Jenny has been practicing in pediatrics for over 19 years. She attended Florida Gulf Coast University and Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions were she obtained a post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree in 2011. Jenny is a certified Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist and a certified ADHD- Rehabilitation Services Provider. Her areas of interest include: Sensory Processing, Childhood Development, Early Intervention, Autism, ADHD, Neurodiversity, Evidence-Based Practice & Self Regulation. She enjoys learning new techniques & approaches to continue evolving as a practitioner. Having personal experience with neurodiversity, she is passionate about providing quality care to neurodivergent children and their families. Jenny opened Just for Kidz Therapy in 2021 because she saw there was a need for better, more holistic care for children with developemental delays or disabilities.
Contact Us
Office #: (561) 288-0512
Fax #: (561) 962-1551
referrals@justforkidztherapy.com
admin@justforkidztherapy.com
About Us
Welcome to Just for Kidz Therapy, where purposeful play = progress! Just for Kidz Therapy is the solo practice of Dr. Jenny Villalobos, PP-OTD, OTR/L, ASDCS, ADHD-RSP, licensed Occupational Therapist, certified Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist and certified AHDH-Rehabilitation Service Provider. Jenny currently serves children 1-12 years old in Parkland, Coconut Creek, Coral Springs & Deerfield. All therapy occurs in the child's natural environment- either home, school, or in the community (i.e. public library).
Approach to Therapy
Just for Kidz Therapy's mission is to provide high quality therapeutic intervention focused on facilitating improved engagement, communication, physical, and social-emotional development so that our clients and their families can participate in meaningful activities together and enjoy their relationships more.
Jenny's play-based, developmental approach is what sets Just for Kidz Therapy apart from other local practices. She uses skilled therapeutic interaction and gentle guidance to facilitate improved regulation, social skills, motor skills, communication, and higher level cognitive skills such as problem solving, imagination & reasoning. She does this by joining the child in their interests in order to lay the groundwork for a safe, respectful & supportive relationship. Simultaneously, she identifies the child's individual differences (i.e. sensory sensitivities, motor skill challenges, anxiety) and tailors the experience to support them. For example, if a child is becoming overstimulated Jenny may use a softer tone of voice, speak slower, or position herself a few feet away to respect the child's need for personal space.
Once a solid therapeutic relationship has been established, she harnesses it to provide systematic challenges that facilitate the child's development from the bottom up. This is done by pushing the child just outside of their comfort zone without it becoming so frustrating that the child becomes agitated or feels defeated. In the OT world, this is referred to as providing the "just right" challenge. Jenny's goal is never to gain compliance or to simply have the child complete a set of assigned tasks, but rather to promote their development as closely as possible to any other typically developing child while providing just enough support for them to feel successful. By creating a fun, safe, and supportive environment, she provides the child an opportunity to try new things and to practice difficult tasks that they might otherwise avoid.
Jenny is committed to providing neurodiversity-affirming care. This is accomplished by:
- ENCOURAGING one's strengths; not only focusing on their challenges
- CONSIDERING how one's individual differences affect their performance
- IDENTIFYING any barriers (environmental or personal) to participation
- CREATING a supportive sensory environment
- MEETING kids where they are at; developmentally
- PRESUMING competence (the assumption that the child can improve/gain skills)
- HONORING all forms of communication (verbal, AAC, signs, gestures)
- RESPECTING kids bodily autonomy & right to say "no"
- CELEBRATING all accomplishments no matter how big or small
- ADVOCATING for people with disabilities & their right to have access to the supports they need in all environments
Now Offering Fun, Brain Building, Research-Based Playgroups for 2-5 Year Olds!!
In order to expand our reach in the community we are now offering fun playgroups that promote development to all young children, not just those with an identified developmental delays and/or disorders.
A strong sensory and motor foundation is essential for all future development. Because these skills develop through play and play is on the decline in recent years, we are seeing more and more older children with developmental gaps that are affecting their behavioral control, social emotional skills, and capacity for academic learning. Oftentimes, by the time these gaps are identified it is already past the point of one of the most critical periods of development (birth to 5 years). We created our playgroups as a proactive solution to this issue. Whether your child just likes being active and enjoys sensory play or you have noticed that your child would benefit from working on these things in a fun, low pressure environment, we've got you!
Our guided playgroups consist of sensory and motor activities that target important foundational skills, such as: shared attention, auditory processing, sensory perception & modulation, body awareness, postural control, bilateral coordination, motor planning, eye-hand coordination, dexterity, and in hand manipulation.
**Please note that our playgroups are not therapeutic intervention or medical services. They are for entertainment & enrichment purposes only.
PLAYGROUP DETAILS
- 40 minute playgroups for children ages 2-5
- Small group size (max 6 children/min of 3)
- Themed classes are held once a week for an 8-week session
- Playgroups are provided at your child’s preschool or daycare, during the school day, for your convenience
- Class themes: Arctic, Cars, farm, Dinosaurs, insects, ocean, pets, space, tools, vehicles, zoo & more
Each playgroup will have two group facilitators. One of them being a master's or doctoral-level professional (therapist or teacher) with extensive knowledge and understanding of early childhood development. The other being a background-checked, assistant group facilitator.
The play groups are held one time per week, for a 8-week session in the Fall, Winter, and Spring. The Fall session will begin in September, the Winter session will begin in January, and the Spring session will begin in April.
We are currently offering our playgroups at the following schools: Parkland Children's Academy
RESEARCH THAT INFORMED OUR PLAYGROUPS
Play Matters
Play is so important to optimal child development that it has been recognized by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights as a right of every child. Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is also important to healthy brain development.
Decrease in Play
Evidence suggests that play is on the decline. Some researchers have stated that children, on average, have lost 12 hours of play per week. The decline in play is happening in both homes and schools. Reduction in play has been attributed to many factors, including increased concern for safety (therefore fewer children playing outside in neighborhoods), more time spent doing structured activities such as organized sports, more time on screens, budget cuts and policy changes impacting recess and physical education time in schools, and more of an emphasis on academic skills beginning younger and younger which compresses time spent in play.
Positive Experiences Build Brain Architecture
Simply put, positive experiences strengthen brain circuits and threatening or negative experiences weaken them. While genes provide a basic blueprint, positive, responsive, playful experiences help shape the brain’s architecture and create a strong foundation for all future behavior and learning.
https://youtu.be/VNNsN9IJkws?si=JZc46M2qXvG-uLxA
Critical Period of Development
Early childhood is considered a critical period of development, meaning that during this time the brain is especially malleable and adaptive. Positive, responsive experiences will have a profound impact on how brain networks are organized. That is not to say that no change can occur later in childhood, however; experiences during this period of time will have the most significant impact on development.
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resource-guides/guide-timing-and-critical-periods/
Pyramid of Learning
Hierarchical progression is the idea that areas of development build upon each other as a child grows. In other words, development happens from the bottom up. The Pyramid of Learning is a visual representation of this. When a child has a gap (or missing skills) from one of the foundational levels, it will cause difficulty with development of later, higher level skills.
https://developlearngrow.com/the-pyramid-of-learning/
COMMON FAQ's
My child is neurodivergent; can he/she still join your playgroups?
Absolutely!! Our goal is to make our playgroups as inclusive as possible. That being said, the child needs to be able to participate in a group setting with other children. If you anticipate any issues with this, due to behavioral or motor concerns, please reach out before registering and we will try our best to develop a plan to accommodate them.
Do you take insurance?
No, we do not take insurance for our playgroups because they are not therapeutic (or educational) intervention. Although they are facilitated by a professional, they are for entertainment & enrichment purposes only and not considered medical services. If you are interested in individual therapy services see below for information on the programs and insurances Jenny works with.
Our Team
Mrs. Randie Ervin is the Office Manager and Billing Specialist at Just for Kidz Therapy. After years working in coporate America, she is currently completing a certification in medical billing & coding with AAPC, the nation’s largest education and credentialing organization for medical coders, billers, auditors, practice managers, documentation specialists, compliance officers, and revenue cycle managers. She is also Jenny's sister-in-law. Randie is a real estate investor, owner of RME Billing Services, a mother of two, and a proud grandma. She lives in Coral Springs with her family.
Hours & Closures
Regular Hours
Monday: Office Work/Billing
Tuesday: 9:00am to 6:00pm
Wednesday: 9:00am to 6:00pm
Thursday: 9:00am to 6:00pm
Friday: Closed
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
We are closed on all Federal holidays, including: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day & Christmas Day.
**Please note that Jenny will also take off the week of Broward County Public Schools Spring Break, two weeks in the summertime, and two weeks at the end of the year around Christmas for vacation. If this is a problem for you, please bring it up before starting the intake process because she may not be the best fit for your family.
Fees
55-minute Individual Therapy Session- $125
Evaluation (includes evaluation visit, scoring and
analysis of testing and the report write up)- $300
All new clients will begin the process with an initial evaluation to determine the need for therapy and to develop a plan of care. Formal reevaluation typically occurs once a year but intervention plans can be modified or updated, as needed, in between.
Programs & Insurances
EARLY STEPS
Jenny is a provider for Early
Steps which is Florida’s early
intervention program that
offers services, at no cost
to the family, to eligible
infants and toddlers who
have or are at-risk for developmental disabilities
or delays.
**If your child is in the
Early Steps program and
you would like to request
Jenny as their therapy
provider, please reach out
first to make sure that she
has availability. If so, then
you can contact your child's
Service Coordinator to ask
if it is possible.
FES-UA
Jenny is a provider for the
Step up for Student's Family
Empowerment Scholarship for
Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA). FES-UA
is a program which allows
parents to personalize the education of their children
with unique abilities by
directing money toward a combination of programs
and approved providers.
**Please Note: We will attempt
to bill FES directly for
these students through the
FES online portal. However,
if FES does not provide
payment, the parent is responsible for the cost
of all services already
rendered to their child.
FULL MEDICAID & CMS
Jenny is an in-network
provider for full Medicaid
and Children's Medical
Services often referred to
as CMS (currently managed
by Sunshine). To get the
process started we will need
a copy of your child's
insurance card and a script
from their pediatrician for OT.
**Important: We DO NOT
accept the Medicaid Managed
Care plans Simply Healthcare,
Community Care Plan,
Humana or Sunshine Health
UNLESS we receive the referral directly from Early Steps or if the child is under the age of 3.
PRIVATE INSURANCE
Jenny is not an in-network
provider for any private health
insurances (i.e. United
Healthcare, Ambetter, Oscar,
Aetna, Cigna). Payment for all sessions are due at time of
service via credit card. Cash
or check are not accepted.
If you have out of network
benefits, we are happy to
provide a monthly superbill
that you can submit to your insurance company for
reimbursement but we have
nothing to do with how much,
or if, they will reimburse you.
Please reach out to them
directly for information about
your specific plan & coverage.
Family-Centered Care
Family-centered care is widely considered best practice in pediatrics. Jenny highly encourages caregivers to be active participants in their child's therapy sessions. During this time, she will answer questions, provide education and resources and will coach you on how to build more playful interactions into your daily routines. The most natural, least stressful, and most effective way to improve a child's ability is to empower their parent(s) to support their individualized needs and facilitate their development. It does require some commitment on your part but, we promise, it will be so worth it!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) WHAT IS OT?
Occupational Therapists, called OT's, are allied health professionals that provide intervention to support their client's participation in the activities that occupy their time (aka occupations). Something unique about OT's is that we are holistic practitioners. This means that we consider the whole person and the physical, mental & emotional factors that affect their performance. Most branches of therapy, such as physical therapy or counseling, focus on one area only.
2) ISN'T IT "JUST" PLAYING?
Play-based therapists are providing skilled therapeutic intervention. However, if they are skilled at it, it should feel like "just" playing to the child. It is important to note that play is not a break from learning, but rather, it IS learning. In fact, the most important learning in childhood occurs via play. It helps to build the brain's architecture through the formation of neuronal connections which results in development of crucial language, physical, social emotional, and cognitive skills.
Jenny's play-based, developmental approach allows the child to develop as closely as possible to any other neurotypical child while still receiving enough support to feel successful. By respecting the child's interests & preferences it allows her to build rapport with them. By creating a fun, safe, and supportive environment, Jenny provides an opportunity to try new things and to practice difficult things that they might otherwise avoid. During these interactions, she uses therapeutic techniques to challenge the child and promote their development. One example of this is called playful obstruction, which can involve her pretending not to know how to do something or knocking something down "by accident". These techniques encourage the child to communicate, it provides them with a challenge to overcome, and it promotes thinking, problem solving & persistence.
3) WHAT IS NEURODIVERSITY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Neurodiversity refers to the idea that neurological differences reflect normal variations in brain development. Conditions often associated with neurodivergence include, but are not limited to: ADHD, Autism, Anxiety, OCD, Learning Disabilities & Down Syndrome. The neurodiversity paradigm suggests that these differences should be respected, understood, and supported, rather than pathologized or viewed as disordered. This is a shift from the traditional medical model of disability where historically treatment approaches that were aimed at making people appear & behave more "neurotypical".
Embracing neurodiversity is important because it:
- REDUCES the stigma around learning and thinking differences
- PROVIDES neurodivergent people a community and a sense of belonging
- INCREASES acceptance of neurodivergent people by their peers & their caregivers
- PROMOTES accessible supports and accommodations in all environments
There has been some criticism of this paradigm, particularly from parents of autistic children with high support needs. They have expressed that portraying autism as a difference, rather than a disorder, minimizes the significant difficulties that many autistic individuals and their caretakers face daily. This is an important point to consider and a reminder that not everyone will experience neurodivergence the same way.
4) DO YOU WORK WITH CHILDREN WITH BEHAVIORAL CHALLENGES?
Yes. Many of the children that Jenny works with struggle with frequent tantrums and/or meltdowns due to sensory processing differences and emotional dysregulation. OT's training in sensory processing can be very beneficial in addressing this. For younger children, she focuses on developing co-regulation with caregivers, identifying the child's sensory differences & preferences, and beginning to identify a few simple emotions. For older children, she focuses on self-regulation by developing a more complex understanding of emotions, stressors & sensory differences and how they all affect an individual's ability to achieve and maintain optimal regulation.
That being said, there are some unique situations where a child's behavioral needs require more support than we can offer. This is determined on a case by case basis but examples include: continuous self injurious behavior, significant physical or verbal aggression, and/or inappropriate sexual behavior. In these cases, the child should be under the care of a multidisciplinary team that includes a psychiatrist and specifically-trained mental health professionals.
5) MY CHILD'S DOCTOR RECOMMENDED OT & ABA. SHOULD WE DO BOTH?
Sure. We have many clients who do both therapies, as well as speech. We have no problem with this as long as it is understood that they are different types of therapy and will not look the same, nor should they.
6) HOW IS A DEVELOPMENTAL APPROACH DIFFERENT THAN A BEHAVIORAL APPROACH?
Behavioral therapy, such as ABA, is commonly recommended by pediatricians and neurologists especially for autistic children. Some OT's have adopted a behavioral approach but Jenny uses a play-based, developmental approach. Developmental, relationship-focused approaches focus on enhancing relationships between caregivers (i.e. parents, therapists, teachers) and children in ways that support the child’s movement through typical levels of development.
There are many differences between a behavioral and a developmental approach, the main one being that they are derived from different theoretical models. A developmental approach is derived from developmental psychology in which the aim is to understand the behavioral, emotional, physical, and cognitive growth and changes that occur throughout the lifespan. It investigates biological, genetic, neurological, psychosocial, cultural, and environmental factors (such as sensory processing, family history, mood, personality, attunement, executive function, motor skills, language, equity & trauma) and the effect of these factors on human development. Many of these factors are not outwardly observable, however; it is believed that they are vital to understanding an individual's motivation, strengths, and weaknesses and that they must be considered to facilitate positive development and support children in reaching their fullest potential (www.verywellmind.com/developmental-psychology-4157180).
ABA, is derived from behaviorism (also referred to as behavioral learning theory). In this theoretical model, it is believed that individuals acquire all behaviors through their interactions with the environment and that all actions are shaped by external stimuli, not internal stimuli which include things like thoughts, emotions, and personality. Behaviorists argue that it is not possible to objectively observe an individual's thoughts & feelings and therefore these internal events should be explained through behavioral terms instead (i.e. avoidance, access, attention) and the focus should be on developing a plan to increase desirable behaviors and decrease undesirable behaviors through the use of contingencies (i.e. reinforcement, punishment). (www.verywellmind.com/behavioral-psychology-4157183).
As far as how it might be different in practice, let's use an example of a child that is hitting the teacher during instruction. Looking at this situation from a behaviorist viewpoint, the goal would be to identify the challenging behavior (i.e. hitting), determine the function of it (i.e. avoidance), and to develop a plan to reduce it (i.e. provide reinforcement when not doing it). The reason behind the behavior is irrelevant as the focus is on behavior change.
On the other hand, from a developmental viewpoint, Jenny would attempt to figure out the reason WHY the child was hitting. She would observe them, consider the demands of the activity and what individual differences the child has, and how they might be affecting their behavior. Let's say that in this case, hand-over-hand is being used by teacher during instruction and it was identified that the child has a high level of anxiety, hyper-responsiveness to touch, and an inability to communicate. Her interventions would not be aimed at simply reducing the hitting. Instead, they might include adapting the activity so that it did not require hand-over-hand assistance or suggesting that the teacher gain their permission before touching them. She might teach the child about different emotions and how they make the body feel (i.e. tense, fast heart beat). She might teach the child to label how they feel (either verbally or nonverbally) and she might teach them to advocate for themselves (i.e. saying "no, thank you").
**Disclaimer: It is important to remember that while we are the experts in our respective fields, you as parents, are the expert in your own child. It is imperative that you do your own research so that you can make an informed decision and select the approaches & providers that are going to be the best fit for your loved one.
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