OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY SERVICES

At Duncan Lake Therapy Collective, our occupational therapy (OT) services support children, teens, and adults through a neuroaffirming, relational, and strengths-based approach. We believe OT should empower individuals to participate in the activities (“occupations”) that matter most to them—whether that’s playing, dressing, managing daily routines, or navigating sensory environments. Therapy at DLTC is always collaborative, respectful, and tailored to the individual, never prescriptive or one-size-fits-all.

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Our Approach

Our occupational therapy care, like all services across Duncan Lake Therapy Collective, is grounded in the following core principles:

  • Neuroaffirming Care We honor neurodiversity and do not view differences as deficits. Instead of attempting to “fix” or suppress natural sensory processing styles or nervous system responses, our OT supports accommodation, regulation, self-advocacy, and skill-building in ways that feel safe and authentic to the individual.

  • Culturally Responsive and Humble We recognize that family customs, culture, identity, lived experience, and home environments shape how daily routines and activities are experienced. Our therapists practice with cultural humility, continually adapting care to respect and support each client and family.

  • Collaborative and Integrated Occupational therapists at DLTC work closely with our speech-language pathologists, mental health clinicians, educators, and caregivers. By aligning goals across disciplines, we provide cohesive, holistic care that supports the whole person.

  • Play-Based and Strengths-Centered For children, play is the primary “occupation” of childhood. Therapy sessions are child-centered and guided by joy, connection, and interest. For teens and adults, sessions focus on practical, meaningful real-world goals and activities.

  • Meeting Clients Where They Are We meet each person at their current developmental level, sensory capacity, and emotional readiness. We focus on building trust, co-regulation, and sustainable tools for everyday life.

What We Support

We provide occupational therapy for children, adolescents, and adults. While the specific focus of therapy changes across the lifespan, our goal remains the same: supporting autonomy, confidence, and meaningful participation in daily life.

Sensory Processing & Nervous System Regulation

  • Sensory Avoidance & Seeking: Understanding unique sensory profiles (touch, sound, movement, visual, oral) and building sensory accommodations.
  • Self-Regulation & Co-Regulation: Supporting nervous system state regulation to manage stress, transitions, and sensory overload.
  • Interoception: Helping individuals connect with internal bodily cues like hunger, bladder signals, temperature, and emotional states.

Executive Functioning & Daily Routines

  • Daily Living Skills (ADLs): Dressing, grooming, hygiene, mealtime independence, and sleep routines.
  • Planning & Organization: Managing multi-step tasks, time management, task initiation, and navigating transitions.
  • Environmental Modifications: Creating sensory-friendly home, classroom, or workplace setups that reduce overwhelm.

Motor Skills & Coordination

  • Fine Motor & Hand Function: Scissor skills, pencil grip, handwriting, buttoning, and tool manipulation.
  • Gross Motor & Motor Planning: Balance, body awareness, bilateral coordination, and spatial movement (praxis).
  • Visual-Motor & Perception: Eye-hand coordination and spatial awareness needed for drawing, reading, and sports.

Feeding Therapy & Mealtime Support

  • Sensory-Based Picky Eating: Expanding comfortable food textures and colors in a pressure-free environment.
  • Oral Motor & Self-Feeding: Supporting utensil use, cup drinking, and comfortable oral mechanics during meals.

When Is a Good Time to Seek OT Support?

There is no single threshold that makes occupational therapy “necessary”. Many individuals and families reach out simply because daily tasks feel harder, more overwhelming, or more stressful than they should. That alone is reason enough to reach out.

Here are a few questions you might ask yourself to determine if OT could be a good fit:

  • Sensory & Regulation: Does your child (or do you) seem easily overwhelmed by loud sounds, clothing textures, lights, or busy spaces? Or do they constantly crave intense movement and impact?

  • Daily Routines: Are daily transitions—like getting ready in the morning, mealtimes, or bedtimes—a constant source of stress or friction?

  • Motor Tasks: Does your child struggle with fine motor tasks like holding a pencil, using scissors, tying shoes, or buttoning clothing?

  • Executive Functioning: Does managing multi-step tasks, organizing schoolwork, or keeping track of daily materials cause ongoing frustration?

  • Feeding & Mealtimes: Is eating limited to a very small list of accepted foods due to sensory distress around taste, texture, or smell?

If you answered “yes” to any of these, an occupational therapy evaluation can offer clarity, practical tools, and compassionate support tailored to your family’s needs.

Cost & Insurance Information

Duncan Lake Therapy Collective is in-network with ASR, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Care Network, Priority Health, Cigna, and Optum / UnitedHealthcare. We are also a non-network certified provider for TRICARE.

We accept payment through HSA/FSA accounts and can provide itemized documentation (superbills) for clients seeking out-of-network insurance reimbursement.