Mission

The Mission of the Secret Garden is to:

• Develop a trusting and safe learning environment for all children in order to maximize their physical, cognitive, social and emotional development.
• Effectively support teachers and other therapists by utilizing a transdisciplinary approach to learning.
• As a cohesive group support the development of each team member’s clinical skills.
• Advance the professional skills of the therapy staff through experiences within the Jowonio program and in the community.
• Provide positive and enriching communications, learning experiences, and foster mutual respect for each individual child and their family.

Team Members

The professionally trained and licensed occupational and physical therapy team designs and provides individualized programs for nearly 70 students each year. The therapy team currently consists of 5 occupational therapists, 2 occupational therapy assistants, 3 physical therapists, and 1 physical therapy assistant.

For more information about occupational therapy visit the American Occupational Therapy Association website.

For more information about physical therapy visit the American Physical Therapy Association.

For information regarding the licensing and registration of occupational and physical therapists visit the NYS Board of Education website.

Philosophy

Occupational and Physical Therapy = Function
And for Kids that Means Play!

Kids learn about their world through play. Jowonio is designed with this goal in mind. The classrooms, gym, playground and free motor spaces are all places where kids are learning, being challenged, and having fun in the process. In our setting, the goals for occupational and physical therapy are met in a similar way. We seek to improve children’s strength, endurance, balance, coordination, problem solving, motor learning, object manipulation, self-help and sensory integration skills through child friendly play-based strategies and activities that are natural parts of their day. We are often found in the classrooms, in the gym, in free motor spaces, on the playground, and in the community during field trips working directly with children or problem solving with teachers.

Although separate professions with distinct differences, at Jowonio, there is much overlap and cooperation between our occupational and physical therapy staff. The occupational therapy professionals usually take the lead in addressing sensory issues, feeding concerns, dressing difficulties and fine motor skills (such as writing and hand dexterity). The physical therapy team focuses on enhancing a child’s postural control, balance, coordination in large muscle groups and gross motor skills (such as walking and stair negotiation).

Our Occupational and Physical Therapy teams utilize aspects of the following approaches: Sensory Integration, Neuro-Developmental Techniques, Motor Learning/Control Theory, Cranio-Sacral Therapy, Developmental Approach, Therapeutic Exercise, Functional Training, Assistive Technology, Parent/Team Education.

Evaluations

Therapy services are designed to meet the individual needs of each child. These are determined by an evaluation. If a parent has questions regarding a child’s ability to understand and react to various types of sensations (touch, sound, taste, smells, movement) or his/her level of motor skill development, communication with the physician, teacher, or other health care professional can assess whether an occupational and/or physical therapy evaluation may be helpful.

If an evaluation seems appropriate, the county Health Department (if a child is birth to 3 years old) or a child’s school district (if a child is 3-5 years old) must approve the request for the evaluation (at no cost) and give parents the names of agencies where such an evaluation may take place (Jowonio being one site among many). Parents may also pay privately for evaluations.

Occupational and physical therapy evaluations are a collaborative effort between the child, their family, the evaluating therapist(s), and other team members.

The evaluation process is typically six steps:

1. An occupational and/or physical therapy related concern is identified and approval for an evaluation is obtained.
2. The evaluating therapist(s) reviews the current available records (reports from physicians, other therapists, teachers, parents, schools)
3. The evaluating therapist(s) talk with the parents and service providers about the related concerns. Some topics of discussion may include past medical and social histories, how the concern has developed, previous services (and the level of effectiveness), and parent/child goals.
4. Next, the evaluating therapist(s) will look at the child’s function within the school setting. The therapist(s) will be observing safety, sensory development, mobility skills, protective reactions, postural control, and manipulative skills.
5. The therapist(s) will also complete an age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate standardized test. A standardized test is designed to look at a certain skill/skill set and compare it to a normative peer group. This gives the parents, therapists, county offices, and school districts a way to numerically measure current level of functioning and progress.
6. Once the evaluation is complete, the results and recommendations are communicated to the parents (either in person or over the telephone). Then a copy of the evaluation is sent to the county and/or the school district where a meeting will be held to determine a child’s eligibility for occupational and/or physical therapy services. If eligible, arrangements will be made to provide the service.

Policy

The Secret Garden policy on visitation is an “open door” for families already registered in our program. Parents are always welcome to observe their child’s session. If a parent would like to speak extensively with the therapist, we ask that an appointment be made for a later time. This ensures that all children receive their full sessions. As with all other Jowonio classrooms, the Secret Garden has a support teacher to assist parents as well.
For parents and community members interested in Jowonio School, please contact our admissions office at 315-445-4010 to make an appointment. To contact the Secret Garden directly, call 315-445-4010, extension 300 or 301.