Occupational therapy helps children who have a physical, sensory or cognitive disability carry out everyday activities. It helps children with fine motor control, motor planning, movement, organization and coordination, ocular motor skills and visual perceptual skills. This helps children build better self-esteem, confidence and independence in all that they do.
OT can help children with: (but not limited to)
- Fine motor control and Handwriting
- Play and Social Skills
- Visual Motor Integration
- Motor Coordination Difficulties
- Vestibular Disorders
- Developmental Delays
- Down Syndrome
- Cerebral Palsy
Feeding Therapy:
- Food aversion
- Food refusal
- Very picky eating
- Avoidance of Certain Textures
- Gagging and vomiting
- Oral motor/chewing difficulties
- Limited diet/food repertoire
Sensory Integration:
Gradually increasing play based activities to improve a child’s nervous system. Helping children learn to self-regulate their emotions, behaviors and arousal levels.
- Autism
- ADHD
- Sensory Processing Disorder
- Poor tolerance of Sensory Stimulation from the environment
- Aggression, Frustration or Avoidance Behavior
Your child may benefit from OT if they:
- have difficulty holding a crayon or pencil
- have handwriting that does not look right for their age level
- have trouble using scissors
- have poor eye contact with others
- avoid certain textures (like wet or sticky)
- have behavior outbursts with bath time, hair washing or cutting finger nails
- avoid loud sounds, puts hands over ears
- purposefully crash into walls, people, couches
- have poor coordination, poor balance, “clumsy child”
- have behavior or social skill issues
- have difficulty with transitions between activities at home
- have difficulty with planning, sequencing and organizing
- have decreased self-esteem
- have decreased attention
- have difficulty with feeding, messy eater, “picky eater”
- have difficulty with dressing, hygiene, self-care
- have difficulty with safety and body awareness