What is Pediatric Occupational Therapy?

Pediatric occupational therapy helps children gain independence and promotes development of fine motor skills, sensory motor skills and visual motor skills that children need to function and socialize in their home, school, play and community environments. Occupational therapy focuses on developing children so they can achieve their highest level of function.Occupational therapy may be used to treat the following conditions: Autism-related disorders, Sensory-motor disorders, Upper extremity (shoulder, arm and hand) injuries including brachial plexus injuries, fractures, etc.), ADD/ADHD, Developmental disabilities, Down syndrome, Other Genetic diagnoses, Cerebral palsy and other neurological diagnoses, Traumatic brain injury, and Delays in fine motor and visual motor skills directly affecting academic performance.

First an occupational therapist ( OT) will provide a comprehensive evaluation focused on your child’s current skills related to: 

Hand Function

• Hand and upper body use
• Grasp patterns
• Manual dexterity skills
• Muscle strength through out core and upper body

Activities of Daily Living

• Feeding skills (both ability to self-feed and sensory based feeding difficulties
• Dressing skills
• Self-care skills related to grooming and hygiene
• Ability to function independently within the community

Visual Motor Integration

• Visual Skills
• Handwriting
• Motor coordination and planning

Sensory processing

• Ability to play and engage with age appropriate activities
• Ability to engage in social participation
• Sensory processing abilities - touch, smell, hearing, movement, vision