More classes and workshops, a new sensory gym, and more services. These are just a few of the things that Barrett Family Wellness Center will be offering in its new and larger Northborough space.

After a year of planning and construction, Barrett Family Wellness Center has moved not too far from its original Westborough location. Its new Otis Street location, which Barrett has occupied since February, is more than twice as large and will give them the opportunity to expand their services.

The business originally opened in 2000 by founder Phyllis Barrett Samara, who has been an occupational therapist for 38 years. Occupational therapy was the main focus of the business at that time, and has since grown so it can offer more to families and children.

Nicole Nolan, operations manager, is excited about the growth of the business. The center will continue to offer occupational and speech therapies to its clients, but will now be able to add physical therapy and a bigger educational component for parents and professionals.

The therapies offered at the Center address developmental issues in children including Sensory Integration Dysfunction, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome to name a few.

Typically, the center sees about 450 children a month, one time a week for an hour. The average age of the children seen is between 3 and 9 years old, but they do continue working with ages up to young adults. Nolan stated that their clients are about 90 percent pediatric.

"Most referrals are from doctors, parents, and word of mouth," Nolan said. Building a relationship with insurance providers also helped the business to blossom, according to Nolan.

The new clinic offers more specific rooms that address specific needs. A sensory room is one of those rooms, which gives clients a place to calm down and brings them back into focus. Special lighting, scents, and textures are all incorporated into this room among other aids.

"Sensory issues are involved when a child has information coming in," Nolan said, "but they are not able to process it in a meaningful way.  A child can be bothered by the tag in his or her shirt, by loud sounds, or even by certain colors or textures of their food."

Nolan continued, "There is a lot of education to be done surrounding sensory issues." This is one reason why there will be a larger emphasis on educational and wellness classes and workshops at the Center in upcoming months.

Occupational therapy assists children with sensory issues by teaching them coping skills. According to Nolan, it is better to catch these type of issues before children are ready for school so their educational process is not interrupted. The coping skills learned can be incorporated into their daily lives.

The center often coordinates and offers workshops on many topics for school staff, early intervention facilities, preschools and doctors, as well as for parents.

Its focus has always been to get parents involved in their children’s treatment and to use multi disciplines to help children throughout adolescence in an age appropriate and safe environment.

In addition to the sensory room, there is a fine motor room. This room has age appropriate activities that children can work on such as crafts, handwriting, and anything that assists with fine tuning motor manipulations as necessary.

One of the more impressive rooms is the 1000 square foot gym. This gym, much larger than the one at the previous location, is used to meet the individual needs of each child. Toys and equipment that promote balance and coordination skills and assist in building upper body strength are used.

There is also a kitchen area that will enable Barrett Family Wellness Center to offer cooking classes, geared towards the older children. As Nolan commented, there are many children with feeding issues, and the more they become involved in their eating, the more positive the outcomes.

"Cooking is part of their Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)," said Nolan.

Social groups, based on the age of the child, will continue to meet regularly. These build communication skills, and enhances social development.

A preteen yoga class for children ages ten years old and up will be offered and will meet for five week sessions . "All teens can benefit from a yoga class," noted Nolan. "It builds self esteem, builds cooperation skills with their peers, and promotes relaxation."

The center will also be offering open gym time on Sundays for Autism groups, where, according to Nolan, "clients will have free reign of the gym and have the opportunity to get out of the house for fun activities and meet other families."

Birthday parties is also part of the expansion process. Per Nolan, for children with sensory issues, having a birthday party in a loud, often overwhelming environment can be difficult for them. "We understand and can accommodate sensory issues."

Another new service to be offered is Strength Based Assessments. These will be conducted by a school psychologist on board at the Center and uses a new approach emphasizing a child’s strengths instead of weaknesses that enhances the child’s growth and development.

"Children are often weighed down with the negative," said Nolan. With this assessment, the focus is on the positive things, and the child is part of the planning process, which assists in building self confidence implementing any changes that may be needed.

A handwriting camp this summer and the Orton Gillingham Reading Program are also being planned.

If you are interested in seeing the new space or meeting some of the staff members of Barrett Family Wellness Center, there will be an open house held on Saturday, April 16 from 10 a.m. to noon.