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What is occupational therapy?
The job title may sound like something that doesn't apply to kids, but occupational therapy - often referred to simply as OT - is becoming increasingly popular in helping improve children’s cognitive, physical and motor skills as they grow and develop.
Occupational therapists work with people across the ages – with kids they look at the relationship between the child, their occupational roles and an array of external or environmental factors.
For children, their occupations are getting dressed, eating, going to the toilet, playing, learning, spending time with other people and sleeping. They also need to develop physical skills such as running, jumping, hopping, climbing, drawing and writing to name a few.
In order for them to lead happy fulfilled lives, they need to participate effectively in all of the occupations that are appropriate for their age.
But some kids struggle with performing these activities – and that’s where OT comes in. Occupational therapy can help your child develop and/or strengthen the skills that support learning, playing and relationships at school and at home.
Who can OT help?
According to Occupational Therapy Australia, OT offers support and advice for children who are having difficulties with their everyday living skills. Some of the conditions or impairments which can benefit from OT are:
- neurological impairments, such as cerebral palsy;
- acute medical, surgical and orthopaedic conditions like upper limb fractures or burns;
- physical disabilities, such as spina bifida;
- developmental delays and disabilities;
- learning disabilities;
- psycho-social problems such as behavioural, chronic illness, psychiatric disorders.
Occupational therapy can also help kids with some basic mechanical or developmental issues. One of the most common reasons kids are being referred to OT is for handwriting problems. Many motor and cognitive skills are needed to produce legible handwriting and problems with writing can be as simple as a poor grip.
OT has also been found to help kids with autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and chromosomal conditions like Down syndrome.
Does my child need occupational therapy?
If your child is experiencing difficulties with day-to-day functioning at home, at school or in general then OT can help. The issues and problems OT can help with are broad. Here are just a few:
- Fine motor skills – addressing difficulties using scissors, manipulating cutlery or with drawing and colouring, or not developing a dominant hand.
- Gross motor skills – helping children who are clumsy, confuse movements of left and right, have poor balance or ball skills, have difficulty coordinating both sides of the body.
- Developmental delays – working with children who are not reaching the developmental milestones of sitting, crawling and walking or learning at an age-appropriate level.
- Sensory integration – assisting children who are overly sensitive or have a heightened reactivity to sound, touch, or movement; are constantly moving, jumping, crashing or bumping; are easily distracted; are emotionally reactive, or have difficulty coping with change or struggle to self-calm when upset.
- Visual processing – working with children who have difficulty recognising letters, finding objects amongst other objects, copying text from a blackboard, or who reverse letters and words after the age of seven.
- Play skills – helping children who need adult guidance to initiate play, wander aimlessly without purposeful play, participate in repetitive play for hours, don't join in with peers or siblings when playing, and don't learn the concepts of sharing and taking turns.
How to find an OT
If you think your child may benefit from seeing an occupational therapist, you may be referred to one by your doctor, specialist or other health professional. Or you could try making direct contact yourself. Occupational Therapy Australia has a directory of accredited therapists from around the country at their website www.ausot.com.au.
Related therapies articles:
This article was written by Fiona Baker for Kidspot, Australia's best family health resource. Sources include Occupational Therapy Australia.
Last revised: Tuesday, 27 March 2012
This article contains general information only and is not intended to replace advice from a qualified health professional.
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