Occupational Therapy

Pediatric occupational therapists help children master daily life skills with ease and efficiency. The “job” or “occupation” of a child is to play, use tools such as crayons or utensils, and interact with their environment, adults and their peers effectively.

Occupational therapists help a child navigate through these daily important tasks to accomplish them effectively. An occupational therapist works on strengthening, but particularly focuses on the trunk and upper extremities. An occupational therapist addresses more fine motor or “refined” tasks, such as using the fingers and thumb for more difficult skills like picking up a coin, feeding themselves, or using both hands together to perform a task.

An occupational therapist also addresses the sensory system, or how a child perceives and processes their environment through touch, movement and experiences. Depending on a child’s needs, an occupational therapist could work with a child on anything from improving their handwriting to taking part in social activities to having the strength to hang from the monkey bars.

• Strength and endurance training
• Joint range of motion and soft tissue mobilizations
• Musculoskeletal alignment / Postural control
• Handwriting skills
• Fine motor skills – cutting, coloring, self feeding, etc.
• Neuro-Developmental Treatment (NDT)

• Coordination and motor planning exercises (how your child can plan and execute motor movements)
• Assisting with Sensory Processing
• Identifying and assisting Fine Motor Delays
• Proprioception and body awareness (how your child moves in space and adapts to different environments)
• Sensory integration
• Constraint induced therapy programs

• Assistance with emotional development
• Use of Kinesiotaping, Theratogs, Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation
• Assistance with Cognitive Disorders
• Spinal Cord Injuries rehabilitation and treatment
• Assistance with Picky Eating
• Splinting/casting