At the SSM Health Treffert Center, we offer a wide variety of services and opportunities to our families and the greater community, including occupational therapy or OT. Providing children with occupational therapy may seem a bit odd, since the word “occupation” is typically associated with a job or career, which a child obviously doesn’t have. But by definition, an occupation is anything that is important or meaningful, and occupational therapists work with individuals to gain independence in whatever “occupation” is most important to them.
How OT can help
Since April is National Occupational Therapy month, it’s the ideal time to explore the various ways OT positively impacts the lives of the children we treat. Occupational therapy in pediatrics can cover so many different aspects of a child’s day. It can help children gain independence with play and self-help skills to assist them in growing into self-sufficient adults. Some main areas that pediatric occupational therapy can assist with include fine and gross motor skills, developmental skills, visual and sensory processing, oral motor function, and play and social skills.
In addition, the medical component of pediatric occupational therapy can impact independence by improving range of motion, strength, and functional ability to perform any given task. At times, adaptations or modifications may be recommended to overcome physical challenges. In addition, better understanding of sensory processing has led to improvements in ways to impact a child’s ability to function day-to-day. OTs also play an important role in educating families about ADA regulations and accommodations their child should have available to them.
When to ask for an OT referral
Here are some of many reasons to seek an OT referral. You may request a referral from your child’s pediatrician.
- Fine Motor Difficulties: Holding crayons, pencils, and other small objects, using clothing fasteners, manipulating toys, etc.
- Hand-Eye Coordination Difficulties: Scissor use, puzzles, ball skills, etc.
- Visual Motor Delays: Printing, drawing, forming shapes, coloring
- Visual Perceptual Delays: Sorting, matching, figure-ground, scanning, letter reversals, etc.
- Self-Care Delays: Dressing, feeding, using utensils, tying shoes, bathing, grooming, etc.
- Sensory Processing Difficulties: Delays in adaptive responses to sights, sounds, movement, taste, touch
- Decreased Strength: Manipulating resistive materials, moving against gravity, sustaining body movements
- Decreased Range of Motion: Limits in moving arms, fingers, legs, head, or other body parts
- Social Difficulties: Interacting with others, dealing with transitions, following routines, etc.
Learn more about Occupational Therapy Resources at the SSM Health Treffert Center.
