What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy is an aspect of health care that assists individuals of different ages in experiencing physiological, cognitive, or sensory difficulties. It can encourage individuals to regain independence over all aspects of life. Therapists help people in overcoming problems that restrict their social, emotional, and physiological needs. They use daily activities, workouts, and other treatments to accomplish this.

What are the Benefits of Occupational Therapy to Kids?

Occupational therapy offers many benefits, especially for toddlers and kids. With OT, kids can develop their physiological and social aspects. Some of the best benefits of Occupational Therapy are as follows:

● Learn essential life skills like taking a bath, dressing, brushing one's teeth, and trying to feed oneself.

● Improve their motor skills so that they can hold and release toys, as well as their writing and computer skills.

● Get them specialized devices to help them achieve independence. Wheelchairs, bathing materials, splints, dressing equipment, and communication aids are examples of these.

● Enhance their eye-hand synchronization to perform and do school-related tasks like a bat a pitch and copy lessons from the whiteboard.

● Practice how to control frustrations to encourage good behaviors and social skills.

Who needs Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapy is for everyone, regardless of age. However, most kids and teens with the following conditions will most likely need to have regular OT.

● Autism

● Post-surgical conditions

● Congenital disabilities or birth injuries

● Cancer

● Orthopedic injuries such as broken bones

● Burns

● Traumatic injury

● Chronic illnesses such as Cerebral palsy

● Behavioral problems or mental health issues

● Spina bifida

● Sensory processing disorders

● Severe hand injuries

● Developmental delay

● Traumatic amputations

● Learning problems

● Multiple sclerosis

● Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Who can do Occupational Therapy?

Before a person can perform Occupational Therapy, they first need to pass a national licensure exam and do fieldwork programs. Then, you can find someone who does OT at different places such as clinics, schools, rehabilitation clinics, hospitals, and private practices. Thus, there are two levels of professional occupational therapy practice, and they are as follows.

● Occupational Therapist

An Occupational Therapist holds a bachelor's degree from an accredited field, like psychology, biology, or health science, and a postgraduate degree from an accredited occupational treatment program.

● Occupational Therapist Assistant

An Occupational Therapist Assistant holds an associate's degree from an OTA curriculum that is certified. They can implement treatment plans created by an Occupational therapist but cannot perform patient evaluations.

How to find an Occupational Therapist in your local area

Most of the time, children are the ones who need to visit an occupational therapist. If your child is one of them, check out the following ways on how to locate an Occupational Therapist in your local area.

● To locate your state's occupational therapists affiliation, go to The American Occupational Therapy Association's website. You will surely be able to find an occupational therapist in your area on the website.

● Contact your care provider and ask them if they can provide an occupational therapist for you and your child.

● Get in contact with a local center, clinic, or hospital and ask if they can give any recommendations for your child.

● Speak with the guidance counselor or the school nurse. They may be capable of making a recommendation based on your kid's social and academic needs.