About Us
Welcome To
Florida Kids Therapy Associates
Florida Kids therapy is a labor of love. The practice fulfills a dream of providing Occupational, Physical, Speech & ABA therapy to kids in a fun,empowering way. Patients benefit from a stimulated setting that entertains children with needs while focusing and enhancing their abilities & promoting parental interaction in the therapy process. Our practice is an innovative private ,home health & clinic dedicated to improving the well being of children throughout the Miami-Dade area, with a wide array of techniques and equipment to handle conditions such as but not limited to Speech and Language development, difficulties with Social Interaction, Self-Care, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Vestibular Disorders, Autism, ADHD.
The idea of Occupational Therapy (OT) for kids at times is confusing because the word “occupation” suggests a “job.” You may think infants, toddlers and young children don’t have jobs, but they do – playing and learning.
Pediatric Occupational therapy in Miami offering treatments and addressing conditions such as :
- Fine motor skills – movements of the hands and fingers
- Hand-eye coordination
- Self-care activities such as dressing and grooming
- Upper body movement and strength
- Sensory / motor impairments – sensory system problems that affect function
Each child is different and each treatment plan is different. The goal, however, is always the same – to help each child achieve as much independence as possible in all areas of life – home, school, and community.
Which children may need pediatric Occupational Therapy?
Children with a wide range of physical, emotional and cognitive conditions benefit from pediatric Occupational Therapy. The underlying condition can be known at birth, become more apparent as the child grows, be the result of an accident or be associated with a chronic illness. Such conditions include: Sensory processing disorders, Sensory-based feeding problems, Learning or cognitive deficiencies, Developmental delays and Down Syndrome, Autism/pervasive developmental disorders, Birth injuries or birth defects, Spina Bifida, Mental health, behavioral issues or ADHD, Traumatic injuries (brain or spinal cord), Broken bones or other orthopedic injuries, Burns, Traumatic amputations or severe hand injuries, Post-surgical recovery, Chronic illness such as cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, and Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Our goal for each child is to achieve the greatest possible level of independence and success during play, everyday life and work.
How will occupational therapists work with my child?
Depending on the child, therapy sessions may cover all or some of the following areas:
- Fine motor skills so children can grasp and release toys, develop good handwriting skills, copy from a blackboard and use a computer
- Hand-eye coordination to improve kids’ play skills, such as fitting puzzle pieces together, stacking blocks, hitting a target, batting a ball and dressing a doll
- Basic self-care to help children become more independent and learn to bathe themselves, get dressed, brush their teeth and feed themselves
- Attention and focus to improve both social skills as well as learning and study skills
- Behavioral coaching to address anger-management issues and provide positive options for dealing with anger, such as writing or exercise
- Need for and use of specialized equipment, such as wheelchairs, splints, bathing equipment, dressing devices, or communication aids
OT improves children’s cognitive and motor skills. Early intervention is the most successful intervention.
On our site we have listed just a few of the disorders and conditions we treat here at Florida Kids Therapy. Please contact us to learn more or with any questions. We would be glad to assist you with answers about concerns you may have regarding your child. It is our greatest pleasure to help you and your child because we believe that all children should have the benefit of reaching their full potential.
FLORIDA KIDS THERAPY IS GROWING WITH MORE OFFICES AND LOCATIONS! WE ARE THRILLED TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND TO BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY WE ARE PROUD TO SERVE. OUR TEAM OF PHYSICAL THERAPISTS, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS,SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS AND BEHAVIOR ANALYSTS LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU AND YOUR CHILD TO OUR HOME.
WE HAVE STATE OF THE ART SENSORY-MOTOR EQUIPMENT SUCH AS…
Florida Kids Therapy has been tailored for young children of all abilities—and their families—we offer a variety of services that can help your child experience the world with greater confidence thanks to improvements in mobility, strength and coordination, cognition, communication, social-emotional development, and/or sensory processing, Torticollis, Coordination/balance problems, Hypotonia, Prematurity, Autism, Toe walking, Clumsiness, Scoliosis, Erb’s palsy, Orthopedic impairments, Neurologic disorders, Cerebral palsy, Juvenile arthritis, “W” Sitting, Achondroplasia, PFFD, Amputations, Muscular dystrophies, Down’s syndrome, and a wide range of other conditions.
Articulation Disorders, Phonological Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD), Cognitive Communication Disorders, Developmental Disorders, Feeding & Swallowing Disorders (Oral Aversion), Language Disorders, Receptive Language Disorder, Expressive Language Disorder, Pragmatic Language Disorders & Social Skills Disorders, Oral Motor Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Reading Disorders, Speech Disorders, Aphasia, Apraxia Of Speech & Verbal Apraxia, Dysarthria, Stuttering & Fluency Disorders, Voice Disorders
All Florida Kids Therapy’s therapists use a relationship-based approach and work collaboratively across all therapeutic disciplines to create the most individualized treatment plans in the best interest of the child. In order for a child to receive ABA therapy, BCBAs will conduct assessments and make recommendations specific to each child’s therapeutic need.
ABA Therapists and Analysts work on Behavior therapy for kids in Miami offering treatments and addressing conditions such as reinforcement, prompting and fading, shaping, modeling, chaining and task analysis, which are all common ABA techniques. Additionally, therapists use play and NET to teach new skills, increase language, and promote social and play skills.
ABA therapy can be performed in individual or group treatment sessions throughout the scheduled day. Florida Kids Therapy ABA therapists are also equipped to treat in the home.
Behaviors are everything people do, including how they move, what they say, and what they do. In the practice of ABA, the focus is on behaviors that are observable and objectively defined, such as walking, talking, sitting, hugging, and eating. ABA therapy enriches environments so that the desired behaviors are probable and uses strategies to teach and promote lasting behavior change.
Florida Kids Therapy utilizes Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT), Verbal Behavior (VB), and Natural Environment Teaching (NET) strategies. DTT is a structured way of teaching a skill and breaking the skill down into smaller components. VB is based on the principles of ABA to teach children communication. NET is a natural way of teaching new skills, such as learning through play.
Therapists use techniques such as positive reinforcement, prompting and fading strategies, breaking down skills into smaller components, token systems, chaining, and programming for generalization within the individual learners’ natural environment to ensure learned skills are retained and demonstrated across people, materials, and places. These strategies have been effective in teaching a wide variety of skills in learners with and without disabilities.
The overall goal of ABA Therapy is to change behaviors. Florida Kids Therapy’s ABA therapists and analysts prepare children to transition to a less-restrictive environments (i.e. school, classrooms, community outings/events, etc.), increase their independence to communicate with others, complete self-help skills, develop and maintain age-appropriate social, play skills, and group skills.
Each child at Florida Kids Therapy has individualized treatment goals based off direct assessment, observations, and parent interviews. The individualized treatment plans are unique to their own therapeutic needs. Treatment goals are created based on skill deficits and/or barriers that are impeding with their ability to learn within their natural environment.
Aventura, Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands,Biscayne Park, Carol City, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, Coral Terrace, Culter Ridge, Cutler Bay,Doral, El Portal, Fisher Island, Flamingo Lodge, Florida City, Fountainbleau, Golden Beach, Golden Glades, Goulds, Hialeah, Hialeah Gardens,Homestead, Homestead Air Force Base, Indian Creek, Indian Creek Village, Kendale Lakes, Kendall, Kendall West, Key Biscayne, Medley, Miami, Miami Beach, Miami Gardens, Miami Lakes, Miami Shores, Miami Spring, Naranja, North Bay, North Bay Village, North Miami, North Miami Beach,Ojus,Olympia Heights, Opa Locka, Opa-locka, Palmetto Bay, Perrine, Pinecrest, Princeton,Quail Heights, Redland, Richmond Heights, South Miami, South Miami Heights, Sunny Isles Beach,
Bal Harbour, Surfside, Sweetwater, Tamiami, The Hammocks, Uleta, University Of Miami, University Park, Village Of Palmetto Bay, Virginia Gardens, West Little River, West Miami, Westchester, West Kendall
33180, 33160, 33154, 33161, 33055, 33056, 33133, 33146, 33134, 33145, 33156, 33158, 33143, 33157, 33189, 33190, 33122, 33172, 33182, 33126, 33178, 33166, 33138, 33150, 33034, 33170, 33016, 33018, 33039, 33183, 33109, 33139, 33140, 33149, 33015, 33054, 33014, 33169, 33179, 33167, 33168, 33141, 33162, 33181, 33032, 33165, 33175, 33185, 33176, 33177, 33187, 33031, 33144, 33186, 33147, 33030, 33194, 33035, 33010, 33193, 33173, 33196, 33033, 33012, 33013, 33184, 33174, 33132, 33155, 33125, 33127, 33128, 33129, 33130, 33131, 33135, 33136, 33137, 33142, 33101
We visit many local schools where we offer screenings, therapy, classroom observation, consultation with teachers, and team meetings.
Our founder Judith Diaz and our Florida Kids Therapy team, teach classes in local schools on social communication, narrative development, and bullying education. We have collaborated with other child development experts and borrowed from well-established methodologies to create engaging and effective curriculum.
Florida Kids Therapy , offers in-service presentations for education professionals and parents, covering topics such as Understanding and Managing Classroom Behavior, Taking a Closer Look at Bullying, and The Power of Social Groups.
We welcome international families to our facility for consultations, short-term intensive therapy, therapist training, and home program development. We have worked with families from countries including Mexico, Panama,Puerto Rico, The Bahamas, Spain, Ecuador and Curacao.
Florida Kids therapy accepts most insurance plans and handles all medical billing on behalf of the families we serve, regardless of whether we are in network or out of network. We are also contracted with Health Care Partners. Please contact our center for a courtesy insurance verification to determine the PT, OT ,ST & BT benefits available on your policy including the number of allowed visits, annual deductible and your anticipated share of cost for services. Continuing changes in healthcare have led to a complicated world of insurance! We will support you in navigating these challenging area.
Florida Kids Therapy Associates LLC is a provider of therapy services for the following insurance (MMA) plans:
CMS title XIX , CMS title XXI , Medicaid, Medicaid Waiver, Simply, Humana, Amerigroup, Aetna, Coventry, WellCare,
Prestige, Staywell, Sunshine and many more… If we did not list your plan or have any questions or concerns, please contact us and we would be glad to assist you.
Please note, it is important for you to understand that every insurance plan is different. As a courtesy, we are happy to help you by contacting your insurance company to determine the specifics of your child’s benefits for our services. However, although we have verified your benefits, this is never a guarantee of payment. Some or all of the services provided in your treatment may be “not covered” services under your particular plan, and these charges are ultimately your responsibility. We strongly encourage that you also check with your health insurance carrier directly.Ultimately, it is your responsibility to understand what types of coverage your health insurance provides and to be sure that your child meets all of the requirements and you understand any existing exclusions.
Here are some questions to ask of your insurance carrier:
– Does my plan provide coverage for my child’s occupational and/or speech therapy?
– How many visits are allowed under my insurance plan?
– How much is my annual deductible?
– Are there any exclusions to therapy coverage? For example, some insurance plans will not cover services for children diagnosed with developmental delay
If you do not have insurance benefits or your insurance carrier denies payment of your child’s therapy for any reason, Integrated Children’s Therapy offers a discounted self-pay rate for our services.