Therapy
Northland Early
Education Center offers
Occupational, Physical and Speech/Language therapies, as
well as Special Instruction. Therapy visits may take
place at a child’s home or in the preschool setting. If
another site is desired, it must be agreed upon by the
family, therapist and NEEC’s administrative staff. All
therapists maintain frequent communication with families
and classroom teachers to ensure that therapeutic goals
are being implemented within every setting. Therapy
sessions are arranged to meet the child’s specific
needs; whether it be done one-on-one, in the classroom
setting, or using a peer model. The children we serve
are referred primarily through the Missouri First Steps
program, serving children birth-age 3. Northland Early
Education Center also works with children and families
through Medicaid, private pay, and individual health
insurance. Our therapists maintain current state
licensure and attend regular trainings and conferences.
They also have training and experience in sensory
integration, feeding, articulation, oral motor, and
gross motor development.
Occupational Therapy
NEEC provides Occupational therapy to
children from birth to age five who qualify for services
after having an evaluation of performance. Occupational
therapy, often referred to as simply “OT”, is the art
and science of helping people do the day-to-day
activities that are important to them. A child’s
occupation is to play and learn and grow, but if health
problems interfere with the pursuit of those
occupations, special help might be needed. Children at
Northland Early Education Center are usually seen
individually for therapy if there are significant delays
in fine motor development, sensory deficits, or feeding
difficulties. Therapy can be provided at Northland Early
Education Center or in the child’s home. It is the
Occupational therapists job to teach the children how to
be successful in their daily life.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy one of the services
offered at Northland Early Education Center. It is based
on a child's individualized family service plan and
recommendations following a full evaluation. This could
consist of facilitation of gross motor skills (rolling,
crawling, walking, jumping), stretching, strengthening,
balance training, recommendation of durable medical
equipment and orthotics, and education to staff and
family members. Gross motor development is the ability
to use the large muscle systems to react to
environmental changes, assume a stable posture when not
moving, moving from place to place, and catch, throw and
kick balls. The therapy room has a variety of equipment
that is used to enhance gross motor development.
Physical therapy is offered both at the preschool and in
a home-based setting.
Speech/Language Pathology
Northland Early Education Center provides
Speech/Language Pathology services to children ages
birth to five who qualify for services through
Missouri’s First Steps program. The role of the
speech/language pathologist is to evaluate and treat
children who may have voice, speech, language, or
swallowing disorders, including hearing impairments,
that affect their ability to communicate.
