Let’s Look at What Occupational Therapy is and What it Involves…

Parents are often surprised to find out that their child may need Occupational Therapy (OT). This will be in order to achieve developmental goals such as crawling, walking, running, hopping, jumping, and riding a bicycle (Gross Motor Skills – the movement of large muscle groups).

Occupational Therapy can also help improve attention, concentration, ability to follow instructions, as well as organising self within a learning or academic environment.

Parents often have a misconception thinking that Paediatric Occupational Therapy only assists with handwriting, however apart from the above, Occupational Therapy also focuses on other Fine Motor Skills.

These include things like the use of scissors, lacing, beading, manipulation of playdough as well as functional skills like using feeding utensils, dressing oneself and other activities of daily living.

Other areas that Occupational Therapists address are Visual Perception and Sensory Processing.

The word ‘Occupation’ is associated with work. A child’s occupation is learning through play, and some children need to be taught the skill ‘to play’ in order to learn their basic functional skills. Children need to learn many skills to develop age appropriate tasks and become successful in adulthood.

The Occupational Therapist’s role is to assess, plan and carry out intervention and to support parents to help develop and improve the child’s wellbeing.