Pediatric Occupational Therapy

What is Pediatric Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapists assist children in performing daily functional tasks and acquiring the skills children need for the "job" of being a child. These skills include areas of play, upper extremity & fine motor skills, self help skills (dressing, hygiene, and self feeding), social interaction, and emotional/behavioral regulation. These skills are necessary to become a healthy, functional, and independent adult.

Occupational therapists have specialized training to work with children who have been diagnosed with complex medical disorders such as:

• Sensory processing disorders
• Autism spectrum disorders
• Cerebral palsy
• Learning disorders & cognitive deficits
• ADHD/ADD
• Bipolar disorder & reactive attachment disorder
• Developmental delays
• Dysgraphia (difficulty with handwriting)
• Genetic disorders
• Rett syndrome
• Spina bifida
• Failure to thrive/feeding issues
• Seizure disorders
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Other neurological and musculoskeletal disorders

Does my child need Occupational Therapy?

Your child may need occupational therapy services if he/she is not functioning at a level that is safe and appropriate for his or her age. The resources below are guidelines that may indicate a need for occupational therapy services:

Typical Development Sequence for Dressing

Developmental Milestones Screening Resource

Does My Child Have Motor/Sensory Concerns?

Developmental/Sensory Screening Form

You will need a referral from you physician to be evaluated. The child will come in for an assessment, and the therapist will determine the child's need for therapy/frequency/duration/problem areas based upon the results of the evaluation. Occupational therapists have specific knowledge base and education in order to choose & implement evaluations relevant to the child's possible problem areas.

Intervention Strategies and Programs

We have extensive training to engage children in therapy sessions utilizing play and purposeful activity to achieve desired outcomes.

Our treatment sessions are geared to target each child's specific problem area. The treatments are highly individualized. The following areas are commonly addressed:

• Fine motor/handwriting
• Sensory integration
• Self regulation and behavior problems
• Feeding/failure to thrive
• Cognitive processing/attention
• Motor planning
• Bilateral integration and sequencing
• Home/environmental modification
• Self help skills
• Adaptive equipment
• Child adaptive safety restraint
• Upper extremity/core strength and endurance
• Visual motor skills
• Perceptual skills

Fine Motor and Handwriting

Sensory Diets

Wilbarger Deep Pressure & Proprioceptive Technique and Oral Tactile Technique

Feeding and Food Aversion Therapy

Therapeutic Listening

Balametrics

Ready Bodies, Learning Minds

Interactive Metronome

The Alert Program/How Does Your Engine Run

Astronaut Training Program

ADL Retraining & Adaptive Equipment

Hand/Upper Extremity Splinting