OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY FOR KIDS
Our Story
At 8SENSES THERAPY, we’re committed to providing children with exceptional therapy in a compassionate and friendly atmosphere. Located in Rome, Italy, 8SENSES THERAPY is one of the few bilingual clinics in the area.
Do we have 8 SENSES? The answer is yes! Sight, sound, touch, taste and smell are known as the five basic senses. In addition to the basic five, researchers have found that our sensory nervous system includes: body movements/vestibular System, body awareness/proprioception, and introception. Evaluation and treatment are based on the child's ability to integrate the sensory systems.
The founder of 8SENSES THERAPY, Laila Kristine Rigdon, is a certified Occupational Therapist in both Italy and the United States of America.
Laila has always had an interest in helping people and working with children. Her passion for pediatrics started in 1999 during her entry level Master's program at Duquesne University, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Laila founded 8SENSES THERAPY in 2020 to empower parents and provide a therapy service with a focus on developing functional skills for children and parent child relationships whilst collaborating with educators and other health professionals. There is a passion to share her knowledge with the Italian community, thus, providing supervision for Italian occupational therapists.
Through educating teachers and parents, we are able to build an understanding of the implications of health issues on a child’s learning, emotional, social and play development. We are able to achieve outcomes in a number of areas while using a collaborative approach. These areas include fine motor development, gross motor development, postural control, balance and coordination, sensory processing, visual-motor integration, motor planning, proprioception and organisational skills.
Laila has over 15 years of experience working with children with a range of diagnosis’ including Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorders, developmental delay, ADHD, ADD, sensory processing disorders, and learning difficulties.
Committed to professional development, Laila has completed numerous courses to stay update to date within the industry, such as Handwriting Without Tears, Brain Gym, Interactive Metronome, and SCERTS method. With a special interest in sensory processing, in October 2020, Laila will be certified in the Ayres Sensory Integration® (ASI).