What is Pediatric Occupational Therapy?

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“Achieving health, well-being, and participation in life through engagement in occupation” is the overarching statement that describes the domain and process of occupational therapy in its fullest sense. (The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, August 2020, Vol. 74, Suppl. 2)

Pediatric occupational therapists (OTs) consider all aspects of a child’s occupational profile including his or her roles as a son or daughter, sibling, student/early learner, friend to peers. As a basis for selection of motivating skilled OT interventions tailored to the individual child, the OT learns about the child’s interests and favorite activities. Goals for occupational therapy relate to improving successful participation in everyday activities, such as, playing/learning, attention, sleeping, coping skills/resting, relationship/interaction skills, self-care (dressing, feeding, toothbrushing, toileting, bathing) tasks. Every child has an individual personality, coping methods, nervous system profile that reveals sensory processing & modulation skills, and varies in motor/physical, emotional, cognitive, social performance skills. In addition to providing direct OT intervention with children, pediatric occupational therapists collaborate with caregivers and provide hands on caregiver/parent training to support the family’s successful implementation of the recommended home program.

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Aspects of the Occupational Therapy Domain

(Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process Fourth Edition published in 

The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, August 2020, Vol. 74, Suppl. 2)

 

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Programs and Services

 

Learning Without Tears:

• Get Set for School (Preschool Early Learning; School Readiness)

• Handwriting Without Tears (Grades K-5)

• Keyboarding Without Tears (Grades K-5)

 

Other:

• Letter Reversal Repair (Grades 1-5)

• Writer’s Cramp interventions (Tendon Glides HEP, Hand Strengthening, Grip style assessment)

• Individualized learning supports to support all Learning Styles and Abilities (graphic organizers…)

 

Self-Care ADLs, Life Skills IADLs:

• Self-Care with Flair! (teaching with pictures & rhymes)

• Functional Sequencing for ADLs, IADLs

• Self-care Routine development

• Self-care Stories

• Sequential Oral Sensory Approach to Feeding (SOS Approach)

 

Sensory Processing, Sensory Modulation, Emotional Regulation, State Regulation, Attention:

• Core Concepts in Action (sensory processing & motor control concerns)

• Astronaut Training (sound activated vestibular-visual protocol)

• Development of Individualized Sensory Diet using Brain Works approach

• The Scale of Sensory Strategies Data Collection for home programming (SOSS)

• Creation of individualized 5-Point Scales

• Accommodations, Adaptations for Modified Independence

• Visual Schedules

• Sensory Stories, Social Stories

• Relationship Development Intervention (RDI)

• The Zones of Regulation

• Social Thinking Methodology

 

VMI Stepping Stones Achievement:

• Developmental approach Visual-Motor Integration (eye-hand coordination)

• Developmental approach Visual-Perceptual skills

• Developmental approach Fine-Motor Coordination

• Mechanics: Pencil Grip, Posture, Left-Right Orientation, Paper Position for hand dominance

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