Archive for: COVID-19

Archive for COVID-19

Screen Time & COVID-19

By zfortadmin
Thursday, August 20th, 2020

Screen time was already a contentious issue for parents and children before coronavirus hit. But now that everything is digital – school, work, social engagements, even extracurriculars – many families are struggling to figure out what limits are appropriate.

Pre-corona, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended avoiding all screen time for children under 18 months (other than video chatting with family and close friends, which, if the person is engaging directly with the child, can actually help develop early social skills!). For children 18-24 months, a small amount of screen time can be introduced (about 25 minutes tops per day). Ideally, however, this is high-quality educational programming that is viewed with the parent, so the parent can help the child engage meaningfully with the material. For children ages 2-5, parents are advised to keep screen time to one hour or less per day (and ideally only high-quality educational programming with parent involvement).

The guidelines are less specific for children age five and older, with the emphasis more on what children use screens for than for how long. The AAP basically advises parents to limit screens to the best of your ability and to preview any shows/games/apps kids and teens are using to make sure they’re developmentally appropriate. Whatever your household rules are, the AAP encourages you to stick to them, and make sure that screen time does not interfere with your child’s other needs (sleeping, eating, physical activity, social time, and studying).

A New Normal

But now that everything is digital, parents are struggling to figure out where to draw that line. Many are concerned with the risks of increased screen time, such as physical inactivity (which can lead to obesity), sleep disruption, and attentional, behavioral, and social issues. The good news is that these risks are smaller than we think. Additionally, they can be at least partially mitigated by intentional screen time (more on that below) and parent involvement/supervision.

These days, there is simply no avoiding screen time. In fact, in the age of #WorkFromHome, this very article is being written with a five-month-old in my arms. To help alleviate any guilt about additional screen exposure (while still maintaining control of the household!), read on for some guidance about navigating screen time while stuck at home.

Be Flexible, But Don’t Throw Everything Out the Window.

Whatever rules you had about screen time before have probably been shifted by now. That’s okay! Letting your children use screens for more time per day is not a sign of giving up or giving in. Like the AAP says, it’s more important to consider what your children are using screens for than to harp on how much they’re using them.

Children are currently facing bigger risks than screen exposure. Their access to education has drastically shifted, so they need screens for their learning. Children (and adults, too!) are also now at risk for social isolation, so they need screens to stay connected to peers. Depending on your living situation and family resources, children may also be limited in terms of space to engage in physical activities or access to extracurricular activities. Again, enter screens… child-friendly exercise videos or online classes (think art classes, cooking classes…even karate classes are available online now!).

So yes, it is warranted these days to flex your screen time rules to make space for all the ways screens are currently helping our children thrive. That said, if you throw the rules out the window completely and let your kids have access to screens all day long (and without any guidelines about what they can use screens for), it might be difficult to walk it back when life goes back to normal. It pays to try to find a balance somewhere in the middle that still allows your kids some free time on screens (in addition to screen time used for school, friends, family, and engaging activities), but also encourages them to use some hours of the day for screen-free activities, like spending time with household members, reading books, playing outdoors, etc.

Make a Corona-Specific Family Media Use Plan.

The AAP has a free and easy-to-use Family Media Plan generator that you can individualize for each child in your home based on their age and your household rules. The media plan includes personalized ground rules for screen use as well as a system to help parents decide how many hours per day to allow each child in the family to use screens. 

In general, when deciding your corona system for screen time allowance, it can help to consider making a more specific plan about how much time can be used for different types of screen exposure (i.e., how many hours can be used on social media apps such as TikTok, Snapchat, or Instagram; how many hours can be used on educational programming, how many hours can be used watching YouTube videos, etc.). To help you keep track of your children’s screen use, you might even consider using an app to monitor how they use their screen time.

Encourage Healthy Activities

Coronavirus has led to wonderful displays of generosity from individuals and companies around the globe in terms of supporting children’s engagement in healthy and stimulating activities while at home. Help your kids use screens in ways that support their development by guiding them towards online activities such as…

Keep Evenings Screen Free

Finally, to avoid disruptions to sleep, you may want to institute a Screen “Curfew”. In other words, create a time of night ideally an hour or more before bedtime where children hand over their devices to be charged in a room other than their bedroom. This will avoid loss of sleep due to staying up scrolling on their Instagram feeds or disruptions to their circadian rhythms because of blue light exposure.

However you decide to manage your family’s screen use, make sure you find a system that works for you. What matters most is that everybody is able to thrive, that family conflict not soar through the roof, and that everybody in the house is able to maintain some safe connections to the outside world. If that means screen time goes up substantially, that’s okay! At the end of the day, you are doing what you need to do for your family, and that is what parenting is all about.

As always, contact Sasco River Center if you need help with your child, or parenting in general.

Categories : Advice, Parenting
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Developing Social Skills While Social Distancing

By zfortadmin
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2020

Developing Social Skills While Social Distancing

group of people with different kinds of masks on their faces
Photo by cottonbro

If your child had been working steadily on social skills before schools closed, extracurriculars vanished, and playdates ground to a halt, you might be asking yourself, “Well, now what?” Many parents are citing frustration and concern about their children’s social development in an age where socializing is extremely limited. The good news is there are plenty of ways to fill the void and help your child continue to make progress…

Stay Connected

A helpful way to think about what we are doing as a society is not so much that we are “social distancing” but rather that we are “physical distancing.” There are still plenty of safe ways to engage with people outside of the home, and maintaining a strong network of support is helpful for everybody in the family.

young boy video chatting with a friend
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
  • You may already be on this train, but virtual play dates are all the rage! With free videochat options from FaceTime, Skype, Google Hangouts, and Zoom, kids can get together with one or more peers for some good old fashioned bonding time. There are plenty of web sites that offer fun activities kids can do within video chats (some include Caribu, Messenger Kids, and Jackbox Games), but you can also help your kids come up with fun games they can play with their peers without depending even further on technology. For example, they can have scavenger hunts (e.g., “Find something in your house you’ve had for over 5 years and tell the other person the story of how you got it!”). Other ideas include playing “I Spy”, putting on talent shows, and even writing stories together (each person takes turn writing one sentence!).
handwritten letter on a table
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood
  • A great way to help your children think about and stay connected to others is to write good old-fashioned handwritten letters to loved ones. You can encourage your kids to share stories about what they’ve been doing since they’ve been home and think about what messages they’d like to send to family and friends near and far.

Learn Through Play

There are plenty of games (that you may already have!) that actually require a lot of social thinking skills. So time to whip out the board games and plan a family game night!

  • Apples to Apples is a great game for four or more players where players are given a prompt and have to pick from a set of cards in their hand which one best matches the prompt. The tricky part is that the person who decides the winner is a “judge” that rotates every round. This game actually requires a lot of perspective-taking skills. Your child will have to think about who is judging each round and what they know about that person in order to predict how they will behave. For example, if mom has a great sense of humor, they should play a funny card. If dad is more serious, they might try to pick a more literal descriptor. To encourage these skills even further, have each “judge” explain why they picked the card they did, so that your child can learn how each player thinks differently!
  • Guess Who is another game that encourages good social skills. Your child will practice thinking objectively about the characters, using deductive reasoning to come up with helpful questions, taking turns, and tolerating frustration if they lose.
  • Charades or Celebrity are games you can play anywhere, anytime, that also build social skills! In order to be effective at these games, one must be able to communicate skillfully while observing the rules (e.g., in charades, you have to communicate only using your body, not your words). Your child needs to think about what they know about their partner that might help (for example, if the celebrity is January Jones, it really helps to know that dad’s birthday is in January!), and they need to be flexible if they pick a strategy that just isn’t working.

More Directed Activities

And if you’d like to go a little further, you can engage your child in some of the same social skills work that a therapist would! Following are a couple of activities you might try.

young girl reading while resting on a pillow
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
  • Read books together about different social situations. Ask your child questions about the characters, what they felt during different events in the story, how their actions affected other characters, etc. A favorite book that encourages prosocial thinking is Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller.
  • Have practice conversations. Help your child learn to have a balanced conversation by sharing information about him or herself and also asking appropriate questions to learn more about the other person. A fun way to develop conversation skills is to play a game where the goal is to have as long a back and forth conversation as possible. Stack tokens or blocks every time someone makes an utterance that keeps the conversation going, and see how tall a tower you can make! If your child has trouble moving the conversation along, pause the game and help them think about a question they could ask or a comment they could make that would help the tower grow taller.

What About You?

Finally, the best way to help your children with their social skills is to examine your own. How do you make friends? Handle conflicts? React in awkward situations? What can your children learn from watching you?

Although opportunities to be physically near others are limited, opportunities for socializing are everywhere. So fear not – with a little creativity and an open mind, you can help your child keep up all the great work on their social skills!

Categories : Advice, News, Parenting
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Re-Opening Notice! 5/27/20

By zfortadmin
Wednesday, May 27th, 2020

Hello

We’ve missed you!  It’s been far too long, but we hope you and your family are well, and have been able to manage through these challenging and confusing last few months.  It’s certainly been a seismic shift in our world; we are all working around a new “normal”, and trying to understand what that means.

Keeping  You (& Us) As Safe As Possible

During the past months, many of our clients have successfully used telehealth to receive services.  In fact, we are still recommending Telehealth for appropriate clients, and sessions are available in the following service areas: Psychotherapy, Psychiatric consultations and medication management, Academic support, Speech and language therapy, Behavioral/Parenting support, OT sessions, feeding sessions and groups via the Zoom platform.

However, there are cases where telehealth is not viable, and in-person services are necessary. For example, some clients are too young to successfully navigate telehealth, while in other instances, testing procedures are less valid when administered via telehealth.  Therefore, Sasco River Center is gently re-opening our doors for in-person evaluation and treatment.

We are doing this, though, cautiously.  As we reopen, we will be exceeding state and CDC guidelines so as to keep you, and us, safe.  To this end, we have created a brand-new 14-page internal manual which outlines for our providers what needs to happen before, during and after sessions to maximize everyone’s safety.  The strategies include minimizing person-to-person contact, increasing fresh air, frequent cleanings and use of a new EPA-approved hand sanitizer.  We are happy to talk through the details of our comprehensive company-wide policies and procedures in more detail, but in general, safety is our main guiding principle.  

That being said, we are happy to begin to offer the following “in-person” services, for both Testing/Evaluation & OT/Sensory Processing.

Assessment Options

In-office Remote Evaluations

We have developed a new program to safely administer “In-office Remote Evaluations”, which takes place in one physical clinic location, but in two separate offices.  Using this program, we will be able to conduct complete psychoeducational, neuropsychological and speech/language assessments for most children, teens and adults. Providing tele-assessment within the office setting offers many technical and practical advantages over a conventional tele-assessment model, while still maintaining safe social distancing throughout the process.  Read on for more details on the process, and explanatory diagrams.

Program Details

  • Throughout the testing process, the psychologist and the patient are in separate offices within the same clinic connected via a secure telehealth platform. This allows for safe social distancing throughout the testing process.
  • The Psychologist’s Office is equipped with a computer with video conferencing and a document camera. This enables the patient/child to see the psychologist as well as necessary visual stimuli that can be presented either via screen share or the document camera.
  • The Patient’s Office is equipped with a computer (with videoconferencing), document camera (so the psychologist can monitor written work), and an additional device that captures other angles in order for the psychologist to make more thorough behavioral observations.
  • For younger children, next to the patient office will be a Parent/caregiver Area, which will allow the parent/caregiver to be nearby and reachable in case the child needs assistance. The child can also have some of their belongings in this area and walk in during breaks.

Safety Precautions

The following precautions will be taken to maximize safety:

  • Only one patient will be tested in the assigned testing areas per day.
  • Social distancing is maintained throughout testing
  • Parents take the child’s (and their own) temperature before leaving the house; and clinicians will engage in the same self-analysis.  If the psychologist, child, or parent shows any signs of a cold, fever, or related symptoms, the evaluation will be rescheduled.
  • Rooms are fully sanitized in a manner that limits potential contamination of surfaces utilizing sanitizing materials that have been fully approved and recommended by State and Federal health experts.
  • Parents/children bring their own snacks and toys.
  • During breaks, the patient stays within the patient office, adjacent parent room, or goes outside of the building to prevent contamination of other surfaces within the suite.
  • Only one family member per patient enters the clinic.
  • Intake and follow-up meetings with parents will be handled remotely.

Note that, In-office Remote Evaluations are not appropriate for all patients and do have some limitations.  Interested families can discuss appropriateness of the In-office Remote Evaluations and their limitations with our clinicians.

In-office Remote Evaluation Setup Diagrams

Occupational Therapy/Sensory Options

We are reopening with a variety of options so families can choose what best suits their therapeutic needs, while respecting personal preferences during these challenging times.  We will be offering: 

  • Telehealth
  • Outdoor Sessions (Your House or Darien Location)
  • In-Clinic Sessions (Limited)
  • OT Teleheatlh, Outdoor and In-clinic Assessments
  • Consultation Packages
  • Summer Programs, Biking Lessons and Gardening
  • Sasco Monthly Sensory Boxes
  • OT Supply Crates

Telehealth

When possible, we are still recommending Telehealth for clients.  Telehealth sessions have been going very well and will continue to be available for our clients.  We have been providing OT sessions, feeding sessions and groups via the Zoom platform.

For those who elect to use Telehealth, we have also created an OT Supply Crate that can be added to enhance the sessions and add to home programming.  See Below for more details.

Outdoor Sessions

The research is pointing to the outdoors, particularly where well-ventilated and sunny, being relatively safe.  We are taking advantage of this and the recent nice weather to see patients outside.

At Your Home

If you would like, one of our therapists is able to treat in your backyard.  We would be happy to come to your house, and the equipment and/or games you already have to treat.  As an option, you can add an OT supply crate (see below) for more 

Darien Clinic Outdoor Space

Our new location in Darien has lovely private outdoor space on the grounds.  We’ve begun offering outdoor sessions here.  Some of our children have been enjoying a change of scenery.  We will be roping off areas with colorful flags to have visual boundaries.

In-Clinic Therapy Sessions 

We are reopening both the Stamford and Wilton gyms for clients.  We are very excited to be able to treat again in our gym spaces.  To ensure maximum safety, we will following strict protocol:

  • Scheduling will be limited 
  • Only one client will be seen in a therapy room at a time.
  • Therapy rooms have been cleaned and have necessary supplies only in each room
  • Sessions will be spaced with 30 minutes between sessions to allow for our EPA-approved disinfectant spray  
  • Staff will be wearing masks
  • Clients are expected to wear masks as well. 
  • We will be escorting clients in from the parking lots to avoid waiting room use
  • Feedback from sessions to parents will be provided remotely  

OT/Sensory Processing Assessment Options

For those who need OT/Sensory Processing assessment and/or evaluation, we currently have the following options:

Tele-Assessment

One hour remote assessment, followed by half hour parent feedback session

Outdoors Assessment

Can be performed outside at our Darien Clinic (330 Post Road), or in your own backyard, using your own equipment (or an “OT Supply Crate”; see below for more information)

In-clinic Assessment

Subject to strict safety protocols and some limitations we are now offering in-clinic assessments at our Stamford and Wilton locations.

Contact us for more information and appropriateness for each of these options

Consultation Packages

Away for the Summer? Need Extra Support?

As always, we can work with you to develop a package that fits your family’s needs. All consultative packages have the flexibility to be offered in-person, virtually, or a combination of both depending on the state guidelines at the time. All consultation packages can be redeemed at your leisure at any point between June 15th and September 1st. 

Stop the Summer Slide

With the transition to distance learning, less frequent occupational therapy sessions, and limited interaction with peers, a “summer slide” might have you seeing a loss of academic, social, and behavioral gains. We have developed this package to ensure you and your child have the tools and strategies to be successful next school year. 

Includes:

  • Parent Goal Meeting: An occupational therapist will help you to develop specific goals based on areas of concern. A written report will break down these goals into measurable steps to help set you and your family up for success. 
  • Sensory Diet and Parent Training Session: One of our occupational therapists will then create a customized sensory diet based on your child’s needs and the changing times. An hour long parent training session will teach you how to carry out your child’s sensory diet program.
  • Three Hours of Consultation: Consultation can be utilized either telehealth or in-person and in any increments of time throughout the summer. 

Therapeutic Listening Bundles

We use Integrated Listening Systems (iLS) therapy to enhance and improve children’s sensory processing and auditory processing abilities.  We have found receiving iLS during Occupational Therapy is the most efficient method of providing sensory input to optimize listening function.  We are now offering iLS through virtual, outdoor or OT clinic sessions.  Please contact Dlindberg@sascoriver.com to discuss this further.  

Home Sensory Gym Recommendations:

After a virtual tour of your current sensory area, our occupational therapists will develop individualized recommendations.

Summer

Biking Lessons

Back by popular demand!  Since groups are still not recommended, and we are avoiding public spaces for now, we are offering private biking lessons (with siblings or individuals) either at your home or our Darien Clinic. The kids have been loving having a chance to be outside and learn an amazing new skill or work on a new aspect of riding. Biking sessions are one hour in length and involve sensory warm-up, coordination activity, biking skills and a craft.  Please contact Mwalsh@sascoriver.com for more information.

Gardening Sessions

For the gardener in you!  We now have gardening sessions available through telehealth or in person one-on-one (or for a family) at our Darien location outdoors.  We will deliver the supplies to you weekly.  Topics will change weekly, but each one creates an opportunity to learn more about the environment and the different aspects of gardening through various forms of sensory input.  Sessions are an hour in length.  Please contact Mmoore@sascoriver.com for more information.  

Small Group Camps (beginning July, 2020)

We will be having small group camps in July and multidisciplinary camps in August.  Please contact Mwalsh@sascoriver.com  for more information of these fun summer activities and to be put on a list.

Sasco Monthly Sensory Boxes

We are launching an interactive sensory box program.  Each month, we will offer a box about vestibular processing, core stability and other therapeutic themes.  Included in the box will be 6 occupational therapy activity cards for children and parents to explore together.

OT Supply Crates

OT Supply Crates will be available for clients who would prefer to use only their own materials for sessions.  These personal crates can be transported to/from home, and include everything needed for a session, including duvet covers to be put on our existing crash pads for your child’s private use only.  These crates contain everything you need for a full treatment session including yoga/peanut balls, scooter boards, tunnels, bean bags, fine motor objects and fidgets.  Please reach out to Melissa (mkahn@sascoriver.com) to find out more details of these.  Each supply crate can be customized with additional materials for your child if you speak with your child’s individual therapist.

Call Us

We are ready for you.  We are very excited to see you and the kids again.  Please contact your regular therapist, or either of us below, to find out more information or to schedule an appointment. 

Christopher Bogart, PhD & Melissa Kahn, MS OTR/L
Co-Executive Directors

Categories : News
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Navigating Disappointment Related to COVID-19

By zfortadmin
Wednesday, May 13th, 2020

We Are All Missing Out

people at a dinner table toasting their drinks.
Remember Parties? (Photo by Lee Hnetinka)

Prom, graduation, birthday parties, weddings, baby showers, school reunions, retirement parties… these are just a few of the major life events that have been put on pause this year. Not to mention sports tournaments, opening night of the school musical, art showcases, weekly play dates, after-work happy hours, family vacations. The sheer number of events we all looked forward to that have been canceled or postponed is mindboggling, and deeply disappointing.

How do we help our kids navigate the upset when we don’t really know how to navigate it ourselves? Nobody knows how long this will last, how many more events will be canceled, or when we will safely go back to life as we knew it. When our children stare up at us teary-eyed asking questions we can’t possibly have answers to, it can bring up a wide range of emotions in ourselves.

If you are struggling with how to have conversations with your children about the things they’re forced to miss out on, you are not alone. None of the parenting books seem to cover pandemics! As parents, we often put pressure on ourselves to hold it together emotionally for our children, but COVID-19 makes that harder to do than ever. And if we work too hard to keep our emotions in check, we might actually miss out on some valuable learning opportunities, both for our children and for ourselves.

So read on for some considerations about how to work with your and your children’s emotions to cope with corona-related disappointment.

Make Space for Emotional Expression, Whatever It Looks Like.

young boy covering his head in shame
Sadness comes in many shapes and sizes (Photo by Pixabay)

We are all impacted by COVID-19, but in many ways, our kids are among those impacted most directly. So much of a child’s day-to-day life is dependent on social interaction. By this point in time, every parent in the country is well aware that distance learning simply does not hold up to in-person instruction. And beyond formal instruction, so much of what children learn comes from activities outside the classroom – sports, after-school activities, and even play dates are loaded with opportunities to experience joy and work on teamwork, frustration tolerance, prosocial skills, etc.

Children have every right to feel robbed of this time in their lives. As parents, one of the ways we can help the most is simply to give them the space to feel the upset they are so entitled to. Just be aware that since children and teens are still developing their emotional expression abilities, they may not always articulate their feelings very effectively. While yelling, door slamming, and talking back might rank on your list of unacceptable behaviors at home, you might consider flexing these rules just a bit these days.

Now hear me out… children are currently facing emotions that may be bigger and more consuming than emotions they’ve ever felt in the past. On top of that, their lives are so over-controlled by the virus (as are all of ours!) that they can’t even leave the house without serious care and precaution. And finally, the amount of space they have to let off steam is now largely constricted to the home environment, where there are no guarantees of privacy (it’s hard to vent to friends over video chat when you never know if a younger sibling might throw open your door, or if you’re not totally confident your walls are soundproof!).

So instead of holding them to the same expectations we might have had in the past for how to express their emotions, give them some extra space to feel their feelings however they manifest. Short of being aggressive towards themselves or others, which is never safe and can’t be overlooked, you can show them that you understand how difficult this is just by accepting their emotions in any form.

Notice What Comes Up For You.

headshots of a girl making different facial expressions.
Whatever It Might Be (Photo by Andrea Piacquadio)

When children experience a surge of emotions, it often evokes strong emotional reactions from parents. Especially when we see our children in pain (particularly pain we can’t control!), we may have an urge to reassure them as quickly as we can in order to get the discomfort over with. Or we may get upset or even defensive because we are doing everything we can to manage the situation, and it can feel awful when it seems like everything we’re doing is not enough for our children.

Whatever it is you feel in those moments, observe your emotions. Don’t try to control or shape them– give yourself the space to feel your feelings by watching your emotions float in like a cloud. Then watch them pass by. Honor what you feel in the moment, and remind yourself that emotions are constantly changing, so any pain or discomfort you may observe will eventually fade away. Mindfully attending to your emotions and allowing them to come and go helps you feel more in control. This practice also models a healthy relationship with emotions for your children.

Listen to What Your Emotions are Telling You.

girl praying with her eyes closed.
Connect (Photo by cottonbro)

Now that you’re practicing tuning into your emotions rather than trying to change them, you might find that they offer you some valuable information. For example, if you find that you’re getting upset when you hear how upset your child is, your emotions are cluing you in to how he’s feeling and helping you be able to connect to him. Making connections between your own emotions and your child’s can help empower you further in talking to your child and being able to validate where he’s coming from.

Talk About It Openly.

mom holding her daughter having a conversation
Talk it out (Photo by cottonbro)

You’re probably disappointed about the things you’re missing out on, too. It’s okay to feel that way. Trying to be a picture of positivity for your kids invalidates your own feelings, and it also usually doesn’t pan out in the long run – it’s like trying to hold a beach ball under water. It takes a lot of effort to keep those emotions tamped down, and the second you let go, they pop up and make a big splash.

So rather than jumping to make-it-all-better mode, it can be really healing for both of you to talk about how COVID-19 has affected your lives. And this includes the good and the bad! For a great bonding exercise, use the following prompts to guide your discussion:

  • What is something you’ve missed since being in quarantine?
  • What is something you’ve enjoyed about being in quarantine?
  • What is something you’re looking forward to when quarantine is over?
  • What have you learned about yourself during quarantine?

Nothing about the situation we’re in is normal. So it’s only natural for our emotions to come out in unexpected ways (such as your child suddenly refusing to eat his favorite food or your teen exploding out of nowhere). The more you can both accept and put words to your emotional experiences, the easier they are to recognize and understand.

So give yourself and your children the leeway to let those feelings breathe, then come together to make sense of what everyone is feeling. By openly acknowledging and sharing about the many losses you each are facing, you might find there’s actually quite a bit to gain.

Categories : Advice, Parenting
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Quarantine Parenting Tips And Advice 3-16

By zfortadmin
Monday, March 16th, 2020

Quarantine Parenting Advice

Parenting Survival Guide - CLICK HERE for quarantine parenting advice
Parenting Survival Guide

These are uncertain times. One of the things we might be uncertain about is how to remain calm, and be a parent. We have some suggestions for you, in our “Parenting Survival Guide”, and be the best parent you can be during the quarantine. Please download the PDF below, and feel free to give to anyone you know who might find it useful.

Stay healthy,

Team Sasco River Center

SRC-ParentSurvivalGuide-200316Download
Categories : Advice, News, Parenting
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Services Update 03-13 (COVID-19)

By zfortadmin
Friday, March 13th, 2020

Hello Sasco River Center, Southfield Center, Sensory Kids Clients & Extended Community,

We remain open, but we have options for those who aren’t able to come to a clinic

We hope you and your family are well in these uncertain times we are experiencing with the recent global focus upon the coronavirus. We know that this uncertainty can lead you and your children to experience various emotions including frustration, anxiety, sadness and confusion. We also know that predictability and routines are best for everyone’s psychological and emotional well-being, so we are examining the many safe and creative ways that we can continue to support you and your family. As we are hearing about schools that are closing and other schools considering this action, we wanted to continue to communicate clearly about what we are doing at Sasco River Center to place your safety as our top priority while we continue to provide the expert care that you’ve come to rely upon from our clinical team.

Here is a helpful link from the CDC on keeping our workplaces, schools and homes safe: LINK. Note that we are following the advice that “mental health and other medical facilities should stay open” from the head of the CDC, appearing on CNN morning of 3/12.

Cleaning

We remain vigilant and prepared throughout this dynamic situation. We are closely monitoring local, state and federal sources for specific guidance, and are stringently adhering to all guidelines relating to cleanliness, personal space, and absolute restrictions on admittance of any person with any cold or flu-like symptoms in any of our spaces. While we have always focused on cleaning and sterilizing our therapeutic spaces, over the past two weeks we have increased our cleaning to daily across all spaces, with additional wiping down of therapeutic spaces between client sessions. We have also reviewed with our team members proper greeting and space recommendations, along with expectations for frequent handwashing and usage of hand sterilizer. While we believe that this greatly reduces the transmission of germs, we absolutely understand that many clients are seeking additional ways to maintain services while limiting contact with multiple people in confined spaces.

Services Accommodations

For all our clients, we are offering the opportunity to be met outside of the building and escorted by your clinician to their therapy space so that time in the waiting room is unnecessary. If you would like to access this option, please email your clinician or contact our receptionist so this can be arranged.

TELEHEALTH SESSIONS:

In addition, for any service for which videoconferencing or telephone guidance would be appropriate (psychotherapy, occupational therapy/sensory processing, psychiatric medication management, behavioral consultations, parent coaching, learning services), each of our team members has been equipped with and trained on technologies that will allow ongoing remote connection in a safe and confidential fashion. In a telehealth session, we can guide you on what to do with your child and/or we can continue to work directly with your child over video technology to continue progress toward therapeutic goals. To take advantage of these remote therapeutic opportunities, we will need you to sign a telehealth consent form. Your clinician will be contacting you and providing the form that needs to be signed.

TESTING:

For all children being tested, we have now created a reduced number of smaller spaces in each center that can be more easily sterilized between students rather than conducting testing across several spaces. These rooms and testing materials will be sterilized between students.

Sensory/OT, Therapy and/or Psychotherapy:

We are offering the following options:

  • For those of you continuing with sessions at one of our clinics, as noted above, we will be happy to meet you and your child in the parking lot, to avoid congregating in the waiting room. We are scheduling each child individually in therapeutic spaces to avoid contact with other clients. In addition, we are spreading out sessions to allow time to clean and sanitize between sessions.
  • For those of you that wish to continue this important in-person therapeutic work but do not want to come to one of our centers, we have developed additional options. We are able to meet at designated local playgrounds that we have already researched for safety and access to therapeutic activities. In addition, our team of sensory experts would be happy to do in-home sessions as well. We will do our best to extend hours and options so that we can meet the scheduling needs of as many of our clients as possible.
  • SENSORY ADDITIONAL: As an added opportunity during this time when your children might be out of school for an extended time, our team of sensory experts can provide sensory consultations that will address sensory strategies for you to support your child’s sensory needs while away from school.

Of course, we recognize that many of you will want to maintain the same level of in-person services and our team of clinicians will continue to offer their expertise in the highly individualized and personal way that we always have. In addition to the enhanced cleaning noted above, we are taking other precautions to increase your safety.

Other Options (Stay Tuned)

Finally, we are in the process of developing some opportunities for your children to participate in fun and therapeutic activities outside of the center. For example, our occupational therapists are trained to provide bike riding classes to help get the kids out and keep moving, while optimizing their time off while the weather is nice. We are also working on some small camp ideas. Stay tuned for details on these opportunities.

Thank You

As always, we thank you for the trust you place in us. We want to assure you that safety along with high quality care are our top priorities. Please reach out with any questions and we look forward to continuing our work together. Note that we will continue to update you as the situation unfolds.

Stay healthy,

Chris Bogart + Melissa Kahn

Executive Directors, Sasco River Center

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CLINIC LOCATIONS

DARIEN:
330 Post Road East,
Darien CT 06820
(203) 202-7654
hello@sascoriver.com
STAMFORD:
78 Harvard Avenue,
Stamford CT 06902
(203) 202-7654
hello@sascoriver.com
WILTON:
396 Danbury Road,
Wilton CT 06897
(203) 202-7654
hello@sascoriver.com
About Us

A multidisciplinary practice offering a range of diagnostic and therapy services for children, adolescents, young adults, and families; specializing in Collaborative & Comprehensive Testing, Psychotherapy & Sensory Processing. We are a merger of Sensory Kids & The Southfield Center for Development

Our Hours

-Weekdays
-Evenings
-Saturdays

Our Services
  • EVALUATIONS & TESTING
  • PSYCHOTHERAPY, PSYCHIATRY & TREATMENT
  • OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY & SENSORY PROCESSING
  • LEARNING & EXECUTIVE FUNCTION
  • PARENTING SUPPORT & FAMILY THERAPY
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