Occupational Therapy helps people of all ages develop the skills they need for success in everyday life where they live, learn, work and play.
A child’s life is made up of “occupations,” or daily activities. These occupations include playing, learning, and socialising. Occupational Therapists work with children and their families to help them succeed in these activities throughout the day.
Paediatric Occupational Therapists have specialist knowledge and experience of how children develop and acquire skills. They aim to maximise a child’s functional ability at home, at school, and for play and leisure activities. OT often works on the skills that underline the abilities needed to learn in school, participate in family life and develop independence away from home. Occupational Therapists have expertise in adjusting tasks or suggesting adaptations or user-friendly equipment that make activities more achievable for the child or young person.
What can OT help with?
Your child may need help with participating in their daily living, physical and learning environment.
This may affect how they manage:
- fine motor skills, e.g. handwriting, hand dominance
- sensory processing
- self-care and daily living skills, e.g. dressing, using cutlery
- sustaining posture, e.g. sitting for table-top activities
- gross motor skills, e.g. balance
- organisation, planning and sequencing
- making sense of visual information
- concentration / attention
- sustaining activity levels
- use of technology
