Dove consists of a team of individuals with varying areas of expertise and temperaments, thus assuring the likelihood that each child referred to us will be matched with a therapist who can best address the unique array of strengths and weaknesses presented by that child. We offer a large sensory gym with equipment often referred to as “state of the art” by visiting therapists from across the country. The suspended equipment and floor apparatus is used to provide vestibular activation and heavy work to improve the level of arousal and attention for both sensory over-responsive and sensory under-responsive children. Children with coordination deficits, dyspraxia, and poor postural control are able to use our over sized equipment to help “re-wire” their brains and nervous systems through participation in specially designed exercises and gross motor activities. Our gym is complemented by two smaller areas, one for preschoolers and one for upper grade level children, each containing an entire library of manipulatives suitable for developing fine motor, visual motor, and audio-visual integration skills.
Protocols for Therapeutic Listening are often provided as a complementary service without additional charge during treatment. These protocols are used to enhance attention, self-regulation, task organization skills, auditory filtering skills, ability to follow instructions, fine motor skills, and rhythmicity with improved motor control for coordination activities.
Renée Okoye, clinical director, is one of only eight Board Certified Pediatric occupational therapists practicing in New York State. She was a former professor of Occupational Therapy at New York University and an adjunct professor at Touro College where she specialized in teaching clinical neurology. Renée now teaches specialty professional workshops in various states across the country on a broad range of topics that impact pediatric populations. She holds a Master’s degree from Stony Brook and has authored professional publications and selected book chapters from 1989 through 2008. Her copyrighted books and other professional materials are now marketed through Dove Ministries for Children, the non-profit organization she founded in 1997 to serve the ongoing educational needs of parents, therapists, and other caregivers of children with sensory processing disorders.
In terms of ongoing professional development, Renée has partnered with the founders of Camp Avanti in Hudson, WI, and Sensory Integration Programs in Athens, Greece where she provides lectures to other therapists. She is on the faculty of Professional Development Programs and was formerly a faculty member of Sensory Integration International.
Of personal note, Renée is a former medical missionary and currently is an ordained minister. She serves as Comptroller at a large multinational church where she fellowships in Jamaica, New York.
Dove is affiliated with several local colleges and provides opportunities for ongoing clinical education for their students and graduates. Dove’s fieldwork program has been developed and coordinated by Gary Mattheson, who works individually with each fieldwork student. He is also the designer of several innovative pieces of clinic equipment for our gym.
The community outreach needs of Dove Rehabilitation Services is complemented by a not-for-profit division, Dove Ministries for Children which is a recognized 501 (c ) (3) organization. The aim of Dove Ministries is to serve as a conduit for bringing updated information about sensory based learning disabilities to the caregivers of children with Sensory Processing Disorders. Dove Ministries provides regularly scheduled low cost educational programs about SPD that are open to the public. Dove Ministries provides professional workshops on new and upcoming topics for therapists and disseminates publications and products that support their ability to care for children with SPD.
Dove Rehabilitation Services has had the opportunity to serve families and children with sensory processing disorders as a community based private practice since 1992. Since its inception, Dove has had a single owner and single purpose with the goal of providing excellence in service so that these children can maximize their potential. We serve children who have minimal to moderate sensory integration disorders that result in deficits of attention, dyspraxia, developmental coordination, body awareness, muscle strength, postural control, visual motor integration, and auditory filtering skills. The majority of our client base has been referred to us over the years through well satisfied customers.
