Achieve Therapy Centre
2948 Baseline Rd # 203 K2H 8T5 Ottawa, ON, Canada

Hope you are having a love-ly day!

Just getting a few glitches worked out...like the graceful exit from the aerial silk We are still finding some fun during this pandemic

Check out our sister page The Sensory Connection where clinicians and clients work together to come up with creative sensory ideas! We just got these aerial silks! Lots of fun to be had!

The most important piece of successful therapy is engagement. It’s different for every child we see, because of this young lady right here we can say spanakopitaproperly! Now she’s pushing us further...we are going to be Greek music enthusiasts in no time! You might wonder what we are working on while we expand our music repertoire. Well today using an AAC device we practiced: I like it! Good! I want more!... And when we threw in something not as desirable... Bad! I want different! Music connects us all and today we worked to give our client the power to share her opinions about it! I mean what if someone asked you Do you like Nickelback? and you couldn’t say Bad! See more

This is rather accurate!

A great technique to facilitate language in your little one!

Join us next Thursday, January 14th from 12-1 for our webinar, Ask the Doctor: Autism and Mental Health A Focus on Caregivers, with Dr. Sivapalan and Kiruthi...ha Vimalakanthan from SAAAC Autism Centre! This webinar will discuss the importance of supporting caregivers in the autism community and call attention to issues of equity in this domain. It will also make a case for the importance of promoting connectedness and compassion for self and others in programming supporting caregivers. Register today! http://bit.ly/Autism-MentalHealth See more

Coffee and Ice Cream seem like an appropriate combination for therapy on a Monday morning during lockdown.

Pre-Covid I could embrace outdoor winter playdates but I’m already fearful of what this winter will bring. First cold weather, socially distanced park visit completed yesterday. Brrr! I see quite a few donuts and hot chocolate in our future.

Many families often ask about the development of colour words. Colours are tricky when you are little - not all red items have the same red colour for example. Colors are actually pretty abstract. Around the age of 2 you will likely hear colour words from your little one but they might use one colour word to represent all colours. Usually by the age of 3 most kiddos have figured it out. Just keep modeling that concept in your daily language. This week we used our #vintage cariboo game to work on colours. Look at that smile!

Help your child combine two or more words by modeling with the ONE-UP, Pumpkin Style!

This is so important!

Before we can complete gross and fine motor movements, something called MOTOR PLANNING must happen in the brain first. We use MOTOR PLANNING to make specific ...motor movements (like speech) happen. These lightningfast motor plans occur in the motor cortex of the brain. When first learning a new motor task, it requires more time and effort to experience success. We must pay close attention to each step of the process. We fail, get help and feedback from others, make corrections, and eventually learn to perform these movements more rapidly, more accurately, and more independently. Once a motor task has become well rehearsed, it becomes seemingly automatic and the motor planning process in the brain becomes quick and efficient. How do motor acts, such as speech, become well rehearsed? WITH PRACTICE! For children with apraxia of speech, repetitive speech practice is critical for building quick and efficient speech motor planning skills. And speech practice cannot only occur during the speech therapy sessions. Embedding speech targets into daily routines at home and in the classroom is key! For more parent-friendly information on childhood apraxia of speech, be sure to check out my FAQs on CAS, available on my website. https://www.cariebertseminars.com//Apraxia_FAQs_Packet_-_% . . . #cariebertseminars #slpsofinstagram #instaslp #speechtherapy #speechies #apraxiaofspeech #apraxia #childhoodapraxiaofspeech

First I want to thank you all for the kind words of support you’ve given after sharing about my son’s recent OT evaluation, y’all are the best But many peopl...e asked what my concerns were after I shared he was passing all of his developmental checklists. Ot_mama_of_twins teamed up with me to make this visual to help you decide if you need an evaluation! If you have concerns in any of these areas, it might be a good idea! You can learn my specific concerns and how I processed Kam’s eval in an Instagram highlight at: Bit.ly/igMrsSpeechieP

The start of the week during a pandemic is extra hard but looking forward to all the laughter in the clinic this week!

There is no better advocate for your child than you, until they can advocate for themselves.

Yesterday I talked about the average age and milestone for beginning to combine words- and today, what actually counts as two word combinations! The key is flexible use of words!

I hear this A LOT from parents who are frustrated with their child’s slow progress. A parent can be a huge game changer when they are on board with communicatio...n intervention - but sometimes the BEST parents (even SLPs with their own kids!) can do all the things- and the child does not talk or continues to make slow progress. But, defeated as we may feel, and as hard on ourselves as we tend to be, it’s important to not give up! Consider other communication methods (which honestly this shouldn’t ever be a last resort- do this EARLY ON!) and keep on keeping on! See more

Can young children learn some early academic concepts from educational shows and apps? Yep. Is rote memorization of concepts such as letters, numbers, shapes, a...nd colors enough to prepare young learners for school? Nope. There are 5 developmental domains that early childhood providers are concerned with: Cognitive Communication Social-emotional Physical Self-help Toddlers and preschoolers cannot develop all their school readiness skills while playing indoors, sedentary, in front of a screen. It’s all about balance. Co-viewing a show or playing an app with a child increases the educational value significantly. Mediating the screen time experience allows us to focus on teaching skills beyond rote memorization. In our media manic world, the greatest gift we can give our children is BOREDOM. Because boredom is the fuel for creativity. Every child needs daily opportunities for boredom with a firm screen time is not an option right now. Boredom is an opportunity to create, explore, pretend, discover, imagine, wonder, build, investigate, learn. Bringing back boredom and limiting passive screen time experiences are two of the best ways we can prepare young learners for school. . . . #cariebertseminars #slpsofinstagram #instaslp #earlychildhoodeducation #earlyintervention #playbasedlearning #screenfreeplay #ot #slp #pt #speechtherapy #speechlanguagepathologist #speechpathology #parentingtoddlers #schoolreadiness

Well times are still so different even as we try to get back into a normal-ish routine...its still not the comfort of same. Im trying to see it the way my kids are seeing it - instead of after school program they are taking the bus home (amazing!) - instead of a 5:00 pick up from school they are jumping off the bus at 2:44 (also amazing!) - this leaves 2 extra hours to play in their eyes and they are soaking up every minute with their buddies! These are the tough times we will remember but these are the amazing memories our children will cherish! #covid19 #memories

There is no 100% correct early way to determine a late talker vs. a child who continues to have lasting language delays, but these are the things we DO know tha...t can help us differentiate the two. However, even if your child is doing all of these things (babbling, using gestures, strong receptive language, etc), I would still HIGHLY recommend an evaluation if your child is not meeting milestones! See more

We’ve shared this one before but it’s worth sharing again

Finding ways to make therapy fun even during these tricky times!

Getting the gang together in a physically distanced way to discuss reopening of in-person services. How Ive missed these ladies!

Tons of questions about this lately, and my two biggest things: 1 A late talker is younger than 30 months of age. 2 Even if a child is a late talker who ca...tches up, research indicates they are still likely to need assistance in the future, so go for the evaluation and accept intervention early on AND don’t be afraid to re-evaluate if you continue to have concerns after dismissal or not qualifying when young! ...Stay turned for tomorrow’s post for what the current research says is most likely to determine if a child is a late talker who catches up vs a child who continues to have delays!

Happy Sunday everyone!

For those who have "picky eaters"... this explains a lot. (From a sensory avoider and picky eater. ) #sensorystories #sensoryavoiders #sensoryprocessingdisorde...r #spdawareness #pickyeaters #sensoryprocessingdisorderparentsupport #sensoryprocessingdisorderawareness #autismacceptance #autismawareness #autismsupport #positiveparenting #momssupportingmoms #parentingtip #mymomlife #positiveparentingtips #positiveparentingstrategies See more

Well school is starting back up here in Ottawa and that sure comes with a mixed bag of emotions for families. Whichever educational option you have chosen for your children this year, remember to put on a brave face and be positive. Our kids are always looking to us for guidance. To our teacher and educational support friends - youve got this! You have taught through adverse situations in the past and you will be incredible this year! We appreciate everything you do for our kids!

Do you have a pre-verbal child who is not yet talking? Check out some of my favorite tips to support early language development!

Great ideas for busy kiddos!

Great ideas for your little ones this Fall!

Check out these town halls!

Getting through an early morning virtual session can be tough even for a full energy toddler! Ill take a quick coffee break too!

I dont know about you but I wasnt born to fit into a box!

***Friday Feature*** Tonight is our final Friday Feature and its me Im Krista Simon, Speech-Language Pathologist and co-owner of Achieve. I spend my time working with children with developmental challenges in joint and individual sessions and I fumble through this social media stuff too. Ive been practicing for 15 years and all those year Ive been a hands on kind of clinician. I like to be on the floor and playing with my kids so the switch to virtual has been a total 1...80! If virtual has taught me anything, its how to be a better parent coach and how to think outside the box. Im happy so many families are rocking this virtual thing but I look forward to days ahead when we can all be back playing on the floor together. Thanks for following our Friday Features, As we slowly move back into the clinic over the coming months we will also feature our clinicians who will be returning to the clinic. Happy Friday! See more

Rainy day fun...helmet to ensure safety Hope you are enjoying this dreary Sunday!

***Friday Feature*** Tonight we are featuring the co-owner of Achieve! Nathalie Mabon is a bilingual occupational therapist who provides both individual and joint therapy. Nathalie is a sensory processing guru and a wealth of knowledge with many years of experience working with children. Nat has this to say about virtual therapy What I like... Seeing how parents and kids are rocking this pandemic thing!! Our families have been so resilient and adaptable. Its really inspirational. Many thanks to some of the kids who have given me suggestions on how to improve my virtual therapy gig ; -). Ive learned a lot of new things. Check back next Friday for our final Friday Feature!

A little extra patience needed this Sunday morning (after a late Saturday night) as my daughter decided she was going to be the barista. The therapist in me knew this was a great executive functioning task so I took a deep breath. Executive functioning is basically having an idea/task/goal and planning out all the steps to completed that activity. The coffee task took about 5 times longer than if I would have done it myself but she figured it all out and had a wonderful sense of satisfaction as she delivered coffee to her grandparents. What fun executive functioning task can your child do on this rainy Sunday?

***Friday Feature*** We are back with another clinician feature this evening. Here is Richelle DEntremont, OT, fresh off maternity leave. Richelle provides joint therapy in French and English as well as individual OT treatment. Richelle is a big contributor to our social media especially if there is a contest to win - she hates to lose! Although new to telepractice, she says The best part about virtual therapy is being able to see the kiddos play and interact in their own environments. It gives me the chance to observe dynamics and skills that are sometimes hard to see in a clinical setting. Every week I get invited into their homes- and thats a privilege. Check back next Friday for another clinician feature. Stay safe this long weekend friends!

The addition of masks into our daily lives has been a big adjustment for fully grown adults, so heres some tips to help the children in our lives manage it too!

Lets work together to build a more inclusive community for everyone. #OFP #Empower

Great tips for our little ones! Have a read!

Scavenger Hunts! Always an easy way to pass the COVID days.

***Friday Feature*** Its Friday Feature time! Tonight we bring you Emily Emerson, Speech-Language Pathologist. Emily works jointly with our OT team as well as seeing children individually. Not only is she a talented SLP, she is also a social media wiz! She produced all our daily activity ideas from March-June. Emily says Through completing assessments and treatment online, I have gained unique insight into the speech and language use of my kids in their home environment. Virtual therapy has also introduced me to a ton of new strategies and activities that have been fun and effective for helping my kids reach their goals. I am very proud of my families and colleagues who all continue to work hard and do their best each week during a trying time! Check back next Friday for our next featured!

Trying to get more ergo and caffeinated for an afternoon of virtual therapy! #speechtherapy #occupationaltherapy

Free COVID-19 stories to help children with autism. Check them out. Good for young and older! https://www.autismlittlelearners.com/search/label/COVID-19

It appears my husband got to my Amazon order first.... #virtualtherapy

***Friday Feature*** Today we introduce you to one of our Occupational Therapists. This is Katie Walsh! Katie has only been with us a short time but she is making a big impact on her clients in both individual and joint therapy. Since our pivot to virtual therapy Katie says It has been really fun coming up with new ways to engage the kids! I have been very impressed with their ability to follow along. I love getting to see all their favorite toys and meeting some of their siblings too! It has also been great seeing and encouraging all the parent involvement throughout the sessions.". We are still having lots of fun in our virtual sessions. Check back next Friday for another clinician feature!