Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy (OT) is a service that helps individuals achieve independence performing everyday tasks or functions.
Occupational therapists use their knowledge and expertise to help children achieve independence in learning and developmental activities through play, education, and social participation. OT helps develop fine and visual motor skills, visual perceptual skills, bilateral coordination, self-help skills, sensory processing, motor planning, muscle strengthening, and sensory integration. As children perform various tasks, therapists will also help to implement modifications or adaptations to the child, environment, or task.
Specializations
Our occupational therapists specialize in a wide variety of areas which include, but are not limited to:
early intervention
sensory processing
sensory sensitivities with feeding
emotional control/regulation
Reflex Integration Movement
Infant Massage
handwriting
self-care
assistive technology
fine and visual motor skills
attention deficit
executive functioning
social skills
What does Occupational Therapy services look like?
Evaluation
Prior to an evaluation, parents complete a child intake form and developmental history form for the therapist to review. Upon completion of these forms, an in-home evaluation is scheduled with a licensed therapist. This evaluation may include parent interviews, informal observations, and formal assessments. The evaluation can take anywhere between 1-1.5 hours. Therapists will work through assessment activities with your child, wherever your child is most comfortable. Once the evaluation is complete, the therapist will take 1-2 weeks to write a summary report that includes the findings and recommendations. This report determines the frequency of appointments and the goals for ongoing therapy sessions.
Sessions
Occupational Therapy sessions are 1-on-1 and take place in the child’s home. Parents or caregivers are expected to be present for the session. Throughout the session, the therapist monitors your child’s progress on their current goals. As goals are mastered, the treatment sessions incorporate additional goals from the evaluation. When each session concludes, therapists provide feedback and recommendations to parents or caregivers to continue working towards specific skills.
Achieving Outcomes
Our therapists use data to measure the rate of progress on a child’s occupational therapy goals. Performance is noted after each session. Senior therapists oversee treatment plans and observe sessions to make sure children are making progress. Whenever goals are met, therapists will refer back to the evaluation to incorporate new goals. We will perform re-evaluations as needed to measure the child’s progress since beginning services.