What is Occupational Therapy?
Here at GASLC, we have an AMAZING team of occupational therapists! Many of our kids attend therapy for multiple disciplines, which gives us as therapists the unique ability to collaborate and provide the most comprehensive treatment we can for our patients. Be on the lookout for a spotlight on each of our OTs this month as we celebrate them and all they do for our kids!
Ms. Kaitlyn is our Lead OT, and is here today to share some OT basics!
April is Occupational Therapy Month, and we’re ready to celebrate! We love OT around here for so many reasons. Personally, I love OT because it allows me to use my creativity to problem-solve and help improve someone's quality of life. But what IS occupational therapy? Let’s take a look at what OT is all about and why it’s worth a month of recognition!
The ultimate goal of occupational therapy is to help your child become as independent and successful as possible in their daily tasks, or “occupations" — any activities that they need or want to do in their daily life. These activities can include anything from dressing themselves to playing a sport to completing homework. Because these tasks can vary greatly from person to person, therapy can look so different from person to person as well!
Occupational therapists are trained in analyzing task demands and considering all aspects of a child's abilities to discover how to best teach skills to your child. This is often done through modifications to the task itself, adaptations to the environment, or repeated practice of specialized methods. We typically focus on fine motor skills, sensory-motor skills, and visual-motor skills, and how these skills affect engagement in daily tasks. However, in pediatrics, we have to remember what a child's biggest occupation is: play! Children learn best through play, so we really emphasize incorporating play into our sessions and making therapy fun.
Think your child might benefit from OT? Here are a few things we work on. Consider how your child succeeds or struggles in the following areas:
fine motor (hand) skills
grasp or hand strength
handwriting skills
body coordination or balance
hand-eye coordination
sensory processing (excessive seeking or avoiding of various sensory input)
emotional regulation
self-care, including dressing, grooming, and feeding
executive functioning skills, including attention, planning, and following directions
If your child demonstrates difficulty with any of the above areas, reach out! We’d love to schedule an evaluation to answer your questions, partner with you, and determine how to best address your child’s needs.
Thank you Ms. Kaitlyn for sharing more about why OT is so important! We love our kids and want them to have all the best skills to be as successful as they can. Have questions? Contact us today if you think your child might benefit from an OT evaluation!
