Occupational Therapists (OTs) aim to help every person participate in life to their full ability. Examples of areas an Occupational Therapist can help include:
- Sleeping
- Sensory processing difficulties
- Picky eaters
- Toileting
- Dressing
- Handwriting difficulties
- Poor coordination
There are many reasons that a child can be referred to an Occupational Therapist. As a toddler or a preschooler the main reasons for referral are:
- Delayed fine motor and/or gross motor skills
- Restricted food variety
- Regularly taking hours to fall asleep at night unassisted
- Difficulty with toilet training
- Child always on the move or “busy”
- Child is bothered by haircuts/hair washing, nail cutting, bright lights or certain clothes
As children grow the expectations placed on them in their everyday lives increases. A reason to refer to OT at this age are:
- Handwriting below grade level, letter reversals, missing words when copying or slow speed when copying
- Difficulty learning typical childhood gross motor tasks (e.g. swimming, biking or skating)
- Refusing to wear certain types of clothing
- Falling out of their chair for no reason
- Unexpectedly becoming upset/having outbursts
Our Connecting Dots OTs have additional training in:
- Integrated Listening System (ILS)
- Astronaut Training
- Therapeutic Listening
- Deep Pressure Proprioceptive Technique (DPPT)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Handwriting Without Tears
- Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT) – Course One
- Nonviolent Crisis Intervention
- Rhythm Works, Integrative Dance
- Building Blocks for Sensory Integration
Please contact us for more information about our Occupational Therapy services.