Welcome to our clinic! We are so glad you are here! Follow the sidewalk to the main entrance on the side to enter the waiting room.
ARRIVING
You can park anywhere in the building’s parking lot or on the street (for 2 hours). Parking is free.
Follow the sidewalk to the main entrance on the side to enter the waiting room. Ms. Sam and another therapist will be waiting for you in the waiting room.
Did you arrive early?
There is lots to do in our waiting area! We have games, toys & children’s books. Parents are welcome to enjoy our bookcase with a variety of books and magazines about parenting, occupational therapy, the sensory system, and some lighter reading.
Hello & The Tour
After everyone is introduced, the tour will begin! We will ask you and your child to remove your shoes for the tour or to avoid walking on the mats. Kids roll, lay, and play on our very high-quality padded mats; it is important to us to keep them very clean. Plus, let’s be honest, “no shoes” is always more fun!
Children At Play has six play gyms, three restrooms & a large waiting room. Each play gym was designed with a therapy goal focus. While it seems like there are lots of swings, games, and options available, we have so much more that we keep out of sight so the kids can focus on the challenges their therapists designed for them that day.
“Move” is our largest play gym with a huge suspended obstacle course.
“Move” is our largest play gym with a huge suspended obstacle course that we reconfigure every week. This gym is ideal for working on gross motor and social skills as we work on large movements with friends.
“Explore” is where the evaluation will take place. It has a bit of everything so that we can discover each child’s skills, strengths, and weaknesses.
“Talk” is our parent meeting and teen room. It’s a cozy space designed to facilitate flowing conversations.
“Engage” is our smallest play gym. It’s designed for kids who need minimal distraction to be able to engage and focus.
“Connect” also called the “blue room,” is a large multipurpose room great for more focused gross-motor and sensory activities. It includes a full wall mirror that kids find fun and useful for seeing themselves as they learn self-care and gross motor skills, helping them combine their visual input with their proprioceptive and vestibular inputs.
“Create” is our fine-motor-focused room with wrap-around desk space and supplies, making handwriting and fine motor skills fun.
“Discover” is a kitchen and sensory room where we do our art and messy play. This space sees bubbles, paint, water beads, sand, food, and lots of fun!
During the tour, we will let them explore and play a bit, promising that after the tour, they will get to play even more!
Assessment and Interview
After the tour, your child will get to play in the “Explore” play gym with a therapist who will guide them through an array of age-appropriate activities designed to evaluate their balance, coordination, fine motor skills, dexterity, ability to plan and organize their movement, reflexes, and ability to follow directions. For example, through a fun craft, we will assess a variety of fine motor skills. Gross motor skills can be assessed as they play on the obstacle course. Emotional regulation will be assessed during a game.
While your child plays, you will be in the office with Ms. Sam discussing your child’s strengths and challenges and your concerns. There is a window connecting the office & the gym so you will be able to see your child while we are talking.
“Explore” play gym where an occupational therapist will guide them through an array of age-appropriate activities designed to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in a wide variety of skills.
Prior to your appointment, you will be asked to complete our New Patient Forms, to help us learn about your child. In the documents, we ask detailed questions about your child’s medical history, motor skills, sensory processing, eating habits, hygiene routines, sleep, emotional regulation, social interactions, and their likes/dislikes for activities involving movement and touch. We will be reviewing those documents together and may ask for additional details. Please feel free to bring your own list of concerns and questions. This is your time to tell us about your child and your family’s concerns & needs. We are very aware that no form can capture all the uniqueness of a child, so please know we are open to talking about everything you want to discuss.
Finally, Ms. Sam will review your child’s assessment with the other therapist for a few minutes. (Many parents use this time for a bathroom or take time to think about goals for their child’s therapy) Then Ms. Sam will make a recommendation for the best plan of treatment for your child.
FAQ:
How Do You Recommend I Tell My Child About The Consultation?
Every child who comes to our clinic is so different and has a vast variety of strengths and weaknesses. Generally, when children are here for their first appointment we tell them they are here to “play and see how their bodies work.” We want to see how strong they are and what types of things they like to do.
We’ve written a social story about what will happen at their first OT appointment to help them feel more comfortable. It includes photos of our clinic, play gyms, toys, and tools. You can find it on our blog to read with your child. https://www.childrenatplayannapolis.com/blogchildrenatplayot/1st-ot-social-story
Our main goal for this first appointment (and every appointment) is for kids to have fun and want to come back! So let us know if there is something we can do to make this better for your family. Our appointments are fun— and we aim for every child to enjoy their time here!
Some of the fun that we have during our therapy appointments.
How Should I Prepare My Child For The Ot Consultation?
You can prepare your child for the consultation by letting them know what to expect: they will meet a couple of therapists (or you can call them OTs), take a tour of a play gym, and then they will get to play and explore the kid’s gym. Let them know that after the tour, they will play with the therapist while you and the adults talk separately.
Do I Need To Bring Anything To The OT Consultation?
You do not need to bring anything with you but your child. We will have your New Patient Forms that you completed online at least 48 hours before your consultation. If you’d like, you are welcome to bring any additional assessments that you feel give an accurate picture of your child or a list of your questions and concerns that you want to make sure get discussed.
What Should My Child Wear?
Your child should wear anything that they are comfortable moving in! They may be hanging from bars, getting on their hands and knees, jumping, and swinging in all different directions! Restrictive clothing like tight jeans will not allow us to see the child’s full range of motion and movement patterns properly. Shoes don’t matter because they will be taking them off. Socks can be slippery, so your child can wear no socks. If you prefer they have socks, grippy socks are best!
If you have any questions that we didn’t answer here, please email us. (That’s where the FAQ section came from!) Our appointments are always flexible and we will do what works for your child. We want you and your child to be comfortable. Sometimes this means everyone staying in the same room, not doing any assessment during the first appointment, cutting our appointment short, or meeting you at the car for your consultation. We meet our families where they are and grow from there.