Pediatric Occupational Therapy is provided for children by an Occupational Therapist. The role of the Occupational Therapist is to assist and guide children to function optimally in their major roles (known as occupations) in life. The child's "occupation" is directly related to their age.

An infant or young child's occupation is to be a "player". Being a player means that the child will be exploring his or her environment. They will be interacting with their environment, the people in it and the toys and objects around them.

As a child reaches the next step which is the toddler stage, they now not only are "players" but they are also "pre-schoolers". A new set of responsibilities are expected of them which prepares them or makes them ready for school. These readiness skills include fine motor activities to help them prepare for pre-writing and scissor cutting.

The next level that children reach is the elementary level. Although one of their occupations continues to be a "player", they are not "students". The expectations for "students" is to able to handle all skills needed for academic development. This would include their ability to draw, cut, write, and to stay focused in their environment.

Would my child benefit from Occupational Therapy?

If your child demonstrates difficulties in school or in their ability to interact with their environment, they may be candidates for Occupational Therapy. You may observe weaknesses in these areas or the inability to function successfully.

If you are concerned, you should schedule an appointment with the Occupational Therapist. The Occupational Therapist will do a complete assessment of the child's functioning abilities and determine from which areas your child would benefit.

What is Sensory Integration Occupational Therapy?

Sensation is what we hear, smell, feel and taste. It provides us with information about the environment in which we live as well as information about ourselves. Sensation helps us understand the world and how to act on and within it.

Dr. A. Jean Ayres (1979), an occupational therapist, defined sensory integration as "the organization of sensation for use". When a child experiences sensory input in the environment that is overwhelming s/he may withdraw from the situation. Another child may not experience enough sensory input rendering him unable to respond appropriately to his or her environment. These children do not recognize that they are unable to effectively integrate sensation necessary for an adaptive response to occur.

An Occupational Therapist with experience in the area of sensory integration assists this child and his family in learning how to recognize these areas of difficulties and how to learn what to do about them.