What is Occupational Therapy (OT)?
It is a treatment that focuses on assisting children with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities to become as independent as possible in their everyday life and activities. An occupational therapist will evaluate a child’s ability and skills in areas such as playing, school performance, and everyday activities; and then compare them to developmentally appropriate skills for their age group.
According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), in addition to dealing with someone’s physical well-being, OT practitioners address psychological, social, and environmental factors that can affect functioning in different ways. Making OT a vital part of some children’s health care.
Kids who might need/benefit from Occupational Therapy
- Birth injuries or birth defects
- Sensory processing disorders
- Traumatic injuries (brain or spinal cord)
- Learning problems
- Autism/pervasive developmental disorders
- Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
- Mental health or behavioral problems
- Broken bones or other orthopedic injuries
- Developmental delays
- Post-surgical conditions
- Burns
- Spina bifida
- Traumatic amputations
- Cancer
- Severe hand injuries
- Multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and other chronic illnesses