Occupational therapy is a form of intervention in which the therapist and child work to develop or improve the necessary skills for functional daily living through activity. Therapy can target skills needed for: school readiness/performance, motor skills, coordination, cognitive and perceptual skills, self care and social skills, as well as sensory processing skills such as focus/attention, calming/regulatory behaviors and more.
Pediatric Occupational Therapy is centered around play, which a child's most prominent occupation. Through play children learn about the environment around them as well as key concepts that create foundations for later life skills.
Occupational Therapy provides evaluation of gross motor skills, oral motor development, visual perception, fine motor abilities, and sensory integrative functioning. Sensory integration is the ability to process and respond to sensory information from touch, movement, vision, and hearing.
Your child may need Occupational Therapy is you notice any of the following:
- Overly sensitive to certain sensations/textures
- Poor attention to task
- Poor fine motor skills — handwriting, grasping/picking up objects
- Buttoning/zipping
- Immature gross motor skills— hopping, balance, coordination
- Difficulty calming self/Difficulty staying alert
- Exaggerated behaviors or reactions
- Difficulty transitioning or accepting change in environment or routine
- Limited play skills/social development
- Poor self care skills
We can help!
If you feel your child may need occupational therapy please contact us. Our screening process is free and usually only takes 10-30 minutes. We can also research your insurance to find out if your therapy is covered. Contact us today!
COMMON TERMS:
Sensory Integration
The ability of the brain and body to take incoming sensory information from the environment and create an efficient motor response.
Vestibular input
The receptors for the vestibular system are located in the inner ear and give us information about where our body is in space and how our bodies are moving in conjunction with the environment. This system also helps with our balance and coordination.
Proprioceptive Input
The receptors are located in the muscles and joints and register active input to helps us know where our body parts are in space in relation to each other.
Tactile Input
Touch receptors are in the skin and provide information about our environment. These receptors alert the brain to different types of touch and where they are located on the body (sharp, dull, smooth, dangerous, calming).
Motor Planning
The ability to have an idea how to do something, plan it out, and sequence the movements needed to complete the idea.
Modulation
The brain's regulation of the body's activity. Modulation involves the brain being able to filter out irrelevant information from the environment and attend to the task at hand. For example, being able to attend to one’s homework while the television is on, a fan is blowing air across your face, and people are walking in and out of the room.