Occupational Therapy is a service that helps people achieve independence in their daily life activities or “Occupations”. These activities are the basic tasks of everyday life, and they include tasks such as eating, bathing, clothing, and toileting. For most children, these tasks are learned relatively easily and become a part of a daily routine. For children with special needs, these tasks might be more difficult and might require constant reminding or rewards for completing the activities of daily living.

Occupational Therapists work extensively for special needs children to improve their ADL(Activities of Daily Living). Occupational Therapists help children with special needs to become physically, psychologically, and socially independent by working towards specific goals. For special needs children who have difficulty brushing their teeth, an occupational therapist might teach steps towards achieving this goal. These steps might be broken down into very small pieces, such as reaching out their hands, touching the toothbrush, grasping the toothbrush, picking up the brush, and so forth.

When should I seek an OT Evaluation?
You should seek an evaluation by an Occupational Therapist if your child:

• Experiences delays in self-care independence
• Has difficulties with fine motor coordination
• Is easily distracted
• Seems impulsive or lacking self-control
• Has an unusually high or low level of activity
• Seems physically clumsy or careless
• Has difficulty making transitions from one situation to another
• Has a poor self concept
• Has delays in speech, language, or motor skills
• Has delays in academic achievement
• Is hypersensitive or under-reactive to touch, movement, sights, or sounds
• Has difficulties with social skills
• Can’t “unwind,” or calm down

Who can benefit from Occupational Therapy?
Child having

• Autism, ADHD, Hyperactivity, Dyslexia, Slow Learner
• Difficulty in Reading Writing and Doing Calculations
• Compromised Attention and Concentration
• Specific learning Difficulties
• Problem in holding pen / pencil with poor handwriting
• Poor Academic records
• Poor Memory
• Any form of behaviour problems
• Any difficulties in day to day activities
• School refusal, Exam fear, anxiety
• Any form of sensory problems

What happens in a Pediatric Occupational Therapy?
The comprehensive assessment is recommended for children. The assessment utilizes various standardized tests, clinical observations, and a detailed parent interview and questionnaire.

A child's Occupational performance is play, therefore OT treatment is play-based.

Treatment involves but is not limited to:
1. Sensory Integration Therapy
2. Feeding challenges based on the SOS approach
3. Gross motor skills
4. Fine motor skills
5. Anxiety and emotion regulation
6. Printing, handwriting, and keyboard skills
7. Visual perceptual skills
8. Treatment of oral motor skills
9. Poor behaviour and social challenges
10. Self esteem building