Pediatric Occupational Therapy

Pediatric occupational therapists work with your child to improve skills needed for day to day activities at home, school, or in the community. Our therapists love working with families and educators to help children gain independence by strengthening the development of fine motor, oral motor, and visual motor skills.  They are passionate about helping children and their caregivers navigate the challenges that can be associated with sensory processing disorders so that they can make sense of the world around them. 

 

Some of the areas addressed by an occupational therapist include:

Visual Perception Problems

  • Loses place when reading or writing

  • Disorganzied or appears careless with school work

  • Difficulty with puzzles, dot to dots, or copying shape design

  • Reverses numbers or letters when writing (past 2nd grade)

Sensory Concerns

  • Always seems tired, difficulty getting him/her to engage in activities

  • Bothered by types of clothing, food textures, avoids getting messy

  • Difficulty with grooming (cutting hair, fingernails, brushing teeth)

  • Fearful to have feet leave the ground or tilt their head back

  • Difficulty with transitioning from one activity to another

Poor Social Skills

  • Difficulty making or keeping friends

  • Poor play skills or sportsmanship

  • Aggressive, low frustration tolerance, low self esteem

  • Difficulty reading social cues or body language

Poor Body Awareness

  • May seem clumsy, may run in to things often or break things

  • May appear disheveled with shoes untied, clothing not adjusted properly, food on face or shirt

  • Chews on objects or clothing

  • Avoids physical activity or moves awkwardly

Delayed Fine Motor Skills

  • Difficulty playing with age appropriate toys with multiple or small pieces or poor hand-eye coordination

  • Poor handwriting

  • Difficulty with self-care skillls (eating with utensils, dressing, manipulating fasteners)

Lack of Attention or Hyperactivity

  • Difficulty maintaining attention in class or during conversation

  • Fidgety or difficulty staying seated for any length of time

  • Difficulty remembering things mentioned to them

  • Impuslvie and always “on the go”

  • Difficulty keeping hands off nearby people or things

Visual Scanning Problems

  • Difficulty reading without skipping to another line

  • Difficulty copying information from the board

  • Slow to find hidden objects in a picture or word search

  • Frustration or avoids pencil paper activities

Feeding Problems

  • Difficulty chewing or swallowing

  • Holds food in his/her cheeks

  • Picky or messy eater

  • Difficulty drinking from a straw or open cup

  • Difficulty holding and using eating utensils

 Red Flags

When to seek Occupational Therapy for your child:

Fine Motor

  • Frequently holds hands in a fisted position after 6 months

  • Not banging objects together by 10 months or clapping by 12 months

  • Not placing objects into another container by 12 months

  • Not attempting to use a spoon to self-feed by 15 months

  • Not independently drinking from an open cup by 15 months

  • Still using a fisted grasp to hold a crayon at 18 months

  • Not using a pincer grasp (thumb to index finger) by 18 months

  • Not imitating vertical and horizontal lines by 24 months

  • Not able to snip with scissors by 30 months

  • Using only one hand to complete tasks

  • Drooling during tasks that require intense concentration

  • Displaying uncoordinated or jerky movements when doing activities

Sensory

  • Very busy, always on the go, and demonstrates poor attention to task

  • Appears to be tired/slow to respond even when getting enough sleep

  • A very picky eater (eats less than 10 foods consistently)

  • Not aware when he/she gets hurt (no crying or reaction to the injury)

  • Afraid of swinging/movement activities; does not like to be picked up or be upside down

  • Has a difficult time calming themselves down appropriately

  • Frequently jumping, purposely falling down, or crashing into things

  • Constantly touching everything they see, including other children

  • Becomes overly upset with change in routine or during transitions

  • Resistant to bath time or grooming activities

  • Avoids being messy or touching different textures (grass, sand, paint)