Soaring Therapy and Learning Center, Inc.

08/22/2026

Join our team!

08/21/2026

Congratulations to this speech graduate! We are so proud of you! 💛

08/19/2026

Congratulations to this OT graduate! We are SO proud of you! 🤩💛

08/18/2026

Congratulations to this rockstar speech graduate! We are so proud of you for crushing all of your goals 🤩🌟

08/14/2026

🎒📚Speech Therapy Back-to-School Tips for Parents and Teachers

* Talk about the new school year: Use pictures, books, or conversation to discuss new teachers, classrooms, friends, schedules, and things the student is excited or nervous about.
* Practice self-advocacy: Give students functional phrases they can use at school, such as: “I need help.”; “Can you say that again?”; “I don’t understand.”; “I need more time.”; “Can I have a turn?”
* Work on following directions: School routines often involve multi-step directions. Incorporate 2–3 step directions using familiar classroom activities and materials.
* Build conversational skills: Practice answering questions, asking follow-up questions, staying on topic, taking turns, and appropriately ending conversations.
* Target classroom language: Work on skills such as asking for clarification, answering teacher questions, participating in group discussions, and appropriately gaining someone’s attention.
* Practice social problem-solving: Discuss scenarios students may encounter at school: What would you do if someone took your pencil? What could you say if you wanted to join a game?
* Support students who use AAC: Make sure school-related vocabulary and functional phrases are available on the student’s device. Practice navigating to important vocabulary rather than only targeting isolated words.
* Don’t forget regulation and communication: A student who is dysregulated may not be able to effectively access language or demonstrate their communication skills. Incorporate regulation supports and allow appropriate processing time.
* Practice intelligibility strategies: For students with reduced intelligibility, work on slowing down, increasing volume when appropriate, using clear speech, and repairing communication breakdowns.
* Prepare students for changes: New teachers, classrooms, schedules, or peers can be challenging. Visual supports, social stories, and role-play can help students understand and practice what to expect.

08/14/2026

🎒 Back-to-School Backpack Tips from a Pediatric PT!

A backpack may seem simple, but wearing one that’s too heavy or improperly fitted can affect your child’s posture, balance, and comfort throughout the school day.

Here are a few PT-approved tips:

🎒 Keep it light: Aim for a backpack that weighs no more than about 10–15% of your child’s body weight.

🎒 Use both straps: Encourage your child to wear both shoulder straps rather than carrying the backpack on one shoulder.

🎒 Adjust the straps: The backpack should sit comfortably against the back, with the bottom resting around the waist/hip area—not hanging low.

🎒 Pack smart: Place heavier items closest to your child’s back and remove anything they don’t need that day.

🎒 Watch for warning signs: Neck, shoulder, or back pain, changes in posture, frequent tripping, or difficulty putting on/taking off the backpack may indicate that it needs to be adjusted or lightened.

A properly fitted backpack can help your child move comfortably and confidently throughout their school day! 💪📚

Happy Back-to-School Season! 🎉

08/14/2026

🎒📚Occupational Therapy Back-to-School Tips and Strategies to Practice at Home and School

* Prepare for transitions: New classrooms, teachers, schedules, and routines can be overwhelming. Practice transitioning between activities and use visual schedules when appropriate.
* Support sensory regulation: Identify what sensory input helps each student regulate—movement breaks, heavy work, quiet spaces, fidgets, headphones, etc.—and communicate these strategies to teachers.
* Assess the classroom setup: Consider desk/chair height, foot support, seating position, lighting, noise, and visual distractions. Small environmental changes can make a big difference.
* Work on independence: Encourage students to manage backpacks, lunch containers, jackets, supplies, zippers, buttons, and other school-related self-care tasks as independently as possible.
* Build handwriting endurance gradually: Students may have difficulty returning to longer writing tasks after summer. Consider gradually increasing writing demands while monitoring fatigue and positioning.
* Practice functional school tasks: Opening containers, using scissors, managing folders, copying from a board, navigating hallways, carrying materials, and organizing supplies are all meaningful OT targets.
* Collaborate with teachers: Ask what the student is struggling with in the actual classroom. This can help ensure therapy targets translate into functional school participation.
* Consider regulation before compliance: If a student is struggling to sit, attend, or participate, consider whether their sensory, motor, communication, or emotional needs are being met before assuming they’re simply refusing the task.
* Remember that every student may need a different transition period: Some children jump right back into routines, while others need several weeks to adjust. Meeting them where they are can prevent unnecessary frustration.
* Share strategies with the whole team: When possible, collaborate with SLPs, PTs, teachers, and families so students receive consistent supports across environments.

08/11/2026

Congratulations to our wonderful leaders on our brand new clinic! It has been a long time coming, and we are so excited to finally have a place that our clinic can call home. At Soaring, we are committed to providing the best therapy services and upmost quality of care, and that starts with having these two model that for us day after day. We are so blessed to have Julie and Steve pour so much of their love, time, and energy into Soaring Therapy and Learning Center 🩵

We love you guys!!!

08/08/2026

Soaring and celebrating 🥳 Yesterday, we got to celebrate the expansion of Soaring Therapy and Learning Center, Inc. into a brand new building located at 88 Cemetery Street in Cleveland! We're so excited about how their new space allows them to better serve our community through expanded pediatric occupational, physical, and speech therapies!💙

08/08/2026