Occupational
Therapy
Occupational Therapists
Specially trained professional therapists who have
What do they do?
Occupational Therapists work with children to help them develop and strengthen their independence during daily “occupations.” Occupational Therapists address a variety of needs, which may include:
Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s)
Bathing/showering, dressing, feeding, personal hygiene/grooming, and toileting
Adaptive Equipment/Assistive Technology
Any item, piece of equipment, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve a child’s independence
Fine Motor Coordination
Ability to control the small movements of the hands and fingers to manipulate objects
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL’s)
Activities to support daily life within the home and community (e.g., care of pets, driving, financial management, meal prep/clean-up)
Motor Planning
Ability to organize the body's actions (i.e., knowing what steps to take, and in what order, to complete a particular task)
Oculomotor Control
Ability to maintain visual stability and control eye movements
Sensory Processing
Ability to receive and interpret sensory information from the body and environment to generate a functional response or action
Visual Motor Integration
Ability to correctly perceive visual information, process it, and move hands or body accordingly
Visual Perception
Ability to organize and interpret the information that is seen and give it meaning
When to seek help?
A referral may be necessary if your child:
- Is unable to complete age-appropriate self-care skills
- Has difficulty completing fine motor activities (e.g., coloring, cutting, tracing, stringing beads, stacking blocks, manipulating clothing fasteners)
- Does not demonstrate an established hand dominance
- Has poor or illegible handwriting
- Appears clumsy or uncoordinated
- Appears weak or tires easily
- Has difficulty completing new movement activities
- Has difficulty with visual tracking and/or crossing midline
- Expresses distress during self-care activities Is a picky eater
- Craves excessive movement or physical contact
- Is easily distracted or emotionally reactive
- Overreacts to sensory input such as touch, sound, movement
- Does not seem aware of sensory input
- Has poor hand eye coordination
- Has difficulty completing puzzles
Additional Resources
