Occupational Therapy Month

Articles

Apr 1

April is the month where we focus on the amazing work of occupational therapists! An OT or an OTA (occupational therapy assistant) assist others through therapeutic intervention to live their life with the maximum level of independence. Occupational therapists work with children during development and work with children with different learning or developmental abilities and we can celebrate them all year! You may have read our overview of what occupational therapy is and what occupational therapists do in our resource. We’re highlighting what occupational therapy is and some of the specific things that occupational therapists can do to help your child.

What is Occupational Therapy?

The discipline of occupational therapy focuses on improving fine and gross motor skills along with motor planning. If you aren’t familiar with those terms, fine motor skills are what we use for small movements or more intricate movements of the muscles, like in our hands. Kids will use fine motor skills to do things like cut with scissors, write, color, draw, put beads on a string, fasten buttons, zip up a zipper, brush teeth, and so much more. Gross motor skills use the larger muscles of the body to do something. They also help to form the muscles needed for fine motor skills. Kids might use gross motor skills to do things like throw a ball, play a sport, engage playground equipment, dance, climb, do jumping jacks, and many other whole-body movements.

When kids have trouble with the development of either fine or gross motor skills it can impact them in many different ways. They might feel less confident in sports or trying physical activities socially or in school, they might have feeling of insecurity or inadequacy because of poor handwriting or difficulty in coordination.

Occupational Therapist Evaluation

Occupational therapists work with children to aid in the development of fine and gross motor skills. While children all develop their skills at different rates, there are signals that teachers, healthcare professionals, and therapists can point to that indicate developmental delay. Typically occupational therapists will evaluate children through observation and determine if the child is developing at a typical rate. Occupational therapists will also observe children to gauge their sensory processing skills. These things include attention span, distractibility, and how their senses impact their ability to complete a task or go about their routine. After an evaluation, your therapist will likely make recommendations about ways parents can implement tools or processes to help their child work on different skills that can be improved.

How Does Occupational Therapy Help?

Depending on the individual, occupational therapists may engage in so many different kinds of activities with children. For example, if fine motor skills need work, your occupational therapist might do crafts which include cutting and glueing, or something to help writing skills such as our Learning Letters Tracing Activity. For gross motor development, therapists may introduce different active games like throwing and catching a ball or jumping distances like in our OT Animals activity. Sensory processing issues can be managed with lots of different fun games and activities, but an easy to make option is a sensory bin or sensory bottle. Parents can use simple household items or pick up some inexpensive ingredients to create a sensory bin for their child.

We have many examples and tutorials of sensory activities in our resources section. Here are a few you can try at home:

Underwater Sensory Scene

DIY Sensory Bin

Fall Sensory Bin

Lucky Sensory Bottles

Cereal Sensory Bin

Soap Foam Sensory Play

Holiday Sensory Squish Balloon

St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bin

Christmas Calm Down Bottle

Often, a child simply needs additional support to develop their skills in the best way. Your child’s development does not have to be something parents manage on their own. Occupational therapists offer such needed support for parents of children with developmental disabilities or different abilities. Early intervention can help children at that critical time of brain development to maximize their potential for living as independently as possible. These all-important skills which children form at such an early age have a major impact on success later in life.

Developmental Disabilities and Occupational Therapy

Individuals with certain conditions or diagnoses such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Down syndrome, sensory processing disorders, or sensory impairments can find support by working with occupational, physical, and speech therapists. Just like fingerprints, snowflakes, tears, and brains, no two individuals have the same therapy journey. Healthcare professionals and therapists can assess a child’s individual needs and concerns to create a therapy plan that is as unique as they are! So many tasks of our daily routine can be improved through further developing our motor skills, social skills, and emotional processing. For children, play is the best way to allow them to develop and create positive associations with certain skills or functions. Work with an occupational therapist in your area to help your child progress and reach their maximum potential.

How to Work With an Occupational Therapist

If you are questioning whether your child could use assistance in developing fine motor skills, gross motor skills, sensory processing, or have received a diagnosis such as ASD, get in contact with your local occupational therapy company to start the registration process. Tilton’s Therapy for Tots services clients in Southern Nevada (Las Vegas, Henderson, Green Valley), Northern Nevada (Reno, Carson, Sparks), Oregon, and Hawaii. Our team offers occupational, physical, or speech therapy in the mobile environment. We believe that it is most effective to treat clients in their natural environment, giving us the opportunity to work with the family as well as provide specific tools and recommendations for your setting.

Looking for additional resources? We provide monthly articles related to occupational, physical, or speech therapy for children and how parents can learn more about some of the common concerns that our therapists can address. Sign up for our newsletter to get them in your inbox!