Advanced Clinical Education

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COFK is home to a talented and dedicated group of professional therapists. Our expert therapists meet a wide range of specialized patient needs and serve as mentors to fellow therapists in the following areas: Feeding and Swallowing Therapy, Autism Intervention, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), Sensory Integration Treatment, and Bilingual and Bicultural Populations.”

 

The COFK Advanced Clinical Education (ACE) Program helps us to ensure that we have expert therapists available for children with special needs. Each therapist or “ACE” that completes our program is qualified to work with children in need of specialized services.

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Our expert therapists meet a wide range of specialized patient needs and serve as mentors to fellow therapists in these clinical areas:

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Feeding and Swallowing Therapy:  Addresses sensory feeding issues, food aversions, GERD, muscle weakness in tongue or mouth, aspiration risks, airway risks, and nutritional risks.

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Autism Intervention:  Developmental and behavioral techniques and methods are utilized to increase and enhance the communication and social interaction of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

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Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC):  Includes all forms of communication (other than oral speech) that are used to express thoughts, needs, wants, and ideas. Children with severe speech or language problems rely on AAC to supplement existing speech or replace speech that is not functional. Special augmentative aids, such as picture and symbol communication boards and electronic devices, are available to help children express themselves.

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Sensory Integration Treatment:  Appropriate for children who have difficulty integrating information from the body’s five senses, to make sense of their surroundings and react to them appropriately.  By providing sensory integration therapy, our therapists are able to supply the vital sensory input and experiences that children need to grow and learn.

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Bilingual and Bicultural Populations:  Our bilingual therapists and interpreters address the needs of bilingual and bicultural Spanish patient populations and their families. Determining that a communication problem is present in a child’s primary language and treating the child in that language is of prime importance. We hold ourselves to the highest ethical standard in our approach to bilingual/bicultural issues, and we provide ongoing education and training to our therapists in this area.

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