Occupational Therapy.

Monkey Mouths Infant OT

Infants and Occupational Therapy

At Monkey Mouths, we believe that early intervention provides a solid foundation on which an infant grows in every area of their development. A disruption in the growth pathway whether that is physical, social, emotional, or cognitive can produce lifelong difficulties affecting a child’s ability to grow and function at their best. Our occupational therapists at Monkey Mouths have years of hands-on working experience and paired with the highest level of education and training, ensure that each patient will receive the best individualized care. Our infant program focuses on a family first approach with treatment sessions that create positive, supportive and an engaging environment for our patients and the family. If you are wondering if your infant would benefit from Occupational Therapy services, here are the services we provide:

Monkey Mouths Infant OT

Our Services.

Delayed Gross Motor Milestones

Delays in attaining typical gross motor milestones like tummy time, rolling, sitting, crawling, and walking

Delayed Fine Motor Milestones

Delays in holding your finger, grasping a rattle, holding toys and utensils

Delayed Vision

Lack of eye contact, mutual gaze, eye tracking and the ability to use eyes independent of the head as early as 2 months old

Delayed Auditory skills

Lack of response to sounds in the environment as early as 2 months

Delayed Social Skills

Delayed in beginning to smile and watching your eyes and mouth

Delayed Play Skills

Lack of interest to extreme contrast toys and interaction of toys

Sensory Concerns

Your baby not wanting to be held or cuddled, intolerance to lights, sounds and movement

Atypical Reflexes

Continues to use reflexes that are normal in early infancy but are still present outside of the typical ranges.

Diagnosis We Treat.

Our trained and highly skilled infant specialists are qualified to treat the following diagnoses:

Monkey Mouths Infant Occupational Therapy

Spina Bifida

Spina Bifida is a condition that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don’t form properly. It is a type of neural tube defect in which a portion of the tube does not fully close. Spina Bifida has a range of functional impact from mild to serious dependent upon where along the spine the opening is and the size of the opening. Our occupational therapists at Monkey Mouths are trained to assess and treat areas of developmental delay that may be impacting your child’s participation and independence within their daily routines.

Torticollis

Torticollis is known as a preference to one side often resulting in a loss of range of motion and infants becoming “stuck” by only looking to one side. Although the etiology of the torticollis may be unknown, our therapists will provide a throughout assessment of the child neck range of motion and strength, head shape abnormalities, visual skills, hips for dysplasia and complete a thorough assessment for tone abnormalities and motor asymmetries. We will partner with you for home programming that meets the needs of the family and that is understandable to ensure home success.

Infants at High Risk for Developmental Delays

An infant considered high risk should seek an evaluation to provide planning, education, and training to get the child on a path of progress. Your infant may be considered high risk if the following has occurred:

  • Born Premature (prior to 38 weeks)
  • NICU stay
  • C-section birth
  • High stress pregnancy and difficult deliveries
  • Decreased fetal movement or slow growth in utero
  • Sleep issues
  • Difficulty with bonding
  • Tense or stiff body
  • Fears of movement
  • Colic and Reflux

Genetic abnormalities

Genetic abnormalities occur when there is a variant in one or more genes. These variants typically occur in genes that are essential for development. Children with genetic abnormalities may present with delayed skill development such as decreased balance and coordination, decreased strength and endurance, difficulty with sustained attention, decreased body awareness, delayed gross and fine motor skills, delayed visual skills, and sensory processing difficulties. Some common diagnoses our occupational therapists at Monkey Mouths are able to treat (but not limited to) are:

Down Syndrome

-Angelman Syndrome

-Fragile X Syndrome

-Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 

Cystic Fibrosis 

Generalized developmental delays

Developmental delay is used to describe when a child is not meeting age-appropriate milestones relative to their development. These generalized delays can be in a variety of skill areas such as gross motor, fine motor, visual motor, auditory skills, social skills, play skills, sensory processing, and reflexive movement patterns. Our occupational therapists at Monkey Mouths are able to provide skilled intervention for each of these developmental skill areas to help your child build their confidence and skills to carry out their daily tasks, routines, and engage in meaningful play. 

 

Clubfoot

Clubfoot is a foot abnormality in which an infant’s foot is turned or twisted inward and under. The bones of the ankle and foot are all present, however, the muscles and tendons of the ankle and foot are not symmetrically acting on the foot which causes the misalignment. Clubfoot may be noticed during fetal ultrasound screenings around 12 weeks gestation or observed at birth. The diagnosis of clubfoot is confirmed or ruled out by a physical examination at birth. Clubfoot can impact your child’s gross motor, fine motor, and visual-spatial skill development. Our occupational therapists at Monkey Mouths are trained to assess and treat these skill areas to promote your child’s play skills and independence within their daily routines. We will partner with you to teach home programming that meets the needs of the family and to ensure home success.

Brachial Plexus injuries

The brachial plexus is a network of nerves in the shoulder that carries movement and sensory signals from the spinal cord to the shoulder, arm, and hand. A brachial plexus injury occurs when the nerves are stretched, compressed, or torn away from the spinal cord, therefore impacting the ability to transmit motor and sensory signals throughout the arm. Injuries to the brachial plexus can occur during the delivery process of birth, blunt trauma, or other injuries to that area of the body.

Our occupational therapists at Monkey Mouths are able to work with you and your child to educate and provide skilled treatment for the following (but not limited to) symptoms of a brachial plexus injury that may be impacting your child’s functional skills:

  • Decreased range of motion in the affected arm
  • Decreased strength throughout the arm and hands
  • Decreased motor coordination of the arm and hands
  • Decreased awareness of the arm for functional use
  • Difficulty with bilateral coordination

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a neurological condition that impacts the movement and muscle coordination of the body. CP is caused by abnormal development of the brain while in utero or damage to the brain before, during, or shortly after birth. There are four main classifications of CP that are based on the type and severity of the movement dysfunction.

Based on your child’s needs, our occupational therapists at Monkey Mouths are able to work with you and your child to educate and provide skilled treatment for the following (but not limited to) symptoms of CP that may be impacting your child’s functional skills:

  • Decreased muscle coordination during voluntary movements
  • Difficulty with balance and depth perception
  • Stiff or tight muscles and reflexive movement patterns
  • Muscle weakness (globally and/or one-sided)
  • Delays in motor skill milestones (gross motor and fine motor)
  • Difficulty with precise and controlled movements
  • Visual tracking and visual motor delays