Learning Daily Life Skils
A child’s job or “occupation” includes play, social interactions, school and caring for themselves. Each child must learn to be successful at each “job” to become independent and successful adults. A pediatric occupational therapist works to find different ways to teach skills for daily living.
Occupational Services Offered
The occupational therapist provides assessment, intervention and consultation in many areas:
Fine motor/Handwriting Skills
Sensory Integration
Motor Planning
Oral Motor Functioning
Self-Help Skills
Adaptive Equipment Modifications
Environmental Adaptations
Play/Socialization
Hippo therapy
The occupational therapist is highly trained to make the challenging therapeutic tasks seem like fun and play.
Sensory Processing
Sensory Processing Disorder is most commonly observed and diagnosed in children. It is a condition that exists when sensory signals (smell, vision, hearing, touch) don’t get organized into appropriate responses. Children who have problems with this are at high risk for many emotional, social and educational problems. An evaluation by an occupational therapist who specializes in Sensory Processing is the first step in developing a treatment plan to assist your child. Some common “Red Flags” are:
Infants and toddlers
____ Problems eating or sleeping
____ Refuses to go to anyone but me
____ Irritable when being dressed; uncomfortable in clothes
____ Rarely plays with toys
____ Resists cuddling, arches away when held
____ Cannot calm self
____ Floppy or stiff body, motor delays
Pre-schoolers
____ Over-sensitive to touch, noises, smells, other people
____ Difficulty making friends
____ Difficulty dressing, eating, sleeping, and/or toilet training
____ Clumsy; poor motor skills; weak
____ In constant motion; in everyone else’s face and space
____ Frequent or long temper tantrums
Grade schoolers
___ Over-sensitive to touch, noise, smells, other people
___ Easily distracted, fidgety, craves movement; aggressive
___ Easily overwhelmed
___ Difficulty with handwriting or motor activities
___ Difficulty making friends
___ Unaware of pain and/or other people
