Does My Child Need Occupational Therapy?

Trying to navigate all the different therapy and resource options available (or not available) for your child can be overwhelming to say the least.  If you’re like many people, you may have never even heard of Occupational Therapy (OT) before now, let alone have a clear idea of what OT can do for your child.  No worries… I’m here to break it down for you!

In general, OT is a very broad discipline.  The “Occupational”refers to “the occupations of life,”  meaning all the things that occupy a person’s day-to-day life.  We work with all ages and stages of life in many different types of settings.  We are in schools, skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, outpatient clinics, mental health, home care, and early intervention.  But to put it simply, our scope of practice covers just about anything that is meaningful to our clients.   This can look completely different depending upon the client, setting, and therapist.

My goal is to help build on skills that are important to your child and you, while at the same time helping you both understand (in age-appropriate ways) the role that sensory processing plays in your lives. Unlike many common interventions designed to “fix” or “cure” neurodivergent kids, I believe that effective (and trauma-free) therapy means being curious and trying to understand my client’s unique neurology in order to teach and practice skills the way they learn best.  This also means recognizing an individual’s strengths and incorporating their unique interests to make therapy more engaging and meaningful.   

Things We Work on in OT Include:

• Fine Motor Skills

• Visual-Motor Skills

• Visual-Perceptual Skills

• Self-Care and Daily Living Skills

• Sensorimotor Skills

• Executive Function Skills

• Sensory Processing and Self-Regulation Skills

• Feeding

• Sensory Processing

• Self-regulation skills

• Play and Social Skills

  Evaluating Your Child

Before we begin therapy, we will do an evaluation to determine if OT makes sense.  If so, we will work with you to develop goals that our therapy sessions will focus on and develop an appropriate treatment plan for your family.

Some key points we consider when assessing your child and addressing the question of whether they may need occupational therapy services include:

• Does your child seem to struggle with the skills they need for daily life and play more than other kids their age? This would include fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and self-care tasks like dressing and eating?

• Do they need support with sensory processing challenges, such as strategies to regulate their sensory input? Are they having frequent meltdowns or difficulty dealing with transitions, changes in routine, or seem to respond negatively in certain situations/environments? 

• Do they need assistance with learning differences and developmental delays to reach their full potential and participate in activities they enjoy, such as school, sports, and social activities?

• If you think your child may need occupational therapy services, request an evaluation today and we will contact you within one business day.