Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy is a treatment that focuses on helping people achieve independence in all areas of their lives. Some people may think that occupational therapy is only for adults. But a child's main job is playing and learning, and an occupational therapist can evaluate a child's skills for play activities, school performance, and activities of daily living and compare them to what is developmentally appropriate. Using purposeful activity, occupational therapy seeks to minimize the effects of disease, injury, congenital deficit, disability, or developmental delay. Does My Child Need Occupational Therapy? The following are a few of the potential signs that occupational therapy services may help your child:
-
Poor fine-motor skills
-
Poor handwriting
-
Extra sensitive to touch, taste, sounds and/or odors
-
Exhibits clumsy movement or poor coordination
-
Difficulty with jumping, skipping or running
-
Poor social skills
-
Falls frequently
-
Avoids being touched or bathed
-
Has difficulty with daily living skills (i.e, dressing, grooming, self-feeding)
-
Frequent mood changes
-
Weak or poor muscle tone
-
Difficulty transitioning between tasks
-
Avoids playground activities
-
Cognitive training
-
Activities of daily living training
-
Sensory integration
-
Behavioral training
-
Strengthening
-
Fine-motor skill training
-
Splinting
