Five Pediatric Occupational Therapy Clinics in Huntersville, NC

Oftentimes, it's hard to find the right fit for your child when it comes to a therapist. Here is a list of all the pediatric occupational therapy clinics we could find in our city of Huntersville, NC to help you with your research. Although there are other clinics in surrounding areas, this post is specific to Huntersville, NC.

When researching clinics, here are a couple of important questions to ask before committing to a program.

1) Will my child be treated by an OTR (Registered Occupational Therapist) or a COTA (Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant) during their regular sessions, and will they have the same therapist for the whole treatment program?

Assistants (COTAs) do not provide initial evaluations or treatment plans, this is the first responsibility of an OTR and the most important step in your child's OT journey. The challenge within pediatric therapy is that children are dynamic and can not always be accurately evaluated within the first few sessions, but will require regular ongoing interpretation as your child builds a relationship with their therapist. Your child may not be comfortable with therapy until they develop a relationship with their therapist. When your child sees a COTA as their primary therapist, or if they see multiple therapists, this ongoing "interpretive evaluation" is disjointed, as the COTA will then need to interpret a child's behavior during session time based on their knowledge base and pass that information along to the OTR who will then make adjustments to the treatment plan. When possible, your child should have one therapist who is licensed and skilled to evaluate and adjust the treatment plan with direct observations, as your child adjusts to challenges. For a more detailed look at the role of a COTA as compared to an OTR click this link from The American Occupational Therapy Association.

2) Will my child be in a private environment without distractions? Many clinics with large staffs share space, as it's necessary to accommodate the vast amount of kids that visit each day without having to provide private rooms for each session. Many clinics have a shared gym area for gross motor activities or even a classroom-type environment with separate desks for more cognitive tasks. Group visits can have value when the child is working on social interaction specifically. For individual sessions, it's preferable to have a private environment, free from chaos or other distractions. There are always compromises based on availability, but if you can, try to find a peaceful circumstance for your child without other children in the immediate area unless social interaction is their goal.

Here are the five Occupational Therapy Clinics in Huntersville, NC

1) Playright Occupational Therapy: This of course is our clinic and although we are new to the Huntersville area, we have been in business since 2008 (California transplants) and I have been personally treating children since way back in 1988. Playright has a strong sensory focus and is centered around a calming environment. I have a solo practice, so when your child visits Playright, I will be treating them personally. Take a look at our office tour here to see our setup. As of this posting, we have spots available most days and we offer a free consultation to see if we're a fit for your family. Playright is in-network for Blue Shield, Blue Cross, and AETNA insurance. We are located at 10224 Hickorywood Hill Ave, Suite 101B in Huntersville. You can reach us at 704-251-4373

2) Pediatric Advanced Therapy PAT: This group offers more than just occupational therapy. They've been around since 1999 as a company and have at least 7 locations. They are located at 16415 Northcross Drive, Suite F in Huntersville. They mention offering OT, PT, Speech, and ABA at this location and take most major insurance. You can reach them at 704-799-6824. Here's a link to their website for more information.

3) Little Wonders Pediatric Therapy: Here's another clinic that offers occupational therapy, as well as speech and physical therapy. They take many major insurance plans and mention having 3 locations, with their Huntersville address being 320 Seagle Street. From looking at their website they limit their age range from infancy to 12 years old. Their phone number is 704-752-1616. Here's a link to their OT services page.

4) Compleat KiDZ: This clinic, similar to the others, offers the full range of therapy services, such as ABA, Physical, and Speech, as well as Occupational Therapy. It looks like they take the major insurance plans. They have a whopping 14 locations and a very large staff, as of this writing, with their Huntersville location being at 16409 Northcross Drive. From their staff roster, it looks as if they specialize in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Here's a link to their Huntersville page.

5) ACT Therapy Services: ACT therapy provides both OT and Speech with 3 locations and their Huntersville location is at 215 Gilead Rd, Unit 201. It looks like they accept most major insurance plans. Their phone number is 980-237-3132 and their website link is here.