We are a pediatric clinic in Central San Jose providing occupational therapy services to children with a wide range of diagnoses and needs.
We are proud to partner with a local non-public school, meeting all of the occupational therapy needs for the students at the Morgan Autism Center. In addition, we provide services to homeschool students through Connecting Waters Charter School and Ocean Grove Charter School.
“Aaron is an amazing occupational therapist. My son has been going to Aaron for OT sessions for close to two years now, and in that time, he has shown great progress. Aaron is not only exceptional at what he does, he also connects really well with the kids and engages them and makes the sessions so much fun.”
— Padma V.“We love Laughing Giraffe OT. My son sees Cassie for weekly sessions around deepening his self-regulation and social skills. Cassie is kind, responsive, and incredibly responsive in every way. My son gets very sad when he has to miss a session because he finds them both fun and helpful. He’s able to articulate the skills that he’s learning at Laughing Giraffe and how the strategies help him.”
— Reena P.“Since my son started his therapy with his OT, only few weeks ago, I saw a huge improvement in his behavior, self-esteem and less negativity in his speech. Nina is very knowledgeable, she understood quickly his needs and was able to propose him a plan right after his first session. I was looking for someone aware about the archaic reflex, and she is! My son loves to come back every week for his session even if some session asked him to work on frustration.”
— Gaëlle D.
Giraffilosophy
The giraffe has the largest heart of any land mammal (even larger than the elephant). Due to its great height, it has an amazing capacity for perspective-taking, which allows it to see the “big picture” and make wise decisions. It is a gentle, kind and likable animal. It is a symbol of empathy, compassion, mindfulness, playfulness and presence. These values and qualities form the very foundation of our clinic.
Here at Laughing Giraffe Therapy, we believe…
- Authentic relationship and deep connection between therapist and child are the most powerful treatment tools available.
- Play is of paramount importance to the processes of learning and development.
- Movement/physical activity supports overall wellness; including benefits to physical health, stress management, self-regulation and brain development/maintenance.
- A nutrient-dense diet and deep, restful sleep are crucial to overall health and development.
- Children (and adults) benefit enormously from more time connected to nature and less screen time (this is a general statement; we acknowledge that augmentative and alternative communication devices and tablets are powerful and, in many cases, essential tools for certain people).
- Effective therapy is science-informed and evidence-based.
- Family involvement and professional collaboration contribute significantly to a successful treatment plan.
- Helping children develop mindfulness and emotional intelligence is one of the greatest gifts we can offer them.
- Children need to feel safe, powerful, heard and understood.
- Children need to have choice about what happens to them.
- Parents need support and benefit from practicing regular self-care.
- Homework is overrated.
- EVERY CHILD IS DOING THEIR BEST ALL THE TIME.
Our Partners
Morgan Autism Center
The Morgan Autism Center is a non-public school that has served the greater South Bay Area and surrounding areas as a provider of individualized educational services for students with Autism since 1969.
Laughing Giraffe Therapy has a long-standing relationship with the Morgan Autism Center and is proud to provide all occupational therapy services to its students.
To learn more about the Morgan Autism Center, click here.
Connecting Waters Charter School
Connecting Waters Charter Schools are WASC Accredited Personalized Learning schools that serve the Bay Area and Central California. They specialize in providing flexible education for students in grades Tk-12 for over 20 years.
Laughing Giraffe Therapy has a long-standing relationship with Connecting Waters Charter School and is proud to provide all occupational therapy services to its students. To learn more about Connecting Waters Charter School, click here.
Ocean Grove Charter School
Ocean Grove Charter School is WASC Accredited charter schools that serve students in Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, and San Mateo Counties. They specialize in providing flexible education for students in grades Kindergarten-12 since 1993.
Laughing Giraffe Therapy has a long-standing relationship with Connecting Waters Charter School and is proud to provide all occupational therapy services to its students. To learn more about Ocean Grove Charter School, click here.
Peninsula Associates
Peninsula Associates has been providing elite speech therapy services to the greater San Francisco Bay Area since 1978. They have offices in San Mateo, Menlo Park, Santa Cruz, and San Jose. Their San Jose office is located near Laughing Giraffe Therapy, allowing them to offer direct speech therapy services to the surrounding community.
Peninsula Associates performs all of their own scheduling. To inquire about receiving speech therapy services, please call Jose Barajas, Office Manager, at 650.709.9780 or email him at office@paspeech.com.
To learn more about Peninsula Associates, click here.
