BrainTools is a highly specialized center that is dedicated to developing children’s learning capacity using scientifically based clinical tools and practices supported by the latest research in neuroscience and education. Our mission is to create fluid and dynamic personalized therapeutic curriculums that reflect both strengths and weaknesses across cognitive, speech, oral language (listening and speaking) and written language (reading and writing) domains. Our assessment and therapy practices are contextualized in an executive function model that has been concretized in a series of copyrighted illustrations developed by our founder Dr. Barbara Roca. Grounding our practices in an executive function model helps children develop the self-awareness and self-regulating skills necessary to learn more effectively, and generalize therapeutic gains into real-world settings.
BrainTools is comprised of a group of bilingual speech and language pathologists that understand how cognitive, executive, linguistic, and reading processes interact in children learning to read across different languages. This allows us to tailor our assessment and intervention practices to meet the individual needs of each child so that their learning challenges are remediated. It also allows us to identify young children at risk of developing oral and written language delays and intervene early so that they do not experience learning challenges in an academic context. Our unique assortment of copyrighted self-regulatory strategies teaches children “how to learn” and helps them reach their cognitive potential. Each child’s unique developmental profile of strengths and weaknesses is ascertained through a series of customized clinical assessment measures. We work collaboratively with psychologists, neuropsychologists, and neurologists, and integrate their findings into our unique Interdisciplinary Developmental Profile (IDP). Based on this interdisciplinary understanding we creatively construct a personalized therapeutic curriculum to promote development across areas of weakness, as well as to foster continued growth in areas of strength.
Our group of intellectually curious, highly motivated individuals are driven to improve the outcomes for struggling learners. We work in a collegiate atmosphere and routinely conduct independent research to drive innovation, and pilot our compilation of materials, strategies, and methodologies. We are also passionate about improving professional practices and routinely share our knowledge with professionals in local and international settings through our collaborative interactions and professional development programs.
Dr. Barbara Barcelo-Roca earned her Doctoral degree in Education (Ed.D) from Nova Southeastern University. She also holds a Bachelors degree (B.A.) in Psychology, and a Masters degree (M.S.) in Speech and Language Pathology. She is certified as a Speech-Language Pathologist by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA). She is also certified as a Relationship Development (RDI) Program Consultant and is trained in PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Motor Phonetic Targets). She is fluent in both English and Spanish.
Dr. Roca has more than 20 years experience working with children with learning disabilities. Her areas of interest relate to how cognitive and oral language development, in both monolingual and bilingual populations, relate to literacy outcomes. She specializes in creating clinically mediated curriculum that is interdisciplinary in nature and that integrates executive functions into instructional objectives related to the development of speech, language, reading and writing. Dr. Roca specializes in bilingual language development and works with American Schools all over the world. She has presented papers, research findings, and professional development seminars at both the national and international level.
SERVICES
Comprehensive Assessments
Our intervention programs begin with a comprehensive assessment that explores the interactions between speech, language, and academic development, as well as the underlying cognitive processes that are responsible for learning and integrating new information. We work together with a team of psychologists and neurologists in our community so that multidisciplinary findings are integrated into our assessment frameworks and findings. This allows us to understand the unique strengths and weaknesses of each child and facilitates the creation of the learning and developmental profile required to customize a prescriptive and individualized intervention program.
Assessment pricing depends on the testing battery and begin at a rate of $600. They include the administration of standardized, norm referenced measures, a written report, and a post-testing parent feedback session.
Individually Customized Interventions
Our intervention programs are customized based on each child’s unique Interdisciplinary Developmental Profile (IDP) of strengths and weaknesses. We have a team of passionate and experienced professionals that collaborate across a wide array of developmental areas to implement interventions that are:
• Researched based
• Multisensory
• Explicit
• Systematic
• Intensive
• Supported by both qualitative and quantitative data
Therapeutic goals are evaluated and modified each session based on the child’s response to intervention. We have training and experience in a vast array of clinically researched and evidenced-based programs and intervention practices. This allows us to draw from an extensive body of knowledge to effectively modify our instructional practices and intervention targets to fit the individual needs of the child every step of the way. Our intervention programs are also implemented as a team, allowing us to teach overlapping concepts and processes in a variety of ways to assure mastery and carry over. We collaborate closely with schools so that adequate supports are in place and academic content is frontloaded into our clinical frameworks to support academic success in a classroom setting.
Speech and Language Therapy
Our speech and language therapy practice intentionally integrates executive function processes into speech, language, reading and writing objectives. Our mission is to help children learn how to learn so that gaps in their speech, language (oral and written), and communication development are effectively and rapidly remediated, leading to success in all social and academic environments. Our speech and language therapy programs address a variety of developmental areas, however they are directed at helping children acquire the foundational skills they will need to be successful in an academic environment :
• Oral Motor/Sensory and Speech Development
• Auditory Processing
• Pre-Literacy and Literacy Development
• Social Emotional and Socio-Communication Development
• Receptive and Expressive Language
• Reading and Writing
• Executive Functions
Speech and language therapy sessions are billed at a rate of $150 per hour.
Homeschool Options and International Families
Many children often need a period of intensive one-to-one interventions to help them benefit from traditional classroom settings. BrainTools has partnered with a special education team to help create and implement home school curriculums for children. Our goal is to promote the processes and skills children need to help them be successful in a more traditional school environment. For more information on our homeschool options, please call us for a copy of our Homeschool Brochure.
At BrainTools we also specialize in working with families across the globe. Although we work with children with a variety of neurodevelopmental etiologies, we have unique expertise working with bilingual children with Developmental Language Disorders, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Disorders, and Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Our expertise in bilingual language development and learning to read across different languages allows us to differentially diagnose between language differences and language disorders. For more information regarding our work internationally, please contact our office for a copy of our International Families Brochure.
Professional Development
Dr. Roca feels strongly about the need for interdisciplinary models when working with children with oral and written language disorders. In collaboration with her team, she has spent the last 15 years researching and piloting strategies that help promote children’s ability to establish the necessary language and executive processes required to excel in an academic environment. Her three day professional development workshop titled Integrating Executive Functions into Clinical and Educational Curriculums is directed towards establishing cross-disciplinary expertise between psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and reading specialists.
For more information on our professional development seminars, please contact us for a copy of our professional development brochure.
Telehealth Services
We have been providing telehealth services to our long-distance families for over 20 years through our telehealth platform. We are committed to our quality of services and have painstakingly built our platform so that our virtual sessions model our in-person settings and allow us to move fluidly in a hybrid fashion when families cannot make the commute to our office.
RATES
Comprehensive Assessments
Assessment pricing depends on the testing battery and begin at a rate of $900. They include the administration of standardized, norm referenced tests, a written report, and a post-testing feedback session.
Speech & Language Therapy
Sessions are billed at a rate of $150 per hour.
Home School Curriculum’s and Professional Development Seminars
Available upon request.
CONTACT US
Please complete the inquiry below and we will get back to you within 24 hours.
Should you have recent assessments (speech-Language, psycho-educational testing) please attached below.
Contact Information
Address:
9830 S.W. 77th Avenue | Suite 110 | Miami, Florida 33156
Phone numbers:
Phone: 305.274.9966
Email:
barbara.roca@braintoolsusa.com
We are open:
Monday – Friday 8 AM – 6:30 PM