OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
What is Occupational Therapy?
In its simplest terms, occupational therapy providers help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes. Occupational therapy services typically include:
- an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals,
- customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and
- an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan.
Occupational therapy services may include comprehensive evaluations of the client’s home and other environments (e.g., workplace, school), recommendations for adaptive equipment and training in its use, and guidance and education for family members and caregivers. Occupational therapy practitioners have a holistic perspective, in which the focus is on adapting the environment to fit the person, and the person is an integral part of the therapy team. Read More...
Does my child need OT?
- Easily Distracted
- Poor Attention Span
- Overly Sensitive to Touch, Movement, Sounds or Sights
- Difficulty Accepting Change
- Doesn't Skip, Jump, or Hop on One Foot
- Activity Level Usually High or Low
- Low Muscle Tone
- Limited Play Skills
- Walks on Toes
- Picky Eater
- Walks into People or Objects Frequently
- Inability to "Unwind" or "Self-Regulate"
- Excessive Drooling
- Doesn't Chew Food Before Swallowing
- Clumsy / Uncoordinated
- Doesn't Feed Self
- Constantly Touches People or Object
- Poor Social Interaction
- Difficulty Holding a Pencil or Handwriting (3+)
Who benefits from Occupational Therapy:
Diagnosis
Attention Deficit Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Anesthesia of Skin
Anxiety
Amuputation
Arthogryposis Multiple Congenita
Ataxia
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Brachial Plexus Disorder
Burns
Cancer
Cerebral Palsy
Club Foot
Concussion
Congenital Heart Disease
Cystic Fibrosis
Developmental Delay
Developmental Coordination Disorder
Developmental Disorder of Motor Function
Developmental Disorder of Scholastic Skills
Diabetes
Down Syndrome
Dyslexia
Edema
Edwards’ Syndrome
Ehlers Danlos Syndrome
Feeding Difficulties
Flail Joint
Fragile X Syndrome
Gastroschesis
GERD/GER
Hemiplegia (right or lefts side)
Hemophilia
Hyposthesia of Skin
Instability of Joints
Intellectual Disabilities
Joint Derangements
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Lack of Coordination
Lack of Expected Normal Physiological Development
Malrotation
Mitochondrial Disease
Muscle Weakness (generalized)
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Osteogensis Imperfecta
Paraplegia
Parasthesia of Skin
Patau’s Syndrome
Phenylketonurina
Pompe Disease
Prader-Willi Syndrome
Prematurity
Scoliosis
Seizure Disorder
Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy
Sensory Integration Dysfunction
Short Gut Syndrome
Sickle Cell Disease
Spina Bifida
Spinal Cord Truma
Stiffness of Joints
Taylor Sachs Disease
Torticollis
Traumatic Brain Injury
Turner’s Syndrome
Williams Syndrome
Difficulty
Aligning Body
Applying Deodorant
Applying/Removing Cosmetics
Attention
Bathing / Showering
Bed Mobility
Bending
Brushing / Flossing Teeth
Caring for Skin, Ears, Eyes, and Nose
Carrying Objects
Cleaning Mouth
Clothing Management
Collecting Needed Materials
Contact Lens Management
Cutting with Scissors
Dressing
Empathizes with Peers and Adults
Endurance
Eye Contact
Fasteners on Clothes
Fatigue
Finger / Toe Nail Care
Following Directions (preferred or non-preferred)
Glasses Management
Grading Muscle Force
Grasping
Grooming
Hair Management (washing, drying, combing, brushing styling and trimming hair)
Handle and Uses Tools
Identifies Emotion
Identifies Sensations in Body
Initiates and Carries out Conversation
Lifting Arms
Lifting Objects
Loss of Balance
Manipulating Objects
Matches Tone and Voice Level
Meal Preparation
Menstrual and Continence
Navigates Environment
Opening/Closing Doors & Drawers
Organizing Environment
Pacing Through Tasks
Personal Device Care
Personal Hygiene
Play Exploration & Participation
Positioning Body
Pushing/Pulling Objects
Reaching
Removing Body Hair (ex. using razor, tweezers, lotion)
Responding Appropriate to Adult Directives
Responds to Sounds Appropriately
Rest
Safety
Searching for Needed Items
Seeking Needed Verbal or Written Information
Self Feeding
Self Regulation
Sequencing Body Movement
Sequencing Tasks
Sleep Prepartion & Participation
Smooth and Timely Muscle Movements
Social Interaction
Stabilizing
Swallowing / Eating Food or Fluid
Takes Turns
Toileting and Toilet Hygiene
Tolerates Sounds
Tolerates Textures, Touch, Messy Play
Transitions Between Tasks
Transfers
Tying Shoes
Wheel Chair Mobility
The Role of Occupational Therapy With Children and Youth:
Occupational therapy practitioners work with children,youth, and their families to promote active participationin activities or occupations that are meaningful to them.Occupation refers to activities that may support thehealth, well-being, and development of an individual(AOTA, 2008). For children and youth, occupations areactivities that enable them to learn and develop lifeskills (e.g., school activities), be creative and/or deriveenjoyment (e.g., play), and thrive (e.g., self-care and carefor others) as both a means and an end. Occupationaltherapy practitioners work with children of all ages (birththrough young adulthood) and abilities. Recommendedinterventions are based on a thorough understanding oftypical development and the impact of disability, illness,and impairment on the individual child’s development,play, learning, and overall occupational performance.Occupational therapy practitioners provide services by collaborating with other professionals to identify and meetneeds of children experiencing delays or challenges in development; identifying and modifying or overcomingbarriers that interfere with, restrict, or inhibit a child’s functional performance; teaching and modeling skills andstrategies to children and their families to extend therapeutic intervention; and adapting activities, materials, andenvironmental conditions so children can participate under different conditions and in various environments.
The primary occupations of young children are play and interacting with caregivers. Occupational therapists evaluate children’s development and provide intervention to improve skills and/or modify environments when concerns arise about a child’s functional performance. Some examples are:facilitating movement to help a child sit independently or crawl; helping a child learn to follow 2- or 3-step instructions; helping a child develop the ability to dress independently; helping a child learn to cope with disappointment or failure; reducing extraneous environmental noise for a child who is easily distracted; building skills for sharing, taking turns, and playing with peers; and helping a child develop the ability to use toys and materials in both traditional and creative manners.
Injury-Related Needs
When a child experiences a serious illness or injury, medically based or rehabilitative occupational therapy services may be provided. These services are developmentally appropriate and may emphasize physical skills to increase movement, strength, and/or coordination; and adaptive skills, cognitive abilities, sensorimotor skills, visual motor and perceptual skills, and social and interpersonal skills to improve the child’s functional abilities and independence. Outpatient services may be provided to continue rehabilitation progress.
Educational Needs
Occupational therapy practitioners work with students in preschool, and elementary, middle, and high school to support successful learning, appropriate behavior, and participation in daily school routines and activities. Services can be provided under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, or the Americans with Disabilities Act for students with disabilities, or as part of a multi-tiered problem-solving process for general education students (e.g., Response to Intervention, early intervening services).Practitioners also collaborate with teachers, parents, and education personnel on ways to support student learning throughout the school environment.
Emotional–Behavioral Needs
Occupational therapy practitioners have training in mental health and are well-suited to address children’s emotional and behavioral needs as they relate to everyday activities and social interaction. For example, occupational therapy practitioners help children develop the ability to cope with challenges, calm down when frustrated, defuse anger, and manage impulses in order to succeed at individual tasks and collaborative interactions at home, at school, and in the community.As children grow older, skills for success in independent living become essential. Occupational therapy practitioners address self-determination and self-advocacy skills, along with transition from school into adult roles.
Caregivers
Active participation of caregivers and families in their children’s lives is crucial to helping them achieve their greatest potential. If they are concerned about their child’s development, caregivers can consult their educational service district to request an occupational therapy evaluation.
