Occupational therapy addresses skills for the job of living. For a child, these may include play skills, self-care skills and school readiness skills.
Occupational Therapy Evaluation
For a child to be successful in the job of living, important specific processes must be employed. Occupational therapy evaluation assesses:
Sensory Integration: The ability to gather sensory information from the environment, to process it and to react to it
Action/Idea Sequencing: Able to time and plan actions and ideas
Spatial Awareness: Knowledge of where the body is in relation to surroundings
Visual Perception/Visual Motor skills: Recognition of shape, color size and coordination of visual information with action
Fine Motor skills: Able to hold and manipulate small objects skillfully
State of Arousal: Alertness, readiness to learn
Coordination/Strength: Able to use both sides of the body together and to assume and maintain various body positions
Oral Motor: Able to coordinate sucking, swallowing, chewing, blowing and breathing.
With occupational therapy, a child increases skill and self-esteem as he or she learns to perform tasks that were once difficult. Indicators that a child may benefit from occupational therapy include:
- trouble keeping up with others in class
- difficulty reading and copying from the blackboard
- trouble cutting, tracing
- difficulty spacing and forming letters when writing
- avoiding touching textures
- messy handwriting
- difficulty sitting in his/her seat and paying attention in class
- becoming tired easily
- stumbling and falling more frequently than others in peer group
- reacting negatively to touch
- becoming anxious when feet leave the ground
- seeking intense physical contact
- having difficulty standing in line
- having difficulty tying shoes and buttoning
- failing to follow multi-step verbal or written directions
- becoming upset by changes in plans and expectations
- confusing right and left
- having an immature pencil grip.
Occupational Therapy Services for Children
Hope Haven’s professional evaluation assesses fine motor skills, visual/perceptual skills, sensory processing skills, self-care skills and trunk-upper extremity strength. If appropriate, therapists can establish an individualized plan of care, with information and support tips for the family.