Therapists collaborate intensively with teachers in ways that set us apart.

Parkside’s speech language pathologists, occupational therapists and counselors work insightfully with your child one-on-one and in small groups, both in and out of the classroom.

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY

The Parkside School was created to support students with language-based learning challenges. Our department of six speech and language therapists work closely with parents and the team of professionals to develop an intervention plan that fosters confidence and independence. 

Therapy is highly individualized and often targets skills within the following domains:

• Social language skills: Conversing, negotiating, expressing emotions, self-regulating, and participating in group dynamics

• Expressive language skills: Using vocabulary, syntax, and morphology, formulating language, and telling stories

• Receptive language skills: Listening, processing, and understanding language

• Literacy skills: Building phonological awareness, decoding / encoding

• Play skills: Participating in symbolic play and participating in complex schemas

• Oral motor skills: Coordinating and placing our lips, tongue, and jaw for producing speech sounds

• Executive function skills: Higher-order thinking involved in planning, problem solving, organizing, decision making, self-control, and task initiation

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Occupational therapists address the fine motor, gross motor and sensory needs of each child in order to support learning and independence within the classroom. Our team consists of four occupational therapists that provide treatment in both the classroom and a fully equipped sensory gym. In addition, the department collaborates with teachers to provide assistive devices and sensory tools, compensatory strategies, and environmental adaptations.   

Occupational Therapy is highly collaborative and based on careful evaluation and observation. OTs…

• Provide postural support and movement breaks for participation in school based activities

• Develop and refine handwriting skills

• Provide supports to improve sensory processing skills

• Recommend tools and strategies to assist with self-regulation

• Improve visual perceptual and visual motor integration skills

• Work on self-help skills for greater independence at school

• Support social-emotional development

• Incorporate activities to strengthen body awareness and interoception development

SOCIAL WORK

At Parkside, the social work department focuses on enhancing children's social and emotional development through a therapeutic relationship. We utilize a trauma-informed lens that emphasizes safety, empathy, meaning, and empowerment. Our work is informed by multiple sources including attachment theory, developmental theory, psychoanalysis, cognitive and relational models.  Our team consists of four Clinical Social Workers and one to three Graduate Interns who have worked closely with the interdisciplinary staff and parents to conduct and facilitate: developmental assessments; individual play therapy and small socialization groups; classroom-based social/emotional learning groups and crisis intervention.

Through our integrated approach, which is based on play and social capacities, we continuously emphasize and cultivate children's strengths potential in the following areas:  

• Positive mutual pleasurable relationships 

• Intentional and purposeful communication including all forms of play depending on the child's developmental level and readiness 

• Symbolic functioning an understanding of emotional cause-and-effect 

• Reflective ability and abstract thinking 

• Self-awareness and sense of self 

• Awareness of others’ intentions and feelings perspective taking 

• Social problem-solving and the ability to compromise 

• Respect for neurodiversity and presumed competence