In an effort to provide students with more specialized services, Yeshivat He’Atid is proud to announce its new partnership with Pediatric Occupational Therapy Services (POTS) led by Dr. Chaye Lamm Warburg and her team of therapists. Students will now be able to receive speech, occupational and physical therapy services during school hours, in the school’s new state-of-the-art sensory gym, complete with climbing walls, swings and a zip line. Rav Tomer Ronen, head of school at Yeshivat He’Atid, noted that “thanks to the generosity of a visionary Yeshivat He’Atid family, our new facility will enable students to benefit from the special services POTS has to offer.”
POTS was founded by Dr. Chaye Lamm Warburg in 1991. Dr. Lamm Warburg, along with her team of therapists, provides occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy at a state-of-the-art facility in Teaneck and in several schools (yeshiva, secular, public and private) in the tri-state area. The therapists at POTS address fine motor, gross motor, sensory, social and communication concerns, and help integrate students into the classroom. Sensory strategies, classroom modifications and sensory diets are provided when appropriate to help students develop the skills they need to thrive in the classroom.
Dr. Tani Foger, principal of Yeshivat He’Atid, explained how this initiative fits with the school’s mission: “At Yeshivat He’Atid, we are always seeking ways to offer our students a more holistic and child-centered learning experience. Having a sensory gym on site provides us with the unique opportunity for therapists to design an individualized therapeutic program with the input of a child’s teachers. Partnering between the school and therapists allows for greater improvement and success in all areas of occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy.”
There are a wealth of benefits to having services offered during school hours on school premises, and these benefits will be unique to Yeshivat He’Atid. Significantly, working parents will be able to get their children the services they need without having to take off from work. Students will be observed in their natural environment—the classroom—and close collaboration between teachers and therapists will enable therapists to directly address the students’ needs in the classroom. As the therapists work on underlying skills in the sensory gym, they will provide the teachers with strategies to enable children to benefit from their educational program.
The partnership between POTS and Yeshivat He’Atid comes with an added benefit. Parents and teachers who have concerns about students with language-processing or OT difficulties will have another resource. Quick screenings will be done once a year, at no cost to the parents. This will provide information as to whether or not a child will benefit from a more in-depth speech or OT evaluation. According to Dr. Lamm Warburg, “Early identification of underlying challenges and intervention to remediate them is the key to launching a successful academic career.”
For more information about the services that Dr. Warburg and POTS offer, you can e-mail [email protected] or [email protected]. If you would like more information about Yeshivat He’Atid, please visit our website www.YeshivatHeatid.org, or call the school at 201-374-2272.
By Michele Cohen
Michele Cohen lives in Teaneck, New Jersey, and is a proud Yeshivat He’Atid parent of Ava, Aaron, Charlotte and Hannah.
