Engaging in meaningful therapeutic activities has been the foundation of occupational therapy since it was first developed in the early 20th century. Today, occupational therapy is used to help both adults and children to promote participation in activities and foster independence.
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy (OT) is the application of activities and exercises to develop and maintain daily life skills. This includes developing social skills, motor skills (sensory, visual, and fine), play skills, and performing daily functions. OT is performed by a specialized professional with a Master’s degree in occupational therapy.
Occupational Therapy for Children
Children’s occupational therapy is typically performed in a healthcare setting, playroom, or in a community setting. The core focus of occupational therapy for kids is to ensure that they can perform typical daily tasks and comfortably socialize with family and friends. Typical development areas include: dressing, brushing teeth, using utensils, handwriting, cutting with scissors, regulating emotions, developing play skills, and more.
How Occupational Therapists Create a Treatment Plan
Occupational therapists work with children of all ages and abilities to help them reach their greatest potential. Since children learn through interacting with the world around them, their biggest occupation is to play and learn. A trained occupational therapist can identify the needs of children with developmental delays or challenges by observing how a child plays as well as understanding their typical home and school environments.
By working together with the guardians and child, an occupational therapist assesses the behaviors, abilities, and any developmental challenges the child might have. Once therapists understands the child’s behaviors more clearly, they can begin to develop a plan with goals to help the child reach developmental milestones. After the plan is prepared and implemented, the therapist evaluates the child’s progress to make sure goals are being met and see if any changes need to be made to the treatment plan.
Individual Needs an Occupational Therapist Can Address
By using an individualized one-on-one approach backed with input from the child’s guardians, occupational therapists gain a much deeper understanding of the child’s needs, family values, and how to make meaningful changes. Often, an occupational therapist will modify children's environments and teach them preferred behaviors by modeling skills and strategies to the child and their family members.
There are a variety of ways occupational therapists can help children achieve their greatest potential. Below are some developmental milestones an occupational therapist might address for a toddler or child:
Facilitating movement to sit, crawl, or walk without assistance- Learning how to cope with failure or disappointment
- Learning how to pay attention and follow instructions
- Reducing excess environmental stimuli like noise
- Building sharing and cooperation skills
- Learning how to drink, eat, wash, and dress independently
Additionally, below are some examples of developmental milestones that might be addressed for older children and teens:
How to form and maintain friendships- Strengthening decision-making skills
- Increasing overall independence
- How to plan and transition to higher education
- Improving time management
- Navigating complex relationships like dating
The Benefits of Occupational Therapy for Children
Overall, the goal of occupational therapy is to help the child improve their life at home and in school. For children who have developmental delays, sensory processing disorder, or autism spectrum disorder, occupational therapy can address behavioral and environmental factors to help foster independence.
If you are interested in starting occupational therapy services for your child, we are ready to create a plan to help them reach developmental milestones. To start occupational therapy with the Sunny Days Sunshine Center, schedule a tour or evaluation by contacting us.