Treatment

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The Morris Center exclusively uses the research-based and evidenced-based programs from the NOW! Company. Click to read more about the NOW! Company or scroll down to learn more.

Whether you or your child needs OT, SLP, Psych or a combination of all three, The Morris Center Trinidad and Tobago offers all services to help treat and prevent learning disabilities. Research has proven that a transdisciplinary, intensive approach to treatment is the most effective, and our staff strives to stay up-to-date with the most current research and methods.

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Key treatment features are based on neuroscience and behavioral treatment research findings

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Key Treatment Features

  • Intensity (# of hours per day)

  • Frequency (# of days per week)

  • Specificity (clarity of treatment program)

  • Ongoing data collection of program effects for program self-evaluation

  • Selective post-treatment assessment with standardized tests to document treatment gains

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Transdisciplinary Team Members

  • Consulting Psychiatry/Physician – Medication management or psychotherapy

  • Psychology/Neuropsychology – Psychotherapy, executive functions coaching, team management collaboration, parent education/training

  • Occupational Therapy – Sensory Integration focused treatments

  • Speech-Language Pathology – Articulation, language therapy, reading, spelling, writing and comprehension

  • Teacher/Educator – Academic tutoring, guided by SLP, and help with school placement

The Morris Center treatment model differs from other learning and language disability intervention programs. Our staff is trained to treat the root of learning disabilities and not just the symptoms. Upon completion of our program, each individual will have acquired the necessary skills to achieve success both in the classroom and in life. We are conveniently located in one center to avoid driving to different therapists in different locations. Cross-training among all team members, ie a Transdisciplinary team enhances the effectiveness of our interventions and your child’s improvements. We treat the whole child across multiple disciplines.

Short-term intensive treatments typically last 12 weeks (plus or minus 4), daily (Monday through Friday), intensely (1-6 hours a day) depending on the individual’s needs (ADHD interventions need more in school and after school support). No homework is typically involved. However, school-aged clients typically keep up with their math instruction via a home school or tutoring model. School-based instruction in social studies, science, and language arts (including reading and spelling) are placed on hold during our unique treatment program.

For elementary or middle school children, absences are allowed from public school by enrolling your child in a home school program, typically for children up to the 8th grade. For our international clients, we set up treatment programs that match your availability. High school and college students typically participate in treatment during the summer. Full-time employed adults can set up a flexible treatment schedule. Retired adults, who missed out on part of their educational experience or never reached their true learning or language potentials, can be treated anytime during the calendar year based on our flexible staff availability. Plus, financial aid is available for select families.

Speech-Language Therapy

Targets improving foundational language skills that may cause learning difficulties, e.g. phonological processing and sounding out words (decoding) progblems. The current areas of specialization are:

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NOW! Foundations of Speech, Language, Reading and Spelling®

A unique program designed to improve phonological processing of sounds. Students become conscious of the mouth actions that produce speech sounds. This awareness allows for the verification of sounds within words and enables individuals to become self-correcting in reading, spelling and speech.

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NOW! Mental Imagery for Language, Comprehension, Memory and Reasoning®

The NOW! Mental Imagery program directly teaches children and adults how to better understand and remember language. This treatment successfully stimulates imagery (being able to make pictures in your head for a given concept presented in words).

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NOW! Grammar and Writing®

This program is a multi-sensory approach to writing – auditory, visual and kinesthetic. The client discovers the role of individual words in a sentence and colored blocks provide a visual association for that role– for example, a green block represents a verb. Language is assembled systematically and built upon, from single sentences up to paragraphs and essays.

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NOW! Social Skills

Interaction between children has many facets. Verbal interactions are more than just oral language, they include body language, physical cues and turn-taking. Children are taught the social aspects of conversation and language and how to best interact with their peers.

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NOW! Morphology

Your child plays an active role in discovering meanings and uses of roots and affixes in order to successfully claim ownership of this new knowledge. This program benefits simple language acquisition through SAT-level vocabulary.

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NOW! Math Concept Imagery®

Math is introduced using a language-based approach to help students grasp foundational math concepts. This allows the student to interpret, express and reason through problems in a linguistic and conceptually-based system. Students will progress from concrete and substantive to represented and imagined, experiencing how the expressions and representations are linked.

Occupational Therapy

OT provides specific instructive therapy that can assist clients in overcoming sensory processing difficulties. These sensory processing difficulties occur in approximately 50% of the clients and may be one or a combination of the following:

  • Oral-motor and motor planning difficulty

  • Fine and gross motor delays

  • Visual perceptual delays

  • Somatosensory deficits (lack of body awareness)

  • Sensory hypersensitivity

OT works to improve overall strength, balance and coordination. Attention is also given to handwriting, oral control and ocular motor skills. This type of intervention helps build self-esteem and self-confidence.

Medical and Psychological Treatment

Our team of professionals will collaborate on and provide options for interventions which may or may not include medication for behavioral management of attention, mood or behavior disorders.

Each therapy hour, the client’s attention is monitored and reported. Non-pharmacological measures designed to maximize attention and arousal are integrated into all language and OT sessions. In cases where these do not suffice, medication may be recommended.

Transitional Unit

Following treatment, clients are recommended to attend to TU 2 to 4 times per week for approximately 2 to 10 weeks, with the following objectives:

  • To generalize the client’s newly acquired language, sensory processing, attention and behavioral skills to his/her schoolwork

  • To establish optimal working behavior and organizational skills

  • To help clients become independent and self-confident in the use of their improved skills

Parent Education and Participation

Opportunity to meet with the psychologist once per week for the duration of the treatment program for the following purposes:

Parent-education
  • Awareness of the treatment the child is receiving

  • Progress updates

  • Allows you to voice your concerns and questions and receive feedback

  • Learn behavior management techniques