Occupational Therapy

What is Occupational Therapy?
What services does Occupational Therapy provide?
How can Occupational Therapy help children?
What are some conditions in children that may require Occupational Therapy?
What are some signs that my child my benefit from Occupational Therapy?

What is Occupational Therapy?

An occupation is any activity that is purposeful or meaningful to an individual. Occupational therapy is a rehabilitation and healthcare profession that provides service to people of all ages who have developmental, physical, emotional, neurological, learning, or social deficiencies. Due to these conditions, these individuals may need assistance in learning skills to enable them to lead independent, productive, and satisfying lives.

What Services Does Occupational Therapy Provide?

• Evaluation of developmental skills and treatment
• Fine motor skills evaluation and treatment
• Treatment of Sensory Integration Dysfunction
• Feeding sand oral motor evaluation and treatment
• Activities of daily living training
• Visual motor and perceptual evaluation and treatment
• Organizational skills
• Vocational counseling

How Can Occupational Therapy Help Children?

The goal of occupational therapy for children and infants is to assist them to the highest level possible to achieve age appropriate play, leisure, developmental, educational, and self-help skills. Using purposeful activities appropriate for each child. Occupational therapists work to improve the deficits that are caused by disease, injury, congenital deficits, disability, deprivation or developmental delay.

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What are Some Conditions in Children That May Require Occupational and/or Physical Therapy?

• Developmental delays
• Learning disabilities
• Delayed motor development
• Sensory Integrative Dysfunction
• Arthritis
• Neurological conditions
• Orthopedic conditions
• Prematurity 
• Visual Difficulties
• Delayed Coordination
• Decreased Muscle strength
• Decreased muscle endurance
• Unable to keep up with peers
• Osteoporosis
• Feeding difficulties

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What Are Some Signs That My Child May Benefit From Occupational Therapy?

• Impaired academic performance
• Difficulty processing information or following directions
• Poor organization of self or materials
• Reverses letters or shapes
• Hyperactivity
• Distractible; poor attention span
• Poor fine motor skills (grasp of pencil, eye-had coordination, cutting, etc.)
• Poor visual perceptual skills (spatial relations, right/left discrimination, motor planning, shape and form constancy, sensory/body awareness)
• Difficulty with eating; drooling, or gagging
• Behavior problems
• Developmental delay in cognitive, sensory, or motor skills