Pediatric
Services

Big feelings and tough days are a familiar part of life’s journey. When emotions are easily escalated and hard to manage, or they are shutting down and withdrawn, it can be hard on everyone, but remember, you don’t have to do this alone, we’re here to help.

We support children and families in understanding and expressing emotions in ways that feel safe, meaningful, and connected. By working closely with families, caregivers, and schools, we help ensure strategies are consistent, practical, and helpful across home, school, and daily routines. We help children and families learn the ropes so they can set the sails.

Mealtimes can be both joyful and stressful for families. At Windward, we understand that eating is about more than what’s on the plate. Our occupational therapists partner with children and families to build skills and confidence that support safe and healthy feeding, while respecting culture, body cues, preferences, and medical needs.

Whether your child is selective in their foods, has difficulty chewing or coordinating movements for eating, or expresses big emotions or sensitivities around mealtimes, we will work alongside your family to support calmer, safer, and more connected feeding experiences.

While kids may find potty jokes funny, toileting itself can be tricky, emotional, and sometimes even messy. We get it, and want you to know that we’ve got the experience and comfort in helping families navigate this important part of life.

At Windward, we work alongside children and families to develop clear, achievable steps towards toileting independence, while supporting dignity and participation in everyday life. Our occupational therapists promote strategies that are developmentally aligned, feel safe, and are respectful. Let’s flush the stress and focus on meaningful next steps.

At Windward, we believe connection begins with communication, in whatever form that may be. Communication and social interaction are foundational life skills that don’t look the same for every child. Some children use words, others use movement, gestures, visuals, assistive technology, or shared interests to communicate and connect with the world around them.

Together at Windward, we explore how your child communicates best and what type of social interaction feels good to them and the caregivers around them. From there, we build practical, meaningful skills and strategies to support authentic connection, meaningful interactions, and effective communication.

Rest and daily rhythms shape how a child feels, functions, and engages with the world. Even though children practice these rhythms every day—moving through their routines and going to sleep each night (…eventually)—sleep and daily functioning can often be significantly challenging and unsuccessful.

When sleep and daily routines are supportive of a child’s individual needs, it creates a strong foundation for regulation, focus, emotional resilience, and meaningful participation throughout the day. Windward occupational therapists take the time to understand each child and support families in developing healthy sleep and daytime routines that promote health, ease, satisfaction, and confidence. We’ll all be doing this every day for the rest of our lives so might as well make it good now; we’d love to help.

Fine and gross motor skills contribute to how children use their bodies to explore, play, and participate in daily life. Gross motor skills involve whole-body movement, such as sitting, moving through space, maintaining balance, or changing positions. Fine motor skills support smaller, more precise actions, like manipulating toys, using utensils, drawing, or managing buttons on clothing. Coordination describes how these movements are organized and timed, allowing different parts of the body to work together during an activity.

When a child is working to participate in their daily life and motor skills and/or coordination are a barrier, Windward occupational therapists work with them to build the motor skills and coordination when growth is possible, while also identifying when access and adaptation are needed to support participation.

We aim to foster a child’s successful engagement in meaningful activities in ways that work for their bodies.

Safe, accessible, and respectful education is a child’s right. While school can be a place of learning, connection, and growth, it can also be a place of complexities, worry, challenges, and setbacks. Every child experiences school differently, shaped by their strengths, support networks, environment, and unique needs. Through collaborative problem-solving and thoughtful guidance, we empower children to discover what works for them and to develop a sense of ownership over their achievements.

Windward works 1:1 with students as well as within schools on a larger scale to offer group programming on topics that help students, the school team, and classrooms at large find balance, success, and successful engagement. We focus on empowering students and their teachers, promoting safe, meaningful, and realistic participation in schooling, and helping students build confidence to access learning and belonging.

At Windward, we believe that children develop a strong sense of self, purpose, and confidence through participation in activities that feel meaningful, enjoyable, and authentically theirs. In the hustle and demands of daily life, the opportunities for enjoyment can easily be overlooked.

We hold clarity in our role of supporting children and families to connect with activities that feel good, build confidence, and foster the sense of belonging. By focusing on enjoyment, participation, and self-understanding, we help children develop the foundations for confidence, autonomy, and lifelong engagement in the activities that matter to them and promote a healthy life.