SKT vs. EI & School-Based Therapy

How Does Therapy at Sensational Kids Therapy Differ from Early Intervention and School-Based Therapy?

Sensational Kids Therapy is an outpatient pediatric clinic and, therefore, our services fall under the medical model rather than the educational model.  We provide direct therapy, parent education, and consultation with teachers, therapists and other professionals to meet the needs of the whole child.  Our therapists use a variety of frames of reference to guide treatment and improve outcomes to meet child and parent satisfaction.  We have our own toys and tools, including suspended equipment in our sensory motor gyms, to both motivate a child, facilitate goal mastery as efficiently as possible, and provide a wide range of challenging sensory and motor experiences.  School consultations and observations may be requested by a parent or teacher to make recommendations for tools and strategies that can support a child in the classroom.

Early Intervention follows a coaching model.  The focus of these in-home services is for the therapist to provide parent education and instruction/guidance while a parent or caregiver engages with the child.  Therapists must use toys and tools that the family already has in the home. 

School-Based Therapy is provided to children who are eligible for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).  The goals for therapy must be educationally relevant.  In other words, goals must be written to reflect increased independence with participation in academic-based activities and daily routines. Therapists provide services during the school day, and the delivery model may be push-in (in the classroom), pull-out (outside of the classroom), or a combination of both depending on the goals and availability of space in the building. Services may be provided individually or in a group.

Some children may benefit from receiving services through the medical model (Sensational Kids Therapy) while also receiving services via the educational model (EI or School). When determining eligibility for outpatient therapy under the medical model, it may be necessary to perform our own tests and measures to indicate medical necessity. We are happy to collaborate with therapists working with a child at home or at school.