Dandelion Kids in Austin, TX
Tel: 512-650-8206 Fax: 737-358-4255

Austin Occupational Therapy in a Natural Setting

Our Mission

At Dandelion Kids, we believe that every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential. Our mission is to provide exceptional occupational therapy services in natural settings, where children feel most comfortable and can achieve their best outcomes.

About Us: Edna Sivori, MOT, OTR/L

Edna Sivori is a board-certified, licensed pediatric Occupational Therapist. She received her Masters in Occupational Therapy from UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, and has worked in pediatric outpatient therapy clinics, treating a wide-range of developmental delays, sensory processing differences, and fine and gross motor delays.

She has four children of her own, and through her own experiences parenting, understands the importance of mastering the basics of sensory processing, emotional regulation, frustration tolerance, and attention as a foundation for higher learning processes that occur as children grow. Even when working on more concrete skills, such as handwriting, she consistently utilizes an approach that is designed to simultaneously improve these executive functioning skills and others.

She embraces a strength-based approach centered around authentic connection with the child. Through this method, she utilizes the child's strengths as a valuable asset in working towards improving areas in which we want to help the child grow. This typically means engaging the child's natural creativity, curiosity, and interests in each treatment session.

Her goal is to build lifelong resilience and strength in each child, that will carry across all areas of the child's life, whether it be in academic setting, playing with peers, sitting at the dinner table with extended family, or going to a museum.

Edna also teaches families strategies that can be used at home on a daily basis for fostering their child's success. She understands the many demands that families already face, and the need for actionable, easy-to-implement strategies that fit into their established routines and activities.

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Skills we can improve through occupational therapy

Our pediatric occupational therapy services are designed to empower children by helping them develop essential skills that support their growth, independence, and well-being. Here are some of the key areas we address:

Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills are essential for tasks like writing, drawing, buttoning, and using utensils. We work with children to strengthen hand-eye coordination, finger dexterity, and grip strength to help them become more proficient and confident in handling small objects and tools. These skills form the foundation for academic tasks and daily self-care activities, supporting their independence.

Gross Motor Skills

Gross motor skills involve larger movements and help children navigate and explore their world through activities like running, jumping, and climbing. Our therapy sessions focus on balance, strength, coordination, bilateral coordination, and body awareness, enhancing physical confidence and participation in play and sports.

Sensory Processing and Regulation

Children often encounter challenges in processing sensory input, leading to difficulties in focusing, self-regulation, or feeling overwhelmed. We use sensory-based strategies to help children interpret and respond appropriately to sensory stimuli, building their resilience and ability to self-regulate. This improved sensory processing supports attention, behavior, and overall comfort in various environments.

Emotional Regulation

Helping children understand and manage their emotions is key to their overall well-being. Through tailored exercises and strategies, we assist children in recognizing emotional cues, practicing calming techniques, and developing healthy coping mechanisms. This strengthens their ability to handle challenges, strengthen their frustration tolerance, and respond thoughtfully to their surroundings.

Self-Care Skills

Developing self-care skills is essential for independence. We help children work on activities of daily living, such as dressing, grooming, feeding, and hygiene routines. By building competence in these areas, children gain confidence and a sense of autonomy in their day-to-day lives.

Executive Functioning Skills

Executive functioning skills are critical for planning, organizing, focusing and following through with tasks. We support children in developing abilities such as time management, problem-solving, and task initiation. Improved executive functioning enables children to engage more fully in academic and recreational activities, leading to greater success in structured environments like school.

Social Skills

Social skills are essential for effective communication and collaboration. We help children develop empathy, communication, and cooperation through role-playing, conflict resolution, and group activities. These skills are crucial for building friendships and participating in group settings, fostering a sense of belonging and social competence.

Visual-Perceptual Skills, Processing, and Dysgraphia Intervention

For children with dyslexia or other learning challenges, we offer specialized support to strengthen visual-perceptual skills, visual processing, and fine motor abilities, addressing the difficulties these children often face in reading, writing, and comprehension. Our approach also includes strategies to improve dysgraphia, a condition affecting writing abilities, by enhancing fine motor control, spatial awareness, and hand-eye coordination. These targeted interventions help children improve reading fluency, handwriting clarity, and processing speed, leading to greater confidence and success in academic settings.

Austin Occupational Therapy for Kids

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