What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapy (OT) helps children and adolescents participate in everyday activities, or "occupations." These occupations include anything from playing and learning to dressing and feeding themselves. Our goal is to make these daily tasks easier and more enjoyable for your child.
Activities OT can help your child with
Self-Care Activities
Toileting
Dressing
Eating
Sleep
Navigating Puberty
School Activities
Community Activities
Writing
Following Classroom Routines
Navigating Environments
Play & Friendships
Asking for Help
Going to the Shops
Eating Out
Going to Playgrounds
Social Outings
Using Public Transport
How will OT help my child with these things?
Occupational therapists use a holistic approach to help children by addressing not just the specific physical or cognitive challenges but considering the child as a whole. This means taking into account the child's physical, emotional, social, and environmental contexts. An OT will explore how the child's environments can be adjusted, consider different ways a task can be performed, and help a child develop specific skills in order to maximise their participation, wellbeing and quality of life.
Key skills OT supports
Emotional Regulation
Emotional regulation is the ability to recognise, manage and respond to your emotions in a healthy way. It helps children understand, express, and cope with their feelings.
Sensory Processing
Sensory processing is how the brain receives and responds to information from the senses, like sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. It helps children understand and interact with the world around them.
Motor Skills
Motor skills are required to control and coordinate movements of the body. OT looks at improving fine motor skills (needed for handwriting or tying shoes) and gross motor skills (needed for running or jumping)
Interoception
Interoception is the ability to sense and understand signals from inside your body. It helps children recognize feelings like hunger, thirst, needing to use the bathroom, or being tired.
Executive Functions
Executive functions are cognitive skills that help children plan, focus, remember instructions, and manage tasks. Teaching these skills helps children become more independent and efficient in their daily lives.
Play & Social Skills
Play & social skills are how children explore, learn, and have fun. It's essential for their development and helps them learn skills, be creative, and build relationships with their community.