Occupational Therapy Services
CLC provides pediatric occupational therapy assessments, consultations, and sessions for a variety of concerns in the areas of:
- Fine Motor
- Self-Care
- Feeding
- Sensory Processing
- Attention to Task
- Motor Planning espanolfarm.com
- Visual Motor
- Handwriting
- Oral Motor
What is occupational therapy?
A child’s day is made up of activities and routines, or “occupations.” These occupations may be playing with toys, coloring, eating with a spoon or putting on a T-shirt. All of these activities of daily life are essential for a child’s development. Occupational therapy helps children develop these skills through play and by applying a “just right challenge” that motivates the child to meet their individualized goals.
Your child’s therapist will work with your family to build on the skills learned in treatment sessions. They will develop home programs and provide you with the information you need to help meet your child’s goals.
What is an occupational therapist?
Occupational Therapists (OTs) work to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat delays that negatively affect a child’s occupation. OTs have a master’s degree in occupational therapy, are licensed by the state of California, and hold national certification from the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).
The following is a list of skills that an Occupational Therapist could work on with your child during a session:
- Practice fine motor skills to improve ability to grasp and release toys and increase dexterity of the fingers.
- Develop pre-handwriting and handwriting skills.
- Improve hand-eye coordination to improve play and school skills (hitting a target, batting a ball, copying from a blackboard, etc.)
- Address self-care delays (such as bathing, dressing, brushing teeth, and feeding themselves)
- Strengthening the hands, fingers and upper body to improve daily function.
- Help kids who are extremely picky eaters to add more foods to their daily diet.
- Activities in the sensory gym (ball pit, bean box, swings, zip line) to address difficulties with regulation, attention, and sequencing of tasks.
How do I know if my child needs help?
Children develop at their own pace, and individual differences or special circumstances need to be accounted for. This can only be done by consulting with an occupational therapist.
If you have concerns, you should have your child evaluated. Please contact Children’s Learning Connection to set up an evaluation. Your pediatrician may also be able to provide you with referrals.