How does Occupational Therapy helps your child?
Occupational Therapy helps children with various needs to engage meaningfully & independently in their daily occupation.
So what are the daily occupations of a child? You may start to question: “How can my child have an occupation? They don’t even have a job?” To put it into simple words: a child’s occupations are the activities that they participate in their everyday lives. These occupations not only keep them busy, they ultimately bring meaning and purpose in life.
A child’s daily occupations include:
Self-care: Showering, brushing teeth, eating meals, dressing, toileting etc.
Productivity: Learning at school, completing homework & assignments, reading and writing, helping with household chores etc.
Leisure: Playing with toys, engaging in hobbies, socialising with friends etc.
While these daily occupations may sound easy for some children, there are children who might require additional support to thrive. A child may struggle to learn, initiate and perform tasks, due to developmental delays, injuries, mental health issues or weaknesses in certain skills.
An occupational therapist (OT) helps your child address these difficulties by evaluating his/her needs to identify underlying issues. The OT will then work together with the child and their family through goal setting, therapy intervention, environmental modification and adaptation that best supports your child. For example, if a child is over-sensitive to certain textures leading to picky eating, the OT might create a relaxed environment for the child to engage in messy play, involving different textures and bridge them with a variety of food.
To be able to engage in meaningful daily occupations, a child could also enhance their self-esteem and wellbeing! If you have enquiries regarding your child’s performance in their occupations, feel free to contact our Occupational Therapist at Therapy Harbour today.
