Have you noticed your baby having a hard time crawling? Is your preschooler struggling with gripping a pencil, is fidgeting or slumping on a chair a lot? Does your child find it difficult to participate in activities that their peers normally do?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then keep reading as we will highlight in this article the essential skills that your child can build through Paediatric Occupational Therapy (OT), which can also help them overcome challenges they are facing with regard to their daily activities.
Paediatric Occupational Therapists work with children who struggle to learn basic life skills such as getting dressed, brushing teeth, self-feeding, etc. They support these children into developing or improving functional everyday skills that will enable them to adjust well as they grow.
The skills that Paediatric Occupational Therapy can help your child with fall under different categories, all of which are important in performing daily tasks:
- Fine Motor Skills – Holding a pencil or crayons, opening and closing a lunch box, cutting (using scissors) and pasting, buttoning and zipping, using utensils/cutting food, etc.
- Visual Perception Skills – Reading/writing, connect the dots, puzzles/math problems, matching and sorting, tracing letters or shapes, finding information on a page, etc.
- Activities of Daily Living & Independence – Grooming (bathing/showering, hand washing, brushing teeth, combing hair), Toileting/Continence (managing bowel and bladder), Dressing (and undressing), managing zippers, buttons & laces
- Sensory Integration – Processing and interpreting sight, smell, taste, touch and sound
- Gross Motor Skills – Running, crawling, stability/posture, balance, throwing/catching/kicking a ball, climbing up and down the stairs, rolling, etc.
- Play & Social Interaction – Creativity, imagination, role playing, cooperation & turn-taking, patience & kindness, positive peer relationships, awareness of proxemics, etc.
- Self-Regulation – Regulating reactions to strong emotions (e.g. frustration, excitement, anger), focusing on a task, control impulses, etc.
An occupational therapist evaluates each child’s unique needs and condition. Based on the analysis, the therapist creates an individualised plan for the child which can be achieved through consistent intervention sessions.
In some cases in which a child has co-existing disorders or symptoms, occupational therapists may also work alongside other paediatric professionals such as speech and language therapists in order to provide a more holistic and successful intervention for the child. (If you are interested to learn about the skills that your child can develop with speech and language therapy, read our separate blog here.)
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Paediatric Occupational Therapy may be the best solution for your child to improve their overall engagement, fulfillment, and independence in all activities that are meaningful to them.
Sensation Station Centre is one of the most reputable paediatric intervention and therapy centres that provide bespoke Paediatric Occupational Therapy in Dubai. Our highly qualified, experienced, and multi-cultural team of DHA-licensed therapists will work with your child to help them get a better grasp of daily living skills and develop new skills that will allow them to unlock their best potential. Our paediatric occupational therapy services are performed through evidence-based practices and are conducted in a fun, safe, and sensory-rich environment.
We need to remember that treatment options and duration of therapy will vary for each child. For specific questions about our services or to book a consultation with our therapist, reach out to us and we would be happy to assist you. Call us today at +971 4 277 6769 or WhatsApp us at +971 56 123 5002. You may also visit us at Ibn Battuta Gate Offices, Ground Floor, G-03, Jebel Ali, Dubai, UAE.