What is Occupational Therapy?

What is Pediatric Occupational Therapy? 

Pediatric occupational therapy supports your child and his or her integration with the world around them. Occupational therapists target gross and fine motor skills, play skills, self-care, sensory processing, self-regulation, social skills, attention and behavior.  An occupational therapists interventions are designed to utilize your children’s strengths and engage their bodies and minds to develop the skills they need to become more independent. We collaborate with you to develop strategies to help you to navigate the most difficult times of the day. School recommendations can be provided to support your child to succeed in school or other settings.

What Do Occupational Therapists Do?

Occupational therapists use a child's occupation of play to help build on the foundational strengths your child has and target skills in a fun and interactive way. Through a holistic perspective, our Occupational Therapists have expertise in evaluating children's neurological, muscular, and emotional development to identify delays and its impact on growth and development. Occupational Therapy (OT) helps children succeed in important and essential areas of their lives, which may include playing with friends, food aversions, brushing their teeth, completing academic work, regulating their emotions and using their gross and fine motor skills to play individually and with peers. 

Sensory Processing and Occupational Therapy

Some children that occupational therapists work with may have a Sensory Processing Disorder. Having a sensory processing challenge impacts how the nervous system receives, organizes, and uses sensory information incoming from the body and environment. One person may over-respond to input from physical contact, lights, sounds, clothing, and food, while another person may under-respond by showing very little reaction to these same areas. Difficulties in sensory processing may impact motor planning, self-regulation, social skills, behavior, and/or completing self-care tasks. Working with each child to target specific areas identified can support a child to learn and utilize healthy life ski.

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