What is pediatric occupational therapy?

Pediatric occupational therapy improves a child’s self efficacy and independence by engaging in daily occupations (play, school, and activities of daily living). Occupational therapy also helps adults learn how to adapt to the child’s unique abilities. Services can improve engagement by developing skills necessary to live a functional and independent life. Occupational therapy targets the following skill areas: 

• Fine Motor - refined movement of the hands and fingers to engage in functional activities

• Visual Motor - also known as hand eye coordination

• Visual Perception - visual memory, visual sequencing,  form constancy, figure ground, spatial relations, visual closure, visual discrimination,

• Executive Function - attention, impulsivity, emotional regulation, transitions, task initiation, working memory, planning, self monitoring, and organization. 

• Sensory Processing - how we react to incoming stimuli from our environment

• Self Care - grooming (nail cutting, teeth brushing, etc), bathing, feeding, utensil use, toileting, dressing, manipulating fasteners, shoe tying, etc. 

• Gross Motor - coordinating large body movements (ball skills, sitting positions, learning to ride a bike, etc.)

• School Readiness - attention, sensory processing, regulation, transitions, behavioral support, sitting positions, fine and visual motor skills, etc. 

• Handwriting

How do I know if my child may need occupational therapy?

Here are some signs that indicate a need for intervention:

• Difficulty with fine motor skills - weak hands, awkward grasp on a writing utensil, declining to engage in activities with small manipulatives, difficulty manipulating scissors, etc. 

• Difficulty with visual motor skills - difficulty with hand eye coordination tasks such as completing puzzles/shape sorters, coloring within the lines, writing words on lined paper, catching a ball, etc.

• Difficulty with visual perception - difficulty with visual memory, visual sequencing, form constancy, figure ground, spatial relations, visual closure, visual discrimination.

• Difficulty with executive function - difficulty with attention, impulsivity, emotional regulation, transitions, task initiation, working memory, planning, self monitoring, and organization. 

• Difficulty with sensory processing - difficulty filtering out and responding appropriately to incoming input (auditory, visual, touch input, etc.) from their environment. You may also notice movement seeking behaviors, under responsiveness, etc. 

• Difficulty with self are - difficulty with grooming (nail cutting, teeth brushing, etc), bathing, feeding, utensil use, toileting, dressing, manipulating fasteners, shoe tying, etc. 

• Gross Motor - difficulty learning gross motor coordination tasks such as riding a bike, hopscotch, jumping jacks, “large” play, etc. 

• School Readiness - difficulty with attention, sensory processing, regulation, transitions, behavioral support, sitting positions, fine and visual motor skills, etc. 

• Handwriting - difficulty with letter sizing, spacing, formation, line adherence, spatial relations, age appropriate pencil grasp and pressure.

What is the occupational therapy process?

1. Evaluation - an occupational therapist will gather information via parent interview, standardized assessment and clinical observation to assess if your child is a candidate for therapy. If your child is a candidate for therapy, the therapist will create a tailored care plan that outlines goals for treatment. 

2. Six month progress summaries - approximately six months into treatment, the occupational therapist will assess the progress your child is making toward goal attainment and update your child’s existing care plan to include new age appropriate goals as well as carry over any unmet goals. 

3. Re-evaluation - approximately every 12 months following the initial evaluation your child will participate in a re-evaluation which will include parent interview, standardized assessment, and clinical observation. This will assess the progress your child is making toward their goals as well as see how they are performing for their age compared to same aged, neurotypical peers. At this time, your therapist may make recommendations for future goal attainment and/or discharge. 

4. Discharge - discharge typically takes place when your child demonstrates age appropriate functioning in the skill areas that were brought to light during the evaluation. 

How do we carry out therapy?

Therapy can take place at home, in school, or virtually! OT Associates also values collaborating with other disciplines/professionals working with your child so that your child can benefit from a team approach. It takes a village!