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5 Signs Your Child Could Benefit From Occupational Therapy
When it comes to health care professionals or therapists, most of us are familiar with physical therapists. But what about occupational therapy?
In this blog, the highly skilled therapists at High Quality Home Therapy unpack what occupational therapy is and how you can tell if your child can benefit from occupational therapy.
Occupational therapy versus physical therapy
A great place to start this conversation is to explain the similarities and differences between occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT). Both occupational and physical therapy are specialized treatment modalities guided by specially trained and licensed health care professionals.
Another shared aspect is that both types of therapists work with patients of all ages, providing their services through personalized treatment plans they develop to meet their patient’s specific needs. The premise behind each type of therapy is also similar – help the patient improve or master everyday movements or skills by tackling a barrier like an injury or impairment.
But that’s where the similarities end.
Often, the focus of physical therapy is healing and addressing pain and inflammation by strengthening muscles and enhancing range of motion. In contrast, occupational therapy focuses on mastering or improving the ability to do everyday tasks such as getting dressed, feeding yourself, and toileting, as well as playing and interacting with other children and adults – all daily skills that barriers can impede, such as physical, psychological, and cognitive impairment.
High Quality Home Therapy offers occupational therapy to our patients in-office, at home, and through telehealth. Our specialized services for children include representation at planning and placement team (PPT) meetings to evaluate the need for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or to create or revise a child's IEP program. Our other youth-based OT services include social skills development and toileting therapy.
Look for signs that your child is struggling
If your pediatrician diagnosed your child with having a developmental delay or if your child suffers from congenital conditions like cerebral palsy or a brain injury, the ability to accomplish everyday tasks is apparent.
However, many times, in cases such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the signs of specific issues may be more nuanced. Be vigilant and pay attention to things that may not seem important but could be a subtle sign that something is amiss.
1. Difficulty using fine motor skills for tasks
If your child has problems tying their shoes or putting their clothes on, they may have fine motor skill issues. For some children, this issue manifests as their inability to use both hands simultaneously when playing or doing sports.
2. Gross motor skills issues
Similarly, uncoordinated movement, balance issues, or difficulty navigating the stairs may all be signs of a gross motor skills problem. It’s natural to chalk up these problems as clumsiness, but if they happen repeatedly, alert your health care provider.
3. Difficulty holding objects
Small things like having problems holding toys or gripping a pen or pencil may also indicate that your child could benefit from occupational therapy.
4. Over- or under-responsive to sensory stimuli
If your child has an aversion to certain textures or loud sounds or has difficulty with certain smells, these are all common symptoms of sensory processing disorder. Some children have sensory issues that show up as an under-reaction to stimuli.
5. Social avoidance
Avoiding eye contact or if your child seems to always be off on their own while other children are playing and interacting may be a sign of social anxiety or conditions like ASD or autism.
Comprehensive evaluation to get started
If you recognize one or more of these signs, the first step is to schedule an evaluation. Our compassionate High Quality Home Therapy staff meets with you and your child. We review your child’s and family’s medical history and also ask your child to complete several tasks.
The overarching goal of the tasks is to gain insight into things like your child’s gross and fine motor skills and sensory and visual reactions to stimuli. This data informs us of whether your child is a good candidate for occupational therapy. If so, we use the evaluation to design a therapy plan to enhance your child’s daily living skills.
If you have concerns about your child’s development and want to know if occupational therapy is a good fit, contact High Quality Home Therapy in Stamford, Connecticut, today to book an evaluation. You can use our online tool to schedule an appointment.