention in comparison to traditional therapy. This approach is based on the Natural Language Acquisition Framework by Marge Blanc (Speech Language Pathologist and Author of Natural Language Acquisition on the Autism Spectrum).

How can we help?
The speech-language pathologists and team at A to Z Therapy Clinic are proud to recognize the importance of customizing therapy to each child’s unique needs and language development. They will work alongside you and your child to create a therapy approach that best suits your child’s style of language development and effectively continue to support them using the Natural Language Acquisition framework.

What Is An Occupational Therapist?

Occupational Therapists are trained to help individuals better perform the everyday activities (or occupations) that they need to, want to or are expected to perform. At A to Z Therapy Clinic, a ‘neurodevelopmental’ approach is taken to work with children. This means that many skills that develop for children at various ages such as writing your name, tying your shoelaces or getting dressed, develop in an organized sequence based on skills that have been developed at an earlier stage. For some children these stages are underdeveloped, which can often have a domino effect on other areas. At A to Z Therapy Clinic, we aim to help to develop these skills in an enjoyable way through a play based approach.

What does a Pediatric Physiotherapist do?

Sometimes, babies and children need physical therapy as well. As we grow, we learn to walk up the stairs or throw a ball. For some children either developmental delays or injuries can prevent them from accomplishing what we consider simple tasks. A pediatric physical therapist helps children improve their range of motion, strength, flexibility, balance, and movement patterns.

What is Pediatric Physiotherapy treatment like?

When a child comes to Physiotherapy, the sessions are most often organized to look like play. We encourage fun and age-appropriate games and activities all while working towards their intended goal. Children should be happy and motivated, but physical therapy is also hard work! So let’s get moving!

Pediatric physical therapy works on improving gross motor skills (such as walking, jumping and throwing). We encourage kids to play, run, hop and explore while working towards what has been limiting them.

Give us a call if you have any questions or would like your child to be seen for any of the following issues:

Plagiocephaly (flat head)
Torticollis
Developmental delays (not hitting age appropriate milestones)
Recovering from sports and non-sports-related injuries
Genetic disorders, such as down syndrome
Muscle weakness or imbalances
Poor coordination and/or motor planning
Nerve/muscle conditions, such as cerebral palsy

Specialized Tutoring

Specialized tutoring is an individualised, one-to-one service that is tailored to meet the needs of students who struggle to learn or would simply benefit from additional support in academics. The tutor at A to Z Therapy Clinic specializes in tutoring children with Neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism and ADHD as well as those with Specific Learning Disabilities. Additionally, she has experience working with children with speech/language delays and social communication difficulties.

Julia is a student at Concordia University, currently completing a bachelors degree in Linguistics and working towards a masters in Speech Language Pathology. She has over 2 years of experience tutoring elementary school students in English, French, Math and History that have ADHD, dyslexia and other learning and/or behavioral difficulties. Those who know Julia will describe her as patient and an empathetic individual. She has a passion for helping and guiding students to flourish and gain confidence in their academic journey.