Occupational Therapy
What is occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy focuses on helping children achieve the highest level of independence through functional activities. A child’s “occupations” include playing, self care, and learning. An occupational therapist can evaluate a child’s skills in activities of daily living (dressing, grooming), fine motor skills (including handwriting), concentration and memory skills, or sensory processing and compare them to what is developmentally appropriate for their age group. Occupational therapy uses purposeful activities to minimize the effects of disease, injury, congenital deficit, disability, or developmental delay.
At the Children’s Center for Therapy, therapy is designed to feel like play. Swinging, crawling through
tunnels and crashing into soft foam blocks are exciting ways for children to build their core strength and sensory reactions.
How do I know if a child could benefit from Occupational Therapy? The following are possible signs that a child could benefit from OT:
Difficulty with fine motor skills, (buttoning, cutting paper)
Handwriting not age appropriate
Difficulty with hand-eye coordination activities
Under sensitive or extra sensitive to touch, taste, sound, or movement
Clumsy movement or poor coordination
Difficulty jumping, skipping, or running
Doesn’t interact well with peers, difficulty with social skills
Falls frequently
Weak or poor muscle tone
Very high muscle tone
Difficulty transitioning between tasks
Difficulty paying attention or focusing on tasks
Has difficulty with daily living skills- dressing, grooming, eating