Should my child see an OT?

Have you ever thought what an occupational therapist can do to help children?

Why would kids need occupational therapists? Kids don’t have jobs.

For kids, occupation consists of all the things a child needs to do, or wants to do, during their day.

Let’s check out some of the occupations kids might have & need extra help with:

A family member:
🌷Following morning and night routines
🌷Managing big emotions
🌷Following instructions
🌷Doing chores
🌷Focusing on tasks
🌷Going on family outings
🌷Playing games as a family

A Learner:
✍🏻Getting dressed (including shoelaces & buttons)
✍🏻Packing their school bag
✍🏻Staying in their school uniform
✍🏻Remembering things
✍🏻Following instructions
✍🏻Staying focused
✍🏻Following routines
✍🏻Cutting, writing, drawing, reading

A Friend:
💦Understanding social rules
💦Negotiating conflict
💦Using physical skills to play games
💦Making friends
💦Managing emotions
💦Coping with different types of play (e.g. messy play)

Any area from sleeping, eating, dressing, playing or learning- if it is tricky it is worth chatting to an OT. We help children to learn through play & work with families. Our greatest joy is seeing little ones do the things they couldn’t do before.

So do any of these occupations surprise you? We’d love to hear what you think!

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Marguerite , aka @mumsinspocorner, is an occupational therapist in Australia. 

The blog posts featured on this site are written on behalf of Remindables and are intended for educational purposes only and to provide general information and an understanding on a particular topic. By using this blog site you must be aware that the information shown is not to be used as a substitute for therapy advice and you should therefore seek the opinion of suitable professionals to assist you. The views expressed here are the author’s views alone and not those of their employer or others, unless clearly stated.