Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy is the use of purposeful activity to develop the skills necessary for a person's job or occupation. A child's occupation is to play and learn. Occupational Therapists who specialize in pediatrics help children to develop the underlying components of motor (movement), cognitive (thinking and reasoning), social-emotional and behavioral development.
As an Occupational Therapist I may be called in to a school for an individual student who may be having trouble with learning because of delayed motor skills,cognitive processing, visual or perceptual abilities, attention, organization or inappropriate behavioral responses. I am often asked to observe in a daycare or preschool setting where children may have poorly developed play skills and are not exploring their environment or participating in daily activities. An Occupational Therapy evaluation can often help determine why a child is having difficulty in these areas.
Visit the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) links below for more information on the role of an Occupational Therapist with different groups of children and settings.
Areas addressed by our Occupational Therapisty Evaluation may include, but are not limited to:
- Activities of daily living including self care skills i.e., feeding, dressing
- Play/leisure and social skills
- Muscle strength, endurance, coordination and motor control
- Sensory processing including self regulation, movement, touch, oral-sensory motor, motor planning skills
- Visual perceptual/visual motor skills
- Fine motor and handwriting skills
Specialized Approaches & Frames of Reference:
- Sensory Integration therapy
- Developmental Play
- Floortime Approach, Greenspan
- Relationship Development Intervention, Gutstein
- Therapeutic Listening/Samonas
- Handwriting Without Tears
AOTA links:
Children birth to three years of age
Mental Health in Children and Youth
Call us at 610 696-1929 if you have questions about how an Occupational Therapist can help you or to set up an Occupational Therapy Evaluation.
