Fox Therapy Services - Westlake Village

Our evidence-based ABA therapy is highly individualized to best suit your child's unique needs. Treatment can be delivered in a home or clinic-based setting. Skills Frequently Addressed Communication Skills Social Skills Daily Living Skills Academic and Cognitive Skills Emotional Regulation Treatment Strategies Discrete Trial Training Positive Reinforcement Natural Environment Teaching Task Analysis and Chaining Prompting and Prompt Fading

Therapy is tailored to your child's interests, needs, and goals. Common skills targeted include: Ability to produce age-appropriate sounds Increase overall speech clarity Develop the motor plans for making speech sounds Increase vocabulary and combine words into sentences Asking and answering questions Using correct grammar Comprehension of spoken and written language Engaging in conversation Navigating social situations and self-advocacy skills Understanding non-verbal language and other social cues

Therapy is tailored to your child's interests, needs, and goals. Common skills targeted include: Increase overall strength Coordination of big body movements Develop fine motor movements of fingers and hands Improve handwriting and/or drawing skills Develop age-appropriate self-care tasks such as dressing, self-feeding, oral hygiene, etc. Increase ability to sit and attend Tolerate more food types and textures Increase body and/or safety awareness Engage in messy play or being dirty Improve play skills Emotional regulation/organization of behavior

Orofacial myofunctional (muscle function) therapy is a re-patterning of the improper function of the facial and oral muscles. The goal of therapy is to achieve correct tongue position, improved breathing, speaking, chewing, and swallowing through a regimen of facial and tongue exercises. Myofunctional therapy can take anywhere from 6-12 months; however, this can vary depending on the individual. Top 4 problems resulting from an OMD (Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder): Struggling with oral habits – e.g., thumb sucking, fingernail biting, pacifier use. Speech disorders – Sounds often impacted by an OMD are /s/, /z/, /sh/, /ch/, /j/, /t/, /d/, /n/, /l/, and /r/. Cosmetic problems – A person with an OMD can have a long face and/or sluggish appearance. Facial grimaces and a knobby-looking chin may result from tight muscles of the cheeks, lips, and chin. An open mouth posture and tongue thrust can also contribute to facial esthetics being undesirable. Dental problems – A tongue thrust, thumb sucking or pacifier use, and/or an incorrect resting posture can all contribute to a malocclusion (misalignment of the teeth) and/or an open bite (an “open” space between the upper and lower teeth). This can lead to difficulties with biting, chewing, swallowing, digesting food, and speaking.

Feeding therapy sessions are provided once weekly, all the way up to five times weekly, depending on the needs of the individual child. We take a “whole team” approach and incorporate other professionals involved with your child’s development into our treatment plan. Some examples of other professionals that may be involved in the treatment approach include your child’s pediatrician, occupational therapist, nutritionist, and behaviorist. Feeding Therapy Feeding therapy sessions are provided once weekly, all the way up to five times weekly, depending on the needs of the individual child. We take a “whole team” approach and incorporate other professionals involved with your child’s development into our treatment plan. Some examples of other professionals that may be involved in the treatment approach include your child’s pediatrician, occupational therapist, nutritionist, and behaviorist. Top 10 Ways To Know If Your Child Is In Need Of Feeding Therapy: My child refuses to eat foods that are hard to chew like meat or raw fruits and vegetables My child tends to cry or fall apart when I put a new food on their plate My child has specific brand food preferences or likes to eat the same foods prepared in the same way My child eats 20 or less different foods My child chokes, gags, or coughs during meals My child eats meals separate from the family My child weighs less than other kids their age Meal times are stressful My child eats through a tube in their nose or stomach My child has been labeled a picky eater more than once

Parent education and 1-on-1 coaching play a crucial role in supporting families and ensuring the effectiveness of therapy across all environments. Fox's services are designed to empower parents with the knowledge, skills, and strategies they need to reinforce and generalize their child's progress outside of therapy sessions.