Occupational therapy (OT) treatment focuses on helping people with a physical, sensory, or cognitive disability to become as independent as possible, in all areas of their lives. OT can help kids with various needs to improve their cognitive, physical, sensory and motor skills; also enhance their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.
Occupational therapists may:
- Help kids work on fine motor skills so that they can grasp and release toys and develop good handwriting skills
- Help improve children’s hand–eye coordination, so that they can play and take part in school skills (hitting a target, batting a ball, copying from a blackboard, etc.)
- Help kids with severe developmental delays learn basic tasks (such as bathing, getting dressed, brushing their teeth, and feeding themselves)
- Help kids with behavioral disorders maintain positive behaviors in all environments (e.g., instead of hitting others or acting out, using positive ways to deal with anger, such as writing about feelings or participating in a physical activity)
- Teach kids with physical disabilities the coordination skills needed to feed themselves, use a computer, or increase the speed and legibility of their handwriting
- Evaluate a child’s need for specialized equipment such as wheelchairs, splints, bathing equipment, dressing devices, or communication aids
- Work with kids who have sensory and attentional issues to improve focus and social skills
Some people may think that occupational therapy is only for adults, because children do not have occupations. But as a child’s main occupation is playing and learning, occupational therapists evaluate the skills for playing, school performance and daily activities and compare this to what is developmentally expected for that age group.
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