Treatment

Individual and group intervention approaches are grounded in evidenced-based best practices as outlined in ASHA. There is no single approach or style of treatment that Ms. Reardon and her staff subscribe to. Rather, they develop individualized programs that address the challenges and deficits observed during their evaluations, detailed in educational, neuropsychological and medical reports and expressed as parental concerns.

Services are provided for those aged 5 years to adulthood who have a variety of diagnoses that impact communication and executive function. The services are brain-based approaches to teaching verbal and nonverbal cognitive skills that are important for effective communication and efficient day to day living. Executive function skills, social cognition and related social skills are taught, practiced and then generalized to maximize a client’s flexibility and fluency in applying the newly acquired cognitive skills.

Ms. Reardon has been strongly influenced by her training under Sarah Ward and Kristen Jacobsen, Michelle Garcia Winner and Pamela Crooke, and she is certified in Ross Green’s Collaborative and Proactive Solutions Model. Over her decades of experience, Ms. Reardon has developed and continues to develop an approach that draws from her clinical experience, ongoing training and keeping abreast of the most updated research and efficacy-based training methods.  Through guided practice and in-the-moment coaching, she helps clients understand the WHY of social interaction to help them build the intrinsic motivation needed to achieve goals. She uses a combination of verbal, gestural and visual strategies and methods that include but are not limited to comic strip conversations, evaluation of programs available on You Tube, role play, videos, graphs, literature and play. Fun, relevance and humor are primary elements of her approach.

Although most intervention usually takes place in Ms. Reardon’s Yarmouth clinic, community outings and vocational visits are also important parts of treatment.

Parents are encouraged to be a part of sessions– particularly for school age students. If being in the session is not appropriate, it is recommended that parents participate in a 10 to 15 minute “Parent Talk Time” at the end of every session to discuss the methods used with their child, the associated tasks, the goals of the tasks and how they can be implemented in the home and school, if applicable.  Ms. Reardon and her staff want to be available for questions and concerns to best meet the needs of the client and family. Frequently, homework for targeted practice in specific situations is given to clients and families to engage in between sessions. Ms. Reardon and staff are proud to share that the majority of clients who come to the clinic look forward to the experience.

The frequency and duration of services depend on the levels of functioning and individual needs that are identified. Ms. Reardon and her staff will collaborate and work in conjunction with school-based therapists, teachers, educational specialists and other health professionals to maximize carryover across educational and vocational settings. Ongoing diagnostic therapy sessions are conducted regularly to monitor progress.