Sensory Therapy Place

PANDAS, Lyme Disease & Long COVID — How Occupational Therapy Supports Nervous System Recovery

Neurological & Trauma-Informed OT · Sensory Therapy Place

PANDAS, Lyme Disease & Long COVID —
How OT helps the nervous system heal.

When a child’s behavior, sensory processing, or emotional regulation dramatically shifts after an illness — it’s often a nervous system response that medication alone can’t fully address. Occupational therapy offers a body-based, nervous system-led path forward.

If your child was diagnosed with PANDAS or PANS, is recovering from chronic Lyme disease, or is experiencing lingering neurological symptoms after COVID-19 — you may have noticed that the standard treatments don’t fully resolve the sensory, behavioral, and regulatory challenges that came along with the illness. That’s where occupational therapy comes in. Our team works with the nervous system directly — not around it.

What we work with

Conditions where OT makes
a meaningful difference.

🧠
PANDAS / PANS
Sudden-onset OCD, tics, sensory sensitivity, and emotional dysregulation triggered by streptococcal or other infections
🌿
Chronic Lyme Disease
Neurological symptoms including sensory hypersensitivity, fatigue, cognitive fog, and nervous system dysregulation
🪍
Long COVID (Post-COVID)
Persistent sensory sensitivity, fatigue, interoception dysregulation, and autonomic nervous system disruption after COVID-19
🪡
Trauma & PTSD
Nervous system dysregulation held in the body — hypervigilance, shutdown, sensory overload, and fight/flight/freeze responses
🔴
Autoimmune Encephalitis
Neurological and behavioral changes following autoimmune inflammation affecting sensory processing and self-regulation
📈
Post-Illness Mood Changes
Teens and children whose emotional regulation, mood, and sensory tolerance shifted significantly after any acute illness

What PANDAS looks like from a nervous system perspective

PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) causes the immune system to mistakenly attack brain tissue, disrupting the basal ganglia — the area responsible for movement, habits, and emotional regulation. The result is a sudden-onset change in sensory processing, emotional tolerance, and regulatory capacity. OT addresses these neurological changes directly: we work with the sensory system, the primitive reflex pattern, and the body’s stress response to help restore a regulated baseline.

How OT helps

What does occupational therapy
actually do for these conditions?

🧠

Sensory regulation support

Illness often leaves the sensory system hypersensitive or dysregulated. We use targeted sensory input — proprioceptive, vestibular, and tactile — to help the nervous system find its regulated baseline again.

🌀

Primitive reflex re-patterning

Illness and trauma can re-activate primitive reflexes that were previously integrated. We assess and address reflex patterns that are contributing to anxiety, sensory sensitivity, and behavioral dysregulation.

🪡

Trauma-informed nervous system work

We use somatic, body-based approaches that help the nervous system move out of chronic fight/flight/freeze — without requiring the child to verbally process or recall traumatic experiences.

📚

Parent & caregiver coaching

We teach families specific co-regulation strategies, sensory tools, and daily nervous system support techniques so healing continues at home between sessions.

🧠

Interoception & body awareness

Many post-illness conditions disrupt interoception — the ability to sense what’s happening inside the body. We rebuild this foundation so children can recognize and respond to their own internal signals.

👥

Collaborative care

We work alongside your child’s medical team — pediatricians, PANDAS specialists, infectious disease, and mental health providers — to support a whole-system approach to recovery.

What to expect from OT for PANDAS, Lyme, or Long COVID

1

Free discovery call

We start by understanding your child’s history, current symptoms, and what you’ve already tried. We’ll explain how OT fits into the picture and what our assessment involves.

2

Comprehensive nervous system evaluation

We assess sensory processing patterns, primitive reflex retention, autonomic nervous system regulation, interoception, and current functional abilities. This gives us a complete picture of where the nervous system is and what it needs.

3

Individualized treatment plan

We build a plan that addresses your child’s specific neurological and sensory profile — not a generic protocol. Frequency, focus, and home program are all tailored to where your child is in their recovery.

4

Ongoing therapy with family coaching

Sessions typically involve direct nervous system work with your child alongside specific strategies for you to implement at home. Progress is tracked and the plan adjusts as the nervous system responds.

Common questions

What parents ask us
about OT for these conditions

My child has PANDAS. Can OT actually help, or is it only medical treatment?
Medical treatment (antibiotics, IVIG, or other interventions) addresses the underlying immune mechanism in PANDAS. But the sensory, behavioral, and regulatory symptoms often persist even after medical treatment begins. OT targets these downstream nervous system effects — the hypersensitivities, reflex disruptions, and dysregulation — that medical treatment alone doesn’t fully address. OT and medical care work together, not instead of each other.
How is Long COVID affecting children’s sensory systems?
Emerging research indicates that Long COVID can disrupt autonomic nervous system function, increase sensory hypersensitivity, cause interoceptive dysregulation (difficulty sensing internal body states), and trigger fatigue responses similar to post-viral syndrome. Children may become newly sensitive to sounds, lights, or textures, or show increased emotional dysregulation and difficulty with attention — even without a prior sensory history. OT can assess and address these specific neurological changes.
My teen developed anxiety and mood changes after a tick bite. Is that neurological?
It can be. Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections (Bartonella, Babesia) can affect the central nervous system, causing symptoms that look behavioral but are rooted in neurological inflammation — anxiety, mood lability, sensory sensitivity, difficulty concentrating, and emotional dysregulation. These symptoms deserve a nervous system evaluation, not just a behavioral or psychiatric one. Our team can assess whether a sensory and reflex-based intervention is appropriate.
Do you work with adults for these conditions, not just children?
Yes. Our Scarborough clinic specifically offers trauma-informed and neurological OT for adults navigating Lyme disease recovery, Long COVID, PTSD, and chronic nervous system dysregulation. Adults benefit from the same nervous system-led approach — sensory regulation, somatic work, and autonomic recovery — that we use with children.

Clinical note: Sensory Therapy Place provides occupational therapy services that address nervous system regulation, sensory processing, and daily functional outcomes. We do not diagnose or treat PANDAS, Lyme disease, Long COVID, or autoimmune conditions medically. We work collaboratively with your child’s medical team to provide supportive OT care alongside medical management. If you suspect PANDAS or a tick-borne illness, please consult a qualified physician or PANDAS specialist.

Related reading from our team

Your child’s nervous system
can find its way back.

Start with a free 15-minute discovery call. Tell us what you’ve seen, what you’ve tried, and where you are. We’ll help you understand whether OT is the right next step.

Book a Free Discovery Call → Scarborough Clinic Info

📍 Brewer: 41 Acme Rd  |  📍 Scarborough: 6 Westwood Ave STE 201  |  📞 (207) 735-4625

BrainMax

BrainMax

Your sensory & nervous system guide

Hi! I'm BrainMax — your sensory & nervous system guide. Which sensory system are we supporting today? 🧠