• Screenings
• Comprehensive evaluations
• Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests, if applicable
• Individual and group therapy sessions
• Flexible therapy hours
• Workshops for parents, professionals, and schools
• Sensory integration summer camp
• Handwriting "Pencil Pals" program 
• Interdisciplinary treatment program
• Interaction Group
• Saturday Sensory Integration Groups
•  Interactive Metronome

Occupational therapists are licensed by the State of Maryland.

Brigid Durkin Baker, OTR/L, Director, Occupational Therapy
Shirley Anderson, M.S. OTR/L, Occupational Therapist
Jessica Cusimano, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist
Erica Fuentes, MOT, OTR/L, Occupational, Therapist
Meridith McLane, MOTR/L, Occupational Therapist

Evaluations and therapeutic services are by appointment only. Please contact us at 301.424.5200, ext. 128 for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Noah's story

Sensory integration is a big unknown for many parents. When Stephanie noticed that her two-year old son Noah had a hard time with certain things, she wasn’t sure what it all meant. He seemed defensive about his space. Simple tasks such as brushing Noah's teeth would be a major physical struggle, leaving him in tears. New people, new settings, and noisy or crowded places were overwhelming, causing him to withdraw into himself.
 
But after coming to TLC for an evaluation in outpatient occupational therapy services, everything clicked. According to Stephanie, it was nothing short of “miraculous,” and Ms. Debra, Noah's OT, “understood Noah in a way that nobody else did.” It was a huge leap for both Stephanie and Noah, and she began to understand how to better communicate and negotiate with her son. Noah began weekly occupational therapy sessions, and the result was that instead of things becoming adversarial with her child feeling tense and anxious, situations were neutralized and Noah felt enabled and empowered to reach out more.
 
Because sensory integration involves the connection between brain/body and the social/verbal, it affects the whole child and impacts every corner of a child’s life. Quite simply, Noah is happier now because he feels so much better in his world. And Stephanie is now aware of what her child needs to stay that way and how to integrate it into their lives, such as daily physical activity and what kinds of games and toys are helpful.
 
Today, at age four and a half, Noah is a completely different child and the change is like night and day. An extrovert by nature, Noah now has no problem reaching out to people and crowds no longer bother him. Stephanie notes that going to a party used to be so overwhelming for Noah that he would cry in her arms. Today, he is the life of the party, bringing cookies, interacting with the dog, and dancing. Now that’s a happy ending! 

Zoe's story
  
Enrolling our daughter, who has been diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD-NOS) at TLC has perhaps been the best intervention method for her. Before she began attending TLC, she had very limited expressive language and social skills, very little eye contact, multiple auditory and sensory issues, and in general, was completely out of touch with the world outside her. At TLC, she receives occupational and speech therapies both on a one-to-one basis and in an interactive group which has dramatically helped her communication and social skills. She is now, with prompting, much more able and willing to communicate almost all of her needs and desires, and much more willing to engage with her surroundings.  

As she has continued to grow and develop new challenges, TLC staff has been there to provide us with creative approaches to deal with these challenges. She also receives a psychological consultation on a weekly basis with the staff clinical psychologist. It has been an immense blessing to have the advice and guidance of such a talented and helpful team to support us through the constant challenges that face our daughter from day to day.  TLC also provides bi-weekly parent meetings and workshops where staff members review children’s progress and answer parents’ questions and concerns related to the issues both at TLC and home. In addition to all of this staff support, educational books, articles, software, many other related materials are provided and sometimes lent to parents. We are so grateful to TLC staff for all that they have done for our daughter and are looking forward to seeing the progress she will make here in coming years.

Q: How do I know when my child needs an occupational therapy evaluation?

A: There are several signs that indicate that a child may need evaluation from an occupational therapist. For instance, if your child is experiencing difficulty acquiring age-appropriate motor skills, playing with other children, and handling transitions, he/she may be experiencing sensory integration difficulties. If you are concerned that your child's behaviors or tendencies may have a sensory or motor basis, contact an occupational therapist to determine whether an evaluation is necessary.

Q: How do I know my child needs occupational therapy (OT) to improve handwriting skills?

A: Signs that a child may need OT may include difficulty recognizing or forming his or her manuscript or cursive alphabet, complaining that handwriting tires them easily, or they may have difficulty sitting for a handwriting task.  Sometimes a parent or teacher may notice a child's pencil grasp is immature or that a child has difficulty sitting in their seat.

Handwriting is a high level fine motor planning skill. Neuromuscular, sensory integrative, and motor control are the roots of sensory motor function needed for handwriting skills. Cognitive and psychosocial functions work in conjunction with sensory motor functions for independence in handwriting. An occupational therapist will assess a child's strength in the above components and combine some or all of the components of sensory and motor modalities for a child to achieve independence in handwriting.

Q: What are the components of neuromuscular, sensory integrative, and motor control needed in handwriting?

A: Postural control, muscle tone, and upper body stability are the components of neuromuscular skills. Tactile, visual regard, kinesthesia, visual perception, and motor planning are the sensory integration pieces of the puzzle. Activity tolerance, bilateral integration, visual motor integration, fine motor control, and in-hand manipulation complete the motor control needed for handwriting skills.

Q: What are the components of cognitive and psychosocial skills related to handwriting?

A: These may include attention, visual, verbal, and auditory memory, sequencing, interests, self-concept, self-control, and coping skills.

Q: What are some activities to help a child strengthen one of the following handwriting components?

A: There are both sensory and neuromuscular activities that can help children improve their handwriting.  Some sensory activities may include shaving cream play, painting, or chalk activities. Neuromuscular activities will include animal or wheelbarrow walks, Play-Doh play, climbing tasks, puzzle play, coloring tasks, Lego play, Perfection, and/or Operation games.

Q: What is sensory integration? How do you evaluate it?

A: The term sensory integration refers to the neurological process of taking in sensory information through the body and organizing this information to be able to respond in a functional way to the demands of the environment, home, school, and community settings. For example, a child reaches to catch a ball that is tossed to him, or brushes away a bug that she feels land on her arm. This is called an adaptive response. It is an unconscious process that occurs every day. A child's sensory integrative abilities are evaluated by standardized evaluations, clinical observations, and a parental and/or teacher report.  Red flags in a child's development may include: inflexibility to changes in routines, constant movement which interferes with daily routines, sensitivity to various textures, clothing, finger paint, falls frequently, difficulty maintaining self on a chair, lack of exploration in the environment during play, low endurance/fatigue during activities.