By Jewish Link Staff

You might say occupational therapy comes second nature for Faiga Hager. As an occupational therapist and owner of My Therapy Clubhouse, a pediatric OT practice in Passaic, Hager hails from a family well-versed in the specialty. Her father Brian Terebelo, founded Big Apple Therapy Associates, which is now owned and operated by her mother Etty after his passing two years ago.

Hager’s mother is also an OT, in fact, a “phenomenal one,” as she describes it, and with over 30 years of experience, she is both her inspiration and mentor. She recalls that while growing up, her mother had taken a “career break” to raise Hager and her siblings but was still regularly asked to take on more extreme cases at home, which she always gladly did.

Hager was often invited to watch her mother administer hands-on therapy and, together with her siblings, were present to cheer on the children who came to their mother to be treated. “We were their cheerleaders and got to experience those exciting ‘ah-ha moments’ when they reached a goal or a milestone.” While applauding these kids’ achievements and success, Hager and her siblings also marveled at their mother’s unique, skilled and thoughtful approach with each child she treated. In fact, watching her mother work proved to be the pivotal experience that ultimately inspired her to become an OT.

Flash forward to My Therapy Clubhouse where Hager and her team of experienced therapists treat children from the ages 0-18 years old for a variety of developmental issues. The clinic at My Therapy Clubhouse is designed to be a calm and understimulating environment to accommodate all children including those with sensory processing disorders and autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Specializing in sensory integration and feeding related issues, Hager is also a certified autism specialist with special training in DIR Floortime, which stands for the Developmental, Individual-Differences and Relationship-based model, a proven approach that utilizes relationships and connections to help encourage healthy development. For speech therapy, My Therapy Clubhouse utilizes the PROMPT method, which stands for Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets, and is considered to be a highly effective hands-on approach for illustrating articulation by showing kids which muscles to use.

Hager and her team at My Therapy Clubhouse pride themselves on their commitment to continually learn more to expand their knowledge and grow in their field. The team regularly works with caregivers and educators to help them implement plans so that each child can gain the necessary skills for success.

The practice offers a collaborative approach for feeding challenges through an OT and speech therapy perspective employing both the results-driven SOS Approach feeding program and the AEIOU method — Acceptance Exposure, Independence, Observation and Understanding. Hager added that “AEIOU and SOS are child-led behavioral sensory approaches to feeding that help a child learn to and enjoy eating and leads to incredible results.” AEIOU is a responsive approach that has been highly effective in treating infant and young children who are experiencing feeding challenges.

If a parent suspects an issue, Hager said the first step is to speak to their pediatrician who will then perhaps give a referral for an evaluation. Modulation difficulty from being over- or under-stimulated, which can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety, is one sign that could indicate a developmental concern. Difficulty staying focused or paying attention might be another sign.

Low muscle tone in infants and toddlers could signal potential delays of gross motor skills. But, with the right therapies, encouragement and practice, Hager said children can learn to overcome these and other types of challenges.

In general, Hager stressed the importance of letting children be independent. “There are parents who like to be on top of everything and do everything for their child so that their child does not struggle. But if these parents just take a step back to let their child experiment, and yes, even fail, they will give their children a chance to thrive and possibly avoid therapeutic intervention.”

When parents “step away” they are allowing their children to learn how to go out of their comfort zone and give them the tools to thrive without intervention. Hager said doing so is highly beneficial because it challenges them, and the benefits will be endless.

As for feeding, even though it can get very messy, Hager encourages the practice of allowing children to feed themselves. “It’s very important for a child to explore the food themselves — to self-feed and get messy. It’s going to help them overall with the OT aspect of tactile awareness and will help them find pleasure in the process of eating.”

She also stressed the importance of “roughhousing” or playing with a baby. All types of vestibular sensory input for babies such as dancing, spinning, skipping, and even swinging them or lifting them high in the air are absolutely essential. “Vestibular input is a foundational skill for things like balance, coordination, muscle tone, righting reactions, healthy eye movement and alertness.” She said that these movements are foundational and will help babies reach core milestones in a timely manner.

My Therapy Clubhouse accepts most major commercial insurance and Amerigroup Community Care. To learn more, visit www.mytherapyclubhouse.com, email [email protected], or call (732) 644-6643.