 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
A Brief History of Spiritos School
Spiritos School grew out of a specialty clinic that most
children call "Janet's House".
In 1989, Janet Lachowsky, OTR/L MIS, an occupational therapist,
wanted to provide a unique type of therapy for Central Virginia's
children with sensory and learning disorders. She founded
Richmond Therapy Consultants, Virginia's first freestanding clinic
for Sensory Integration Therapy. This treatment approach uses
neurodevelopmental methods to help challenged children perceive
and respond to sensory experiences in a more typical and
consistent fashion.
In 1998, the clinic moved from its small original location to the
current site in Midlothian. The new building was much larger. In
fact, it wasn't even an office--it had originally been built as a private
residence. With over twenty-three hundred square feet of indoor
space and five acres of land, Janet could now provide a much
wider variety of movement therapies than had previously been
possible in the old setting. Janet wanted the new facility--which
today includes both Richmond Therapy and Spiritos School--to be
as homelike as possible. Happily, most of the children who have
come for treatment refer to the clinic as "Janet's House". Today,
we continue to take pride in and foster this comfortable
atmosphere.
A special child sparked Janet's interest in the educational needs
of children with autism. In 1999, a youngster named Matthew
began coming to Richmond therapy. Although his extreme
hypersensitivity to touch and sound rapidly improved with
treatment, problems with language and social interaction
continued. Matthew was subsequently diagnosed with autism.
Via the Internet, Matthew's mother discovered that educational
programs based upon Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) have
been quite successful with children with autism. Together, she and
Janet investigated the ABA approach and incorporated it into
Matthew's therapeutic program. (Janet later received extensive
training in ABA methods, and she will soon be fully credentialed as
a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.) Matthew made impressive
gains. Before moving to another state, his mother wrote to Janet,
"I wish to express my sincere gratitude for the excellent work
you have done with Matthew. The commitment, caring and
positive reinforcement given by all has made a difference for
my son." Vivian D.
continue
Spiritos School grew out of a specialty clinic that most
children call "Janet's House".
In 1989, Janet Lachowsky, OTR/L MIS, an occupational therapist,
wanted to provide a unique type of therapy for Central Virginia's
children with sensory and learning disorders. She founded
Richmond Therapy Consultants, Virginia's first freestanding clinic
for Sensory Integration Therapy. This treatment approach uses
neurodevelopmental methods to help challenged children perceive
and respond to sensory experiences in a more typical and
consistent fashion.
In 1998, the clinic moved from its small original location to the
current site in Midlothian. The new building was much larger. In
fact, it wasn't even an office--it had originally been built as a private
residence. With over twenty-three hundred square feet of indoor
space and five acres of land, Janet could now provide a much
wider variety of movement therapies than had previously been
possible in the old setting. Janet wanted the new facility--which
today includes both Richmond Therapy and Spiritos School--to be
as homelike as possible. Happily, most of the children who have
come for treatment refer to the clinic as "Janet's House". Today,
we continue to take pride in and foster this comfortable
atmosphere.
A special child sparked Janet's interest in the educational needs
of children with autism. In 1999, a youngster named Matthew
began coming to Richmond therapy. Although his extreme
hypersensitivity to touch and sound rapidly improved with
treatment, problems with language and social interaction
continued. Matthew was subsequently diagnosed with autism.
Via the Internet, Matthew's mother discovered that educational
programs based upon Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) have
been quite successful with children with autism. Together, she and
Janet investigated the ABA approach and incorporated it into
Matthew's therapeutic program. (Janet later received extensive
training in ABA methods, and she will soon be fully credentialed as
a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.) Matthew made impressive
gains. Before moving to another state, his mother wrote to Janet,
"I wish to express my sincere gratitude for the excellent work
you have done with Matthew. The commitment, caring and
positive reinforcement given by all has made a difference for
my son." Vivian D.
continue
| Spiritos School "Spirit with an Operating System" |