For children and youth, occupations are activities that enable them to learn and develop life skills (school activities), be creative and/or derive enjoyment (play), and thrive (self-care and care for others). Play is the medium most often used in the Occupational Therapist’s treatment of children. The act of playing is an important tool that influences a child’s life. The primary goals of childhood are to grow, learn, and play. It is often through play that children learn to make sense of the world around them. It is a child’s “job” or “occupation” to play to develop physical coordination, emotional maturity, social skills to interact with other children, and self-confidence to try new experiences and explore new environments. Recommended interventions are based on a thorough understanding of typical development and the impact of disability, illness, and impairment on the individual child’s development, play, learning, and overall occupational performance.

To get started with therapy services you will need a prescription from your child's physician. Then call us to schedule an appointment.

During the OT evaluation, the occupational therapist will obtain information regarding your child’s medical history and developmental milestones (rolling, sitting, walking etc) and use a computer to add this information to your medical record to generate a report. You might be asked to answer questions on how your child responds to sensory information. The therapist will evaluate your child’s motor skills including, mobility in your child’s joints, posture, muscle strength, gross and fine motor skills. The therapists will also review the relationship between your child’s skill level, limitations, and functional abilities. The therapist will generate the evaluation through the use of standardized assessments, clinical observations, clinical questionnaires and your observations and reports.

The length of a session and the duration of treatment (how many months) is determined by a child’s evaluation and subsequent treatment plan. A child with an autism spectrum disorder may typically be seen for 45 to 60 minutes per session depending on the level of severity of the associated limitations. Duration of treatment may be 6 months or several years, depending on the number of goals that must be addressed as the child masters each level of objectives. So it is an individual recommendation, based on the evaluation.

Occupational therapists often use a play-based approach to facilitate the development of functional skills. We help children develop the skills needed to perform everyday tasks by using creative methods to motivate children.

All of these areas are crucial for development and optimal participation at home, at school, and in the community. We value our relationships with caregivers, teachers, and physicians, and realize that collaboration is essential in creating effective carry-over from the clinic to the home and school environments.

Occupational therapists assist children in being successful in all of these areas. This may be addressed through facilitating improvement with: handwriting, sensory processing, fine motor skills, visual motor integration, executive function skills, and self-regulation.