What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapy can help kids who have physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities. The goal of occupational therapy is to improve a child’s independence and ability to perform daily tasks of living on their own. Occupational Therapy may work on skills such as hand-eye coordination, activities of basic life such as getting dressed, fine motor skills, and more.
Children who have certain developmental delays or disabilities may also benefit from Occupational Therapy. This may be learning problems, autism spectrum disorders, sensory processing disorders, mental health, or behavioral problems.
In addition, Occupational Therapy is also beneficial for children with certain medical conditions, such as hand injuries, spina bifida, amputations, cancer, and more.
How Do I Know My Child Might Need Occupational Therapy?
If you’ve noticed your child struggling with their day-to-day daily activities, or you’ve heard from school staff that they’re struggling in an academic setting, it may be time to get an evaluation. Occupational Therapists can assess your child’s abilities, helping to determine if they would benefit from OT sessions.
Though signs may vary from child to child, some common signs a child may need Occupational Therapy include:
Not meeting developmental milestones like crawling or walking
Lack of play or social skills
Issues with fine motor skills, such as holding a pencil or object
Handwriting or Number Formation issues
The trouble with balance, coordination, or hand-eye coordination
Difficulty with visual processing, such as copying shapes or letters or mastering concepts like right vs. left
Sensory processing concerns such as heightened awareness of sounds or movements
Occupational Therapy:
Occupational Therapy is a successful therapeutic approach to improve specific needs your child may have. Occupational therapy encompasses your child’s whole-body needs, including motor function. This includes a focus on daily tasks, such as things your child will do in their everyday life and at school. Occupational Therapy can help your child’s academic and cognitive skills, gross and fine motor skills, social play and behavioral skills, sensory processing, and enhance their independence when performing daily tasks.
While each type of therapy has unique differences, they do have quite a few similarities. All therapy types create specific and individualized goals for your child, helping to foster success and encourage independence. In addition, they contain age-appropriate games, activities, and exercises which specifically target areas in which your child needs improvement.
Each child has a unique set of needs which will determine which type of therapy will serve them best. Lumen Crest Therapeutics can help! Start by scheduling an evaluation for your child with our expert professionals.
We’re trained to help assess and evaluate your child’s needs, helping to create an individualized treatment plan for them. Don’t stress about determining which type of therapy your child needs; leave it up to our trusted professionals at Lumen Crest Therapeutics! Our experienced and patient clinical staff are happy to answer any questions you may have as a parent.
As a parent, it can be tricky to determine what type of therapy your child requires. Not only is identifying the need to seek therapy difficult, but it can also often be hard to ascertain what the appropriate timing is.
At Lumen Crest Therapy, we’re committed to helping parents like you make the best decisions that will improve your child’s quality of life.
Occupational Therapy focuses on treatment to improve motor skills, balance, coordination, and help with everyday tasks.
Think your child may need Occupational Therapy? Don’t delay!