What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy helps people of all ages with a physical, sensory, or cognitive disability be as independent as possible in all areas of their lives. Occupational therapy is a health and rehabilitation profession deeply rooted in both evidence-based practice and science. By helping people of all ages participate in everyday activities such as eating, sleeping, or toileting, occupational therapists use self-care and activities to enhance development or increase independence.

Pediatric Occupational Therapy

A child’s role in life is to play and interact with other children. Pediatric occupational therapy helps children gain independence while also strengthening their development of fine, sensory, and visual motor skills. We can help children perform daily activities which may be challenging by addressing sensory, social, behavioral, motor, and environmental issues. Children’s self-esteem and sense of accomplishment is enhanced when daily activities that were challenged are now much easier. Occupational therapists collaborate with parents, other family members, teachers, speech language pathologists, physical therapists, and physicians to identify and modify barriers that restrict your child’s success.

Why Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapy can help kids with various needs improve their cognitive, physical, sensory, and motor skills and enhance their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment. Specific examples of activities are listed below.

Fine Motor: Utilizing clothing fasteners, holding crayons, pencils or other small objects, and manipulating toys
Eye-Hand Coordination: Cutting with scissors, putting together puzzles and handling a ball
Visual Motor: Writing letters, drawing, forming shapes and colors
Visual Perception: Sorting, matching, scanning the room, letter reversals
Sensory Processing: Over or under responses to sights, sounds, movement, taste, smell, touch, self-regulation or awareness of body
Strength: Manipulating materials, opening containers, moving against gravity, sustaining body positions
Range of Motion: Limits in moving arms, fingers, legs, head or other body parts
Social: Interacting with others, family routines
Self-Care: Dressing, feeding, using utensils, tying, bathing and grooming