Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy is a service that helps individuals achieve independence in their everyday life activities or “occupations”. In the pediatric setting, occupational therapists use their expertise to help children prepare for and perform important learning and developmental activities. This typically includes: muscle strengthening, range of motion of the hands and body, work on bilateral coordination, motor planning, visual perception skills and visual motor skills. It also includes direct practice of the task, often with adaptations or modifications of the fine motor and self care tasks that are difficult for the individual child.

The following are general indicators that a child may benefit from an Occupational Therapy Evaluation and treatment:

• Weak, stiff or uncoordinated movements
• fine motor skills, awkward grasp or clumsy use of crayons, pencils, scissors or other tools and utensils
• Absence of hand preference, after age 6
• Attention and organizational problems with school tasks
• Difficulties with social interaction
• Difficulties with feeding, food aversions, or a very limited diet
• Poor balance skills
• Difficulty tolerating touch, such as brushing hair, or brushing teeth
• Difficulties in sports, such as catching, or throwing a ball
• Unable to ride a bicycle independently by age 8
• Poor organizational skills
• Frequent emotional outbursts or meltdowns in behavior
• Balance, coping and regulation skills
• Core strength for improved postural control
• handwriting
• self-help skills, such as feeding, dressing, and bathing
• upper body strength and coordination and poor posture