A to Z Speech Therapy

Menu
English | Française

Now Offering

Pediatric Occupational Therapy

Pediatric Occupational Therapy works on everyday life skills.  For children, it may be their fine motor skills for writing, printing, doing up buttons or zippers, and gross motor movements such as jumping, climbing and going up and down stairs. OT can also include eating (tolerance for different textures) or playing with peers (engaging with others). In the OT assessment, the Occupational Therapist will assess the child’s motor planning, body awareness, sensory processing and self regulation through games and parent interviews. This can help identify areas of need, allowing us to provide strategies and recommendations for therapy.

Areas of Focus for Pediatric Occupational Therapy

Sensory Processing & Regulation

Some children have difficulty processing sensory input, which can cause distress thus impacting their overall functioning and participation in different activities. Occupational therapy can help teach self regulation strategies which helps in the child’s ability to manage and control one’s emotions and behaviours.

Gross Motor Skills

Gross motor skills include the skills needed to make larger bodily movements such as crawling, walking, throwing, jumping, and riding a bike or getting dressed.

Fine Motor skills

Fine motor skills include the skills needed for smaller hand and wrist movements, such as handwriting, fastening buttons, using a fork/eating, cutting with scissors, brushing teeth or tying shoes.

Feeding and Chewing

This can include helping them to eat different textures and flavours, drinking from straws or different cups as well as holding and using utensils. 

Potty Training

This can include strategies to help with potty training such as pulling up and down pants, learning the steps to void and washing hands.

Occupational therapy assists a wide range of children including children with autism, down syndrome, genetic conditions or physical and developmental disabilities. 

Sample Occupational Therapy Goals for Children

Child will follow through with safety rules at home (to tune in and respond to “STOP” in dangerous situations) and in the community (stay close to parent(s) in public)
Minimize disruptive behaviours--Injury to self or others.  Reduce outbursts of big emotions during transitions.
Establish fine motor skills for kindergarten academics (printing letters, using scissors successfully for crafts).
Play constructively (independently--To give time for parent(s) to tend to other essential tasks at home) or (interactively—to work towards initiating requests at time of needs). 
Eat at least 25 variety of foods of different textures and not skip a food group (For example, Protein, Fruits & Vegetables)
Work towards eating the same foods at a meal as the rest of the family, and eat with the family.  Reduce the need to eat at separate times or eat alone in a separate space.
Successfully follow through with using the washroom to void.
Scroll to Top