Innovative Therapy 4 Kids / IT4K - Carlsbad, California

Sara C.

This is from my 9-year old son who is seeing Kim for OT and Tom for Speech:
"The games are fun that I get to play. I like going. I'm improving how many words I can read. It's fun!"
From me:
My son is seeing improvements after only a handful of visits to each therapy. All of the staff aew polite and helpful. It's a very positive and encouraging environment. They work with you and never make you feel like you aren't doing enough at home. My son is delayed in reading and a little bit of speech. He always has a smile on his face whenever he's working with a therapist because they make it all fun and engaging for him. This is a wonderful therapy center that I highly recommend.

Marquette R.

We have been going to IT4K for over 9 years and it's been amazing. We see Tom for Speech, Amy for PT, and Kim for OT and we love them all. They are so creative and think outside the box. Anything we are having problems with they are willing to help. They will even partner with the school and work on the same things the schools working on.

Olivia G.

This is both long and long override!

Most recently, our almost 8 year old was assessed and then seen by Kim for OT services. You know that feeling as a parent when you’re doing “all the right things” but still can’t help but feel in your gut you’re missing something? I’ve always noticed some interesting sensory situations with our kiddo (trouble with loud sounds, easily over stimulated, etc) but just did not want to “make a thing of it.” Well, those little things add up overtime and can absolutely push a child over the edge into overwhelm, dysfunction and even less than favorable behaviors. Kim quickly got to work and gave us a very (manageable) and detailed plan. Over the last 4-6 months, our entire family dynamic and the way we relate to our child and each other has changed for the better. We were so close doing many things “right” by our child but needed some help. Kim met our family exactly where we were. She understood our values and priorities and worked within that to give us all tools to make our day (and honestly our lives) so much more enjoyable. Our girl has made significant improvements in vision, executive functioning, higher reasoning (and so much more) that gave her the tools to be such a better listener, more agreeable and honestly much more compliant. Each week Kim gave us a few new tools in our tools belt and easy things to work on that sound simple but we’re incredibly profound. We have benefited more from pediatric OT than honestly in my opinion any therapy office could provide (and I say that as a licensed mental health clinician). Kim sees, knows and loves our girl. It was an investment we were not planning on making but I can not express how worth it this journey has been.

Our daughter LOVED her appointments. Which makes sense because she was now living in a body she enjoyed and in a much more harmonious house. I hate that we are moving but look forward to coming back to visit for check ins and continued adjustments and improvements. I cannot quite articulate how grateful we are to Kim and IT4K for their kindness, professionalism and ability to meet their clients exactly where they are to become the best versions of themselves they could possibly be.

Caitlin D.

We are SO grateful we found Ms. Kim OT! She was highly recommended and understands kids better than anyone. Her sessions are fun and full of games. My daughter would beg to go see her. She really helped regulate my daughter and understood her unique behaviors that even I struggled to understand. No other practitioner knew how to help my daughter except for Ms. Kim. I think my daughter knew she was in good hands because she bonded so well to her and that hasn't happened with any other teacher/ therapist. Can't thank you guys enough!

Ashley T.

I initially found IT4K after a pretty traumatic dental surgery and new onset TMJ. Laura was the first and only (of so many doctors and providers) who quickly assessed what I was experiencing and quickly came up with a plan. You know when you’re in crisis and want to help yourself but just do not know how to get started or who to listen to next? I called Laura the “captain” of my ship. She not only leads industry stranded but innovates them. She does not wait for 20 year old research to give something a try. She is a leading expert in the field of not only TMJ but also in nervous system regulation, body work and then the million topics than fall under oral and Myofacial therapies. She could assess my oral motor and body patterns to start trouble shooting ways to relieve pain now and prevent continued damage and even prevent such decompensation in the future. Some of this may sound like a lot but if you have ever been in head, face, neck and jaw pain, you know exactly what I am talking about. It is excruciating and debilitating. What is different about Laura is that if she does not know - she will go find out (instead of medically gaslighting you that what you are experiencing is not happening). I stayed with her for almost 2 years because going anywhere else for temporary relief was just not worth it when I can make actual progress with Laura.

I even saw Billy for muscle relief with cutting edge technology in basically medical biofeedback. It was long lasting relief and way more therapeutically helpful than just a 60 minute massage with no continued relief once you left the office. He is incredibly knowledgeable and thinks outside of the box. He helped me with gait patterns, ergonomics and even some reframing of what it is to experience pain.

Laura then saw our 7 year old daughter. This story is insane. She was struggling with d dental decay despite a limited processed food diet. We did find a naturopath to help with gut support but Laura got to work on her oral motor patterns. She helped bring her out of mouth breathing and into body awareness. Kids are so much more capable than we give them credit for. We enrolled in the 16 week app shortly after. There is a degree of compliance that is absolutely necessary BUT our girl did the exercises every day and worked so hard. Can you imagine learning all of this young and avoid decades worth of maladaptive behaviors and pain/dental work? All of this to say at her next visit to the dentist - all of her cavities had arrested. This was the first visit in years where she had no cavities! This was after years of gut work, diet changes, supplements, anything and everything.

I cannot recommend Laura, Patrick, Billy or Kim enough. Even Victoria at the front desk just knows our family at this point, ha! They’re so professional, knowledgeable and I would not trust anyone else besides IT4K. This place is truly special.

Do yourself and your child a favor and give them a try. Every assessment we had I felt like - oh my goodness do you guys have a camera in our home like this is all exactly spot on. They know what they are doing. If you are ready to support your child through these changes and appointments - you will not regret it.

We are profoundly grateful to IT4K!

Samantha L.

I can’t say enough about this clinic! My daughter came here as a client of the Regional Center and worked with Amy, Kennedy, Cindy, and Cassie for about a year. To say they worked wonders with her is an understatement! Before coming to the clinic, my daughter rarely engaged in recipricol activities, uncompliant in all areas, and was completely lost in her own headspace. Now she is a thriving 3 year old, who loves to play with others, is social, and can tolerate engaging activties led by adults. All therapists in this clinic train one another in their specialties. Amy’s incorporates Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy in her Physical Therapy curriculum. As does Kennedy, Cassie, and Cindy (before she retired). This attention to detail and dedication and team cooperation has does wonders and each therapist is so incredibly kind. Delilah absolutley loved coming to this clinic. She ran in the door and cried leaving, every time. I would gladly drive 40 minutes, each way, multiple times a week if only they accepted health insurance! Oh, and Victoria at the front desk is equally kind! Just a very special place dedicated to little ones with big needs. Thank you so very much. My daughter now grabs me by the arms to come play with her and cuddle her. As a parent, what else could you ask for?

T M.

My son, Wyatt, age 8, has been struggling with his handwriting. My wife and I recently had a parent teacher conference and Wyatt’s teacher highlighted what we already knew was a concern for us. It was time to do something. We took Wyatt to Innovative Therapy 4 Kids to see Kennedy for the handwriting program. Kennedy is an excellent occupational therapist! She is knowledgeable, patient, and incredibly good with Wyatt. She made him feel comfortable and at ease during the sessions, which was crucial for his progress. She also did a fantastic job of explaining the therapy plan to us, gave us home program activities that we could functionally fit in at the end of our day and she kept us updated on his progress.

Innovative Therapy 4 Kids approach is not your ordinary “drill-drill-drill” till it hurts type of therapy. The activities they were doing were dynamic and built a solid foundation for Wyatt. He was learning his ‘left and rights’ as he was balancing on a rocker board, playing with several types of putty to build hand strength, writing with dry erase markers on the window to keep him motivated with handwriting tasks. After just a few weeks of therapy, my wife and I had seen a significant improvement. Wyatt's handwriting is now much more legible, and he is even starting to enjoy writing! Both his teachers at school pulled me aside last week to show me writing samples from the past and what he was currently doing. I was blown away by what I saw!

We are incredibly grateful to Kennedy for her expertise and dedication. We highly recommend her to anyone seeking occupational therapy for their child.

Zach H.

Innovative Therapy 4 Kids has been a life saver for my almost three-year-old son. He's had speech and physical therapy for over 18 months and has recently included occupational therapy to his schedule. My wife and I have seen so much growth in his development, specifically his endurance, stamina, articulation, and most importantly, his confidence. My son began therapy with one word and now he can hold conversations with us. He runs, jumps, and balances...a far cry from where he started with Ms. Amy. Ms. Kim has helped him regulate his emotions, get dressed in the morning, and fine-tune his fine motor skills. They've also created home programs that are easy enough for everyone in the family to implement with my son. The staff at IT4K are devoted individuals who truly care about my son's growth and happiness. We have been so fortunate to find a lifelong family in IT4K.