Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy (OT) is a treatment that works to improve fine and gross motor skills and motor planning. It can also help kids who struggle with self-regulation and sensory processing.
Here are examples of the tasks and skills OT might focus
on:
- Self-care routines like getting dressed (fine motor skills and motor planning)
- Writing and copying notes (fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination)
- Holding and controlling a pencil, using scissors (fine motor skills, motor planning)
- Throwing and catching (gross motor skills like balance and coordination)
- Organizing a backpack (motor planning, organization skills)
- Reacting to sensory input (self-regulation skills)
OT consists of exercises and activities to build specific
skills that are weak. For example, if a child has very messy handwriting,
therapy may include multi-sensory techniques to help with handwriting. If a
child struggles with focus, the therapist might have that child do full-body
exercises before sitting down to do homework.
The earlier a child starts OT, the more effective it tends
to be. Being able to do basic tasks can also help build up kids’ self-esteem
and confidence, which can drop when they are struggling, especially in front of
their peers.
