UFHealth CAN Rehab Team
The UFHealth CAN Rehab Center is located at the Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment. We provide evaluation and treatment throughout the life span for people who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or another neurodevelopmental disorder. We offer speech, physical, and occupational therapy for those who need intensive care. Our rehab center actively collaborates with the CAN transdisciplinary team to deliver comprehensive care to individuals on the autism spectrum within our community.
Therapies offered at UF Health CAN
Speech Therapy
Our speech-language pathologists work with patients to build communication skills affected by ASD and other neurodevelopment disorders. This includes receptive language (following directions and understanding basic concepts), expressive language (learning new vocabulary and/or using different communication methods), pragmatic language (building social skills to interact with people in different settings), and speech intelligibility (improving speech function to be understood by family and friends).
Physical Therapy
Our physical therapists help patients improve strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, and endurance, so they can move safely and efficiently around their environment. This includes building gross motor skills (skills needed to move large muscles in your body such as walking, running, and jumping). Physical therapy helps patients grow and develop safely, so they experience reduced or no musculoskeletal impairments.
Occupational Therapy
Our occupational therapists support patients in successfully completing their occupations (anything a person wants or needs to do in daily life). For individuals with ASD, therapy can include working on sensory processing (using senses to process the world around us), independence in self-care (using the restroom, dressing, eating, and grooming), fine motor skills (using smaller muscles in the body to perform tasks such as handwriting), self-regulation (strategies we use to calm ourselves), and social skills (skills used for interaction with others).
Intensive Care Episodes
Therapy offered at UFHealth CAN is delivered in intensive care episodes. An episode of care is the unit in which therapy is delivered, consisting of evaluation, goal setting, intervention, and assessing progress. The patient may go to therapy three or more times per week in an episode of intensive care.
Evaluation
At an evaluation, the therapist(s) will collect information about the patient and how they function and participate in their environment.
Goal Setting
The patient, therapist, and/or caregivers will discuss what activities are most important for the patient and develop goals. Then, the patient/caregiver will identify barriers to these goals, and the therapist will create a plan to achieve them. This is when they may recommend intensive care, a service offered at CAN.
Intervention
During intervention, the patient attends therapy at the rate/intensity that the therapist deems most appropriate to meet their goals. During an intensive care episode, a patient may attend therapy three or more times each week.
Assess Progress
At the end of a therapy or care episode, the therapist assesses where the patient is in meeting their goals and determine appropriate next steps. This could include continuing intensive care, reducing the rate of sessions, or taking a break from therapy.
UFHealth CAN Rehabilitation FAQs
What is the intensive care program?
This program is an episode of care in which therapy is offered three or more times per week for up to twelve weeks. At the end of the episode, the therapy team decides if the patient is ready for discharge. Patients enter the program on a short-term basis with a goal of being discharged back to their community provider.
Do I need a referral?
Yes. You will need a referral for therapy at CAN sent internally or via fax from your physician.
Do you see adults with ASD?
Yes. If diagnosed later in life, the therapy team can coach individuals with strategies to meet their individual needs.
What can I expect on my first visit?
After check in, the patient or caregiver will complete initial paperwork. Then, the therapist will promptly evaluate the patient and create a plan of care. This plan will be sent to the patient’s doctor for approval. After approval, therapy can begin.
What do patients do in Therapy?
UFHEALTH CAN Rehabilitation
Rock Wall
The rock climbing interactive wall is used by OT, PT and SLP for a variety of patient centered goals. Activities may include identification, sentence creation, color identification, and building strength by climbing the wall.
UFHEALTH CAN REHABILITATION
Open Gym
The open gym format is designed to allow the therapist to implement patient centered care. The patient can interact with various toys and sensory experiences in the environment while the therapist is facilitating adaptive responses with sensory challenges for the patient to develop new skills.
UFHealth CAN rehabilitation
Sensory Equipment
Sensory integration equipment allows the therapist to provide stimulation of the vestibular (movement), tactile (touch) and proprioceptive (pressure) systems. State of the art interactive centers are mounted on the walls to allow interaction with colors, shapes, fine motor and visual motor activities virtually through a touch screen.
ufhealth can rehabilitation
Sensory Rooms
Rope lighting and bean bags provide vision and touch stimulation. The calm and quiet space allows the patient to interact with their environment, enabling them to develop skills needed for play and daily activities. Some additional sensory items include an interactive bubble tube and weighted blankets.
UFHealth CAN Rehabilitation
Tactile and Proprioceptive Stimulation
Bean bags, weighted blankets and neon lights allow interaction with toys using touch, touch pressure and vision systems. Weighted blankets provide pressure to keep the patient calm while interacting with the equipment.
UFHEalth CAN Rehabilitation
State of the Art Equipment
Interactive equipment allows for color identification and selection as well as visual motor activities.
Contact
Finding UFHealth CAN Rehabilitation
After entering the building, go to the left wing. Then, follow the green leaf icon on the walls to find the UFHealth CAN Rehabilitation front desk.
Contact UFHealth CAN Rehabilitation
Phone: (352) 265-8960
Fax: (352) 265-8961