Pediatric Occupational Therapy (OT)
A child’s life consists of daily activities which is considered their “occupation”. These include activities of play, dressing, feeding, socializing with others, and tolerating an array of sensory experiences and environments. Occupational therapists teach purposeful activities to maximize the independence of a child who might be limited by a physical injury, neurological impairment, cognitive impairment, or by a developmental or learning disability. Some of these activities children need to learn to tolerate can be swinging, climbing, jumping, self-dressing holding feeding utensils, catching a ball, climbing a ladder, cutting, or handwriting.
Our occupational therapist will guide your child through movement and touch in a playful and meaningful ways with activities and equipment in our sensory motor gyms that may facilitate the brain to modulate these fundamental neural messages to improve function and regulation.
Signs Your Child May Need Occupational Therapy
- Impulsive or inattentive: Having difficulty focusing, paying attention or avoiding a task
- Overactivity (Hyperactivity): Having difficulty staying still without wandering off when expected to attend to a specific task or activity
- Distractible or distracted from sensory stimulation (brain’s struggle to filter out extra information) that affects regulation and attention
- Difficulty holding writing tools (crayons, pencil, scissors) or using the fingers together to complete tasks (getting dresses, zipping, tying shoes)
- Difficulty cutting, folding, or coloring
Children love occupational therapy because it is play! Children often respond well to sensory integration therapy because his or her nervous system is pliable and changeable and with intervention can build confidence to succeed and increase skills.
How Can Occupational Therapy for Children Help Your Child?
- Improving gross and fine motor skills
- Improve eye-hand coordination
- Improve attention and completion of task
- Targeting sensory system to give tools to the child to improve attention, behavior, transitions, and task completion by reducing stress (e.g. using therapy fidget toys etc..)
Common Occupational Therapy Diagnoses
- Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
- Developmental Delays, ADHD, or attention issues
- Downs Syndrome
- Cerebral Palsy
- Children who are having difficulty regulating (e.g. tactile, auditory)
- Picky eaters, oral aversions, difficulty chewing or tolerating variety of textures of food during mealtimes
- Learning disabilities (non-verbal learning disability, visual perception, memory, executive function and writing skills)
- Neurological issues affecting weight bearing, strength and muscle coordination activities
- Regulation or emotional disorders (OCD)
- Premature children who are having difficulty meeting motor milestones in play, feeding, or sensory input regulation
Contact us today at 619.692.0622 or click the button below to enhance your child’s attention, self-regulation, academic skills, social and behavior skills, and to promote positive and safe play skills with children while creating an effective carry-over plan from the center to home.