Occupational therapy is a safe, effective, and non-invasive treatment option that helps restore the quality of life of those receiving it. It can also speed up recovery time, decreasing the need for surgery. This kind of therapy is designed to relieve pain resulting from a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions, sports injuries, workplace injuries, and more.
What many people don’t realize is that occupational therapy isn’t just for adults, it can benefit children as well! Our practice strives to create a fun exercise environment for your child to recover from their injury or improve their speech and gross motor skills. Our team of integrated movement specialists will teach them exercises that they can do at home with your supervision, so that they can get back in the game as quickly and safely as possible.
To learn more about the benefits of occupational therapy for your child, contact our Endeavors Pediatric Therapy clinic today.
What does OT for kids look like v.s adults?
You might be wondering what the difference is between occupational therapy for children and adults. There’s a huge difference! A child speaks and moves in a totally different manner than a fully grown adult does, but the difference goes even further than that.
Occupational therapy addresses a person’s “role” in life. The role a toddler or young child plays at home is completely different from the role a 30 or 40-year-old person plays. Even if these two individuals have similar issues, (for instance, gross motor skill difficulties) how our therapists utilize certain therapy techniques must be adapted for each of them so that they can perform their “roles” more efficiently and effectively.
The young child might have attention problems, and because of this, has difficulty just playing with other kids their age for a long period of time. The older patient might have a similar attention problem, however, it affects the way they’re able to complete their work or daily tasks.
Our practice’s pediatric occupational therapy services focus on helping children who struggle with certain conditions develop the necessary skills for growing into independently functioning adults. We place great importance on working closely with parents and other caregivers for carryover into the home.
Many kinds of therapy treatments can be adapted to fit the stage of life a person is in. With pediatric occupational therapy, a child’s condition, growth, and development, as well as pain symptoms and injuries are assessed. From there, they will work one-on-one with your child to create a customized treatment plan that is specific to your child’s needs.
What conditions can pediatric occupational therapy treat?
If your child needs occupational therapy, our movement specialists can work with them on their social skills, taking care of themselves (grooming habits), as well as their cognitive skills and fine motor skills.
Other conditions and skills therapy can help your child improve include, but are not limited to the following:
- Sensory integration
- Developmental delays
- Emotional regulation
- Reflex integration
- Visual deficits
- Gross motor skills
- Self regulation strategies
- Daily living / self-help training
- Fine motor function and handwriting
- Functional movement / play skills
- Mental processing
- Proprioception
- Maximize independence
It’s important to us that both our adult and pediatric patients gain a sense of self-confidence during treatment. This is accomplished through the use of our exergaming equipment, including a laser maze and 3D virtual reality video game, which helps children build the critical skills they need to succeed in everyday life. This mode of treatment also allows for kids to have a lot more fun during their therapy sessions, instead of making them feel as if they’re in a medical setting.
Call our office today
Here at our physical therapy clinic, our therapists’ ultimate goal is to ensure that your child is meeting the proper developmental requirements necessary for them to gain independence. If you’ve noticed your child is struggling to meet the necessary milestones associated with their age, don’t waste any more time. Contact our Endeavors Pediatric Therapy clinic to speak with someone on our team and set up an appointment for your child to meet with an occupational therapist today.
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