Marriage and family counselors, speech therapists, occupational therapists, and administrators are critical members of the Oak Hill School  multidisciplinary team.

“With the staff’s support, my son was able to develop his own voice and opinions while guiding him through those tricky teen years.”

This integrated approach includes collaboration at all levels of program delivery and development. between the teaching staff, speech therapist, psychological counseling, parents and occupational therapy to reach each child’s academic and therapeutic goals.Guided by the Individual Education Program (IEP), students can receive individual or group support services. This integrated approach includes collaboration between the teaching staff, speech therapists, psychological counselors, occupational therapists and with parents to reach each child’s academic and therapeutic goals.

Therapeutic activities, strategies, modifications and adaptations are organized within the curriculum and the educational environment allowing the child to perform at an optimal level for learning.

Student Counseling Support

Support from our marriage and family therapists plays a role in supporting the emotional development and well-being of our students. Marriage and family therapists work with classroom teachers to help develop proactive behavioral support plans for all students.

Oak Hill School has topic-specific social groups led by therapists throughout the year to address such issues as peer relationships, hygiene, the vocabulary of emotions, frustration tolerance and regulation tools.

Occupational Therapy

We use school-based occupational therapy to help our students develop the skills they need for an independent life. We apply sensory integration into the daily educational environment.

Our occupational therapists, as members of a child’s interdisciplinary team, build and support:


•  Cognitive skills—attention, memory, organization, reasoning & problem solving
•  Fine motor skills— strength, bilateral integration, dexterity, grasping patterns
•  Gross motor skills—muscle tone, core strength, motor planning, coordination & postural control
•  Daily living activities – including self-care tasks such as eating, cooking, hygiene
•  Social skills—turn-taking, developing relationships, self-esteem
•  Visual motor and perceptual skills- foundations for reading, writing, cutting and drawing

Speech & Language Therapy

Speech and language at Oak Hill are delivered via collaborative and child-centered model. Our goal is to maximize the communicative competence of our students within their educational and social environments. We provide services both in individual therapy sessions and within the classroom/community environment to maximize concept development and skill set generalization. Areas of focus include:

  • Speech Production (articulation, apraxia, phonological disorders)

  • Expressive Language (verbal and written)

  • Receptive Language (listening/understanding, reading comprehension)

  • Pragmatic/Social Thinking Skills (understanding and applying behaviors within social interaction including: nonverbal language, reciprocity, perspective taking, making good impressions)

  • Transitional Plannings Skills: employment, safety, interviewing skills, etc.

  • Augmentative/assistive communication: alternative systems and materials to support and develop language and integrate these into classroom activities/interactions

  • Activities & Community

 

Technology

Innovative technology is used to support communication, behavior, life skills, travel skills and job skills. Oak Hill School prides itself on the use of age-appropriate technology, such as iPads, iPods, tablets and laptops, to promote the independence and success of each student. We also teach appropriate use of social media and help students learn the social rules of the technological age.