What to Expect at Your Child’s Pediatric Occupational Therapy Session
Occupational therapy (OT) for children is designed to assist them in developing or improving essential skills for daily life, such as fine motor skills, gross motor skills, sensory processing skills, self-care tasks, and social skills. It benefits children with physical, sensory, or cognitive issues that affect their function and independence. Here’s what you can generally expect from a pediatric occupational therapy session:
The first session often starts with a comprehensive evaluation. The therapist will evaluate your child’s skills and abilities through various standardized tests, observations, and parent reports. They will try to understand your child’s strengths and weaknesses regarding their development, sensory processing, motor skills, self-care abilities, social skills, and any other relevant areas.
Once the assessment is complete, the occupational therapist will work with you and your child to set realistic and achievable goals. These goals could be about improving fine motor skills (like buttoning a shirt or holding a pencil), gross motor skills (like balance or coordination), sensory processing, or social-emotional skills, depending on your child’s needs.
Therapy sessions usually involve various play-based activities to help your child develop or improve specific skills. These activities vary widely, from puzzles and games to improve fine motor skills and problem-solving to physical exercises for improving strength and coordination or sensory activities like playing with different textures or sounds. Occupational therapy often looks like play because play is the primary “job” of a child, and it’s the best way they learn.
Depending on the therapist and the age/needs of the child, parents might be invited to be part of the session, especially toward the end. Home practice is also an essential part of therapy and helps to reinforce the skills learned in therapy sessions.
Remember, every child is unique, and thus, their therapy will be tailored to their specific needs and interests.