Pediatric Occupational Therapy
During their personalized Occupational Therapy sessions, the patient may receive some of the following treatments and trainings:
- Astronaut Training
- Therapeutic Listening Program
- Brain Gym
- Handwriting Without Tears & Print Tool Assessment
- Beckman Oral Motor Assessment & Intervention
- Integrated Approach to Pediatric Feeding & Merry Mealtime Guide
- Wilbarger Therapressure Protocol
Each Pediatric Occupational Therapist brings his/her experience and understanding of pediatric diagnoses in order to treat the whole child. We also treat the family in the form of education and support. Each OT has their own style, but we all know that building trust and rapport, or friendship, with the child will produce the best outcomes. It is from this relationship that we can encourage the child towards growth with the “just right challenge.”
OT “looks” different and can vary from person to person, depending on the age, diagnoses and concerns of each child.
The beauty of Occupational Therapy with children is that it looks like play – and it is. Play is a beautiful thing. OT’s can select and adapt activities to meet the needs of our children. We are having fun but your child is working, really hard.
A typical OT session for children includes a variety of exercises that focus on strengthening the brain and body development. This includes gross motor exercises that focus on whole body coordination and movements. We prioritize exercises with the core muscles for a variety of reasons, including strength and breath control for regulation, just to name a few. We incorporate a variety of fine motor activities, which can be incorporated into other activities or present itself in the form of game play, craft activity, or a snack. Specific activities will be selected due to your child’s needs, preferences and goals of therapy.
When you bring your child to Pediatric OT, it should be an enjoyable experience. We enjoy helping families in a fun, creative and supportive environment. We also listen to concerns and target goals to meet the needs of the family, all the while providing professional suggestions and functional, goal-directed occupational therapy services. We are here to help the child succeed, and that often makes the child and the parents happy.
We work on exercises that improve:
- Fine Motor Coordination
- Functional Vision:
- Visual motor control
- Visual perception
- Visual integration skills
- Body Awareness and Balance
- Gross Motor Coordination for Postural Control and Bilateral Skills
- Eye – Hand Coordination
- School Readiness & Performance
- Developmental Handwriting Skills
- Self Care Skills
- Dressing: buttons, zippers, shoe tying and more
- Grooming
- Self feeding
- Oral Sensory Motor Skills
- Sensory exposure to foods
- Safety awareness
- Focus and Attention
- Play and Social Interaction
- Calming and Regulatory Behaviors
- Home Exercise Programs and Sensory Diets
- And so much more…
Collaborating with family members, educators and other health providers, we design a program aimed at meeting specific and attainable goals.
Rue and Primavera’s pediatric OT program is fun, with services provided in a safe and clean, relaxing family friendly environment. Brady presents with professionalism and joy when serving children and their families. She has been working with children and their families for four years.
Some common diagnoses we see are:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Down’s Syndrome
- Learning Disabilities
- Visual Perceptual Disorder
- Fine Motor Delay
- Visual Motor Integration
- Pervasive Development Disorder
- Sensory Processing Disorder
- ADD & ADHD
- Behavioral Problems
- Cerebral Palsy
- Orthopedic Injury Problems
- Neurological Disorders (congenital and post-traumatic)
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Failure to Thrive
- Prematurity
- Genetic / Metabolic Disorders
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Spina Bifida
- …and more
We are eager to work with children of all abilities and their families.