What is Pediatric Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy’s primary goal is to improve a child’s functional performance and to enhance the child’s ability to interact with his/her physical and social environment. Pediatric occupational therapy targets a child’s occupation–which is to develop social, play, self-care, learning & sensory processing skills. This includes, but is not limited to, feeding skills, sensory regulation and modulation, fine-motor skills, self-help skills, pre-writing and writing skills, visual motor/perceptual skills, and motor coordination.  Pediatric OT’s are also skilled in modifying or adapting a child’s environment so that the child has the ability to reach his/her full potential.
Common diagnoses treated by a pediatric occupational therapist:

• Prematurity or birth-related injuries
• Developmental Delays
• Hypo/Hypertonia 
• Dysgraphia 
• Coordination Disorder
• Feeding difficulties
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Down syndrome
• ADHD
• Cerebral Palsy
• Traumatic brain injury
• Fine-motor and visual motor delays
• Pre-writing and handwriting difficulties
• Sensory processing disorders

Fine & Visual Motor

Building foundational skills necessary for play, school and life's daily activities. Areas of importance include: 

• reflex integration
  
• strength and endurance
• motor coordination
• ocular motor skills

Sensory Integration

Sensory Integration is how the nervous system organizes and takes in all the sensations of the environment. Sensory Integration Dysfunction occurs when a child has difficulty interpreting incoming sensations to the vestibular, proprioceptive, and/or tactile systems. 

Play & Social Development

Helping kids to engage, participate and socialized through play and learning. By enhancing and using the following:

• self-esteem and confidence
• emotional well-being
• behavior modification