What is Occupational Therapy and how will it help my Child?
Occupational therapy is skilled treatment that helps individuals achieve independence in all of life’s “functions”. For an infant or small child, that may mean learning how to integrate their senses to cope with the outside world. For another child that may mean learning to write or being able to focus during the school day. It may mean learning the tools necessary to complete a novel activity. Occupational therapists work with people of all ages to give them the “tools” they need for the job of living. Services include;

• Personalized treatment programs to improve one's ability to perform daily activities
  
• Comprehensive evaluations with adaptation recommendations
  
• Performance skills assessment and treatment
  
• Adaptive equipment recommendations/ training
  
• Guidance to family members and caregivers to optimize carryover
  
• Consultation to school teachers
  
• Key contribution to the Individual Education Plan team
  

What does an Occupational Therapist evaluate?
An occupational therapy evaluation may include the following areas of development. If you or your pediatrician has concerns in only a particular area of development, a focus of the evaluation would be placed on that area.

1. Fine motor skills (skills requiring the use of the small muscles of the hands)
2. Postural stability (the ability to sit upright in a chair)
3. Self care skills (dressing, bathing)
4. Oral motor skills (feeding/ the ability to organize/ tolerate oral input)
5. Visual perceptual skills (the ability to understand what is seen)
6. Visual motor skills (the ability to coordinate pencil/ paper tasks)
7. Bilateral hand coordination ( using both hands together e.g. cutting)
8. Sensory processing skills/ how sensory processing effects development and academics (the ability to process different kinds of sensory input including tactile, vestibular, olfactory, etc)
9.Motor planning/ Praxis/ Organizational skills (the ability to plan and execute an activity with desired output)
10. Overall strength/ tone (examination of muscle strength and tone and how that affects functional skills)

About Occupational Therapy Practitioners:
Occupational therapy practitioners are skilled professionals whose education includes the study of neurology, kinesiology, and human growth and development. An emphasis is placed on the functional aspect of living.

The occupational therapist enters the field with a bachelors, masters, or doctoral degree. The occupational therapy assistant generally earns an associate degree.

Practitioners must complete supervised clinical internships in a variety of health care settings, and pass a national examination. Most states also regulate occupational therapy practice.

Some therapists have additional training and certification in Sensory Integration, handwriting, and other modalities that assist in increasing function. It is important to know the clinical background of your occupational therapist in order to determine the appropriate treatment for you.

Please contact us at COTC to help you determine if your child would benefit from OT services.