Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy addresses a wide range of services at each of our locations. LifeScape’s skilled team of experts helps people of all ages be as independent as possible in all areas of their life. They achieve this through developmental activities, sensory integration processing, play activities, and Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).

We Serve Children And Adults Of All Ages With:

Developmental Delays
Physical Disabilities
Vision Disorders
Neurological Conditions
Orthopedic or Post-Surgical Rehabilitation
Incontinence/Constipation
Sensory Processing Disorders
Poor Coordination
Fine motor skills such as grasping, handwriting, and tool use
Independence in self-care, such as feeding, dressing, brushing teeth, bathing, and toileting
Promoting independence through the use of adaptive equipment or assistive technology

The LifeScape Advantage: Our Specializations

Bowel and Bladder Treatment

Our occupational therapists can treat a variety of bowel and bladder disorders, including:

The unique role of occupational therapy treatment of bowel and bladder disorders comes from a sensory integrative perspective – awareness of the urge to use the bathroom, control to get to the bathroom, praxis impacting how to use the muscles to have a bowel movement, and core strengthening.

For more information, you can download one of the following flyers:

Fine Motor Delays

Our skilled occupational therapists strengthen and refine motor skills and use adaptations and modifications to enhance your child’s ability to participate in daily activities, which may include self-dressing, self-feeding, or writing, and so much more.

Evaluation For Adaptive & Mobility Equipment

In conjunction with durable medical equipment companies, our therapists evaluate the need for specialized equipment (adaptive mobility equipment, adaptive utensils and dinnerware, bathing equipment, dressing equipment, etc) to help your child complete daily tasks independently. For more information, you can download one of the following flyers:

Aquatic Therapy

At LifeScape, we have a warm water therapy pool available to patients to work on strengthening, stretching, and other functional goal areas. The buoyancy of the water unweights a child and is ideal for exercising very weak muscles and addressing skills that are difficult for a child to perform on land.

Splinting & Upper Extremity Treatment

Our upper extremity treatment is focused on maximizing the functional use of a child’s affected hand or arm. We use a variety of approaches, including stretching, strengthening, and improving control through age-appropriate play tasks. Additional approaches, including constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT), splinting, or electrical stimulation (E-Stim) may be utilized to meet functional upper extremity goals depending on each child’s individual treatment plan. LifeScape was the first in the area to offer the specialized, evidence-based approach of CIMT to treat hemiplegia.

Post-Surgical Rehabilitation

Following an orthopedic surgery, inpatient rehabilitation stay for neurological and/or orthopedic concerns, or after an accident, illness, or injury, our occupational therapists are ready to help patients work towards meeting their goals and returning to their prior level of function. We have a variety of equipment available and the knowledge to help patients advance their skills and transition to less restrictive equipment with a goal of returning to family, peer, and community activities.

Feeding Therapy

From mild to complex, LifeScape’s interdisciplinary team of therapists assists families in overcoming feeding challenges. Our clinicians have advanced training in feeding therapy and use a variety of methods and approaches including but not limited to Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS)®, Beckman Oral Motor, TalkTools®, and Vital Stim® neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES). LifeScape has helped countless children expand their accepted foods, move away from enteral (tube) feedings, increase oral intake, and improve mealtime behaviors.

Autism & Related Concerns

LifeScape offers support for safe and fulfilling lives through therapeutic interventions for children with autism. We have the expertise to help improve communication, behavioral, social, sensory, and learning skills to live as independently as possible.

We provide free autism screenings for children four and under at LifeScape. Our occupational therapists are part of both our autism screening and evaluation teams. We are experienced in working with children of all ages with autism and have therapists who have completed advanced training in the Early Start Denver Model for young children with autism.

Sensory Processing Treatment

Our team of occupational therapists has specialized training in the treatment of sensory processing disorders. We utilize the most recent research and use evidence-based practices throughout treatment in our extensive sensory treatment space with a variety of therapeutic equipment to fit individual needs.

LifeScape is regarded as the local leader for evaluation, treatment, and consultation for sensory processing disorders. Our occupational therapists also work hand in hand with other related disciplines as needed, including psychology, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, behavior therapy, and adaptive aquatics, among others.

Visual Motor Challenges

Binocular vision, eye coordination, or visual perceptual issues can affect more than reading and writing. It can affect balance, self-care independence, and general gross/visual motor skills, plus self-esteem and peer relationships.

Occupational therapy addresses visual-motor difficulties as well as underlying factors including sensory integration, primitive reflexes, motor planning, and fine motor skills.

This service is covered by most third-party payers, including Medicaid. We also offer free screenings for visual-motor concerns at our Sioux Falls outpatient locations.

Intensive Therapy Program

Our intensive therapy program is designed to provide occupational therapy services at an increased frequency over a shorter duration of time than traditional occupational therapy, applying the principles of neuroplasticity to improve a child’s functional mobility. On average, patients are seen 3-5 times per week over a 3 to 6-week duration. The time and duration of each patient’s intensive program depends on that individual patient’s needs, endurance, tolerance, and age.

Our therapists work with patients and caregivers to identify specific goals that are meaningful to the patient and family, and these goals are addressed over the course of therapy. Additional occupational therapy at a decreased frequency may be recommended at the end of an intensive to continue to address a patient’s ongoing goals. During a child’s course of intensive therapy treatment, the child may receive occupational therapy, physical therapy, or a combination of both.

A typical intensive occupational therapy session may include:

A typical intensive occupational therapy session may include:

Stretching and strengthening exercises
Balance and coordination activities
Transfer training
Functional activities

Intensive programs:

Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) is the use of casting or other limitation of the use of an individual’s unaffected/less affected upper extremity to promote use, strength, and control of their affected/more affected upper extremity. CIMT at LifeScape is typically completed with two weeks of casting for 4+ days of therapy each week to focus on improving functional use of the affected arm. An additional week of therapy for 4+ days is then completed without the cast to allow the therapist to address bilateral hand use.

LifeScape CMIT Insert

Serial Casting
Universal Exercise Unit, or “spider cage”, which provides the following benefits:
Allows isolation of one specific muscle group at a time
Allows tasks to be broken down into isolated movements
Effective way to strengthen weak muscles
Provides the support a child needs to participate in functional activities while the therapist facilitates correct posture and positioning during these activities

A typical intensive occupational therapy session may include:

Intensive programs:

Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) is the use of casting or other limitation of the use of an individual’s unaffected/less affected upper extremity to promote use, strength, and control of their affected/more affected upper extremity. CIMT at LifeScape is typically completed with two weeks of casting for 4+ days of therapy each week to focus on improving functional use of the affected arm. An additional week of therapy for 4+ days is then completed without the cast to allow the therapist to address bilateral hand use.

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