What exactly is OT? It’s short for Occupational Therapy…you may have heard that term over the years but aren’t quite sure exactly what it entails. Simply put, OT can help kids successfully play, improve their school performance, and aid them in their daily activities.
It also boosts their self-esteem and gives them a greater sense of accomplishment. With OT, kids can begin to develop the skills they need to find success in school, relationships and the overall world around them.
Here are the top five signs that your child may need OT:
1. Your child is struggling with fine motor skills like holding a small object, picking up a spoon, using buttons or tying his shoes. Her handwriting is not legible. She has a tough time with her pencil grip and cannot form letters, numbers and shapes properly.
2. You see frequent meltdowns. Your child is oversensitive to the world around them, especially sound, touch and movement OR he is under-reactive to the world, often seeking more by constantly jumping, bouncing, moving and bumping into objects and other people. Your child has a very challenging time adjusting to change and often has the inability to calm himself down when upset.
3. Gross motor skills such as going up and down stairs, balancing, jumping and playing with a ball are a struggle for your child. It seems like he is having a hard time coordinating both his left and right and often confuses the two sides. You’ve had him in different sports and activities but have found little success in any of them.
4. Visual processing (the process we use to make sense of what we see) is not consistent. Your child doesn’t understand appropriate spacing between letters and numbers when writing, has a difficult time copying from the board at school, mixes up letters and has difficulty tracking while reading. Poor eye contact is also a concern.
5. There are issues with oral motor/sensory skills which are the control of muscle movements in the face and oral areas, such as the lips, jaw, tongue, and soft palate. Your child has excessive drool, trouble using an age-appropriate cup, chews food in the front of the mouth rather than the molars, difficulty drinking from a straw, and is excessively picky about food textures.
If your child is experiencing any of the above behaviors, it may be time to schedule an OT evaluation. By addressing these concerns and working with an Occupational Therapist, a child can gain self-confidence, learn problem-solving, and develop social skills that will put them on the track to success.
Click here to read more about our Occupational Therapy services, as well as our OT professionals. Feel free to contact us to schedule your evaluation or individual sessions here at 𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨! (914-244-4101). We look forward to hearing from you!
