Pediatric Occupational Therapy
We are so glad that you have taken the first step in understanding your child’s needs for occupational therapy.
We hope that this page answers some of your questions. Please remember that you know your child best and if you think something is not right, then something is not right. As you look over the information on this page, please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of further assistance.
Every child engages in occupations, routines and responsibilities. For children, occupations include participating in self care tasks, tolerating the fabric of clothing, sitting up in order to play, participating in a game with other children, tolerating the noise of a birthday party, holding a pencil, writing legibly, playing on the playground. The list goes on and on. There are, however, numerous reasons why a child would be unable to successfully participate in their roles or occupations. These can include motor difficulties, sensory processing inefficiencies, perceptual deficits, visual problems, or other interfering factors.
At the Center for Pediatric Therapy, our occupational therapists possess a knowledge base of anatomy and physiology, neurology, sensory and motor development. Our clinicians have been trained to analyze tasks and activities to offer corrective action and facilitate successful participation. This includes breaking down the activity into components, identifying the areas of difficulty, and developing a plan of action to help improve those areas. For example, if a child has difficulty with handwriting, an occupational therapist assesses all components necessary for the child to be successful with this task, including sitting posture, core strength, shoulder stability, hand strength, and visual/perceptual skills. Clinicians then work on improving the weaknesses in the underlying skills, and as these improve, the child is ultimately showing gains in the identified area of difficulty, in this case, handwriting. Our occupational therapists are trained to create opportunities for children to master developmental tasks and achieve independence in their environments.
Can my child just practice the tasks they struggle with?
Typically, when a child struggles with certain motor skills, repeated practice alone isn’t enough. It is important to remember that not all types of learning, particularly motor learning, can be mastered by practicing. In addition to improving the underlying skills necessary for task mastery, often efficient sensory processing and muscle strength/coordination is necessary for higher level skill attainment. When there is a sensory or motor difficulty, natural skill acquisition rarely happens. Until a child has efficient processing, they won’t acquire the skill effectively.
What is Sensory Processing Disorder?
Pediatric occupational therapists are trained to work with children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). If a child has SPD, it can present in various ways. As background, efficient processing of sensory information is an integral foundation of the development of skills. SPD may occur in each sensory system: vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile, visual, auditory, smell and interoception. A disruption in processing sensory information can interfere with self-care skills, language skills, motor skills, academic skills, and social/emotional skills. Examples of sensory processing disorder include sensory modulation difficulties (a child can be either under or over responsive to various types of sensory input), problems in self-regulation (activity levels too high or too low for the task at hand), and difficulties with praxis or motor planning (the ability to conceive, organize and execute skills of all kinds). Some specific concerns might be:
- clumsiness
- fearful of moment, such as swinging or sliding
- frequently “on the go”
- has poor balance
- plays too roughly with peers
- unintentionally breaks things easily
- distress during grooming tasks (hair cuts, nail trimming, brushing teeth)
- bothered by the feeling of new clothes
- avoids touching or playing with messy things
- bothered by ordinary household sounds, such as vacuum cleaner
- avoids places with loud music or noise
- exhibits “picky” eating behavior
- poor sleeping patterns
- displays short attention span
- easily upset with changes in routine or schedule
- acts impulsively or explosively
- has difficulty learning new motor skills
- has difficulty completing tasks with multiple steps
When evaluating for Sensory Processing Disorder, occupational therapists analyze each of a child’s sensory systems. Please see below for more details.
What is the Vestibular System?
The vestibular system allows individuals to maintain balance and upright posture. It is closely connected to the visual system and allows us to judge our movement in relationship to objects around us. This sense allows us to feel secure with gravity such as being comfortable with our feet off of the ground when on a swing or climbing up high on playground equipment. It also allows us to know where we are in relation to gravity. Some children who have inefficient processing of vestibular information may spin and spin and never get dizzy or may be extremely fearful and refuse to go on an amusement park ride, and have poor balance.
What is the Proprioceptive System?
The proprioceptive system is another important system when talking about sensory processing. The proprioceptive system allows us to understand what position our body parts are in (without needing our eyes to tell us). It tells us where exactly our body is in space. For example, without looking, you have an internal sense telling you if your elbows or knees are bent or straight. This sense also tells us about the force of our movements, such as being able to automatically reach and grab for a cup without knocking it over. Children with inefficient proprioceptive processing may spill or knock things over, grasp the crayon so hard that it breaks, or unintentionally play too roughly with others. This sense is extremely important for body awareness and coordinated movements.
What is Sensory Defensiveness?
Sensory defensiveness is an over-sensitivity to a particular type of sensory input, such as touch, visual, auditory, movement and/or smell. Defensiveness suggests a cluster of aversive responses to one (or more than one) type of sensory input. For example, a child who is defensive to tactile input may only wear sweatpants or dresses regardless of the weather. A child who is defensive to auditory input may frequently cover their ears and become upset when they hear a hair dryer, vacuum cleaner, or the echo in a large classroom; they may be bothered by sounds that others tend to not notice, such as the hum of the refrigerator. A child who struggles with defensiveness may avoid social gatherings or have frequent meltdowns which impact their ability to interact in their environment and other daily activities. Occupational therapists are trained to assess defensiveness and implement therapy intervention plans that can decrease their defensive responses and over time allow the child to participate in daily activities and process these sensations more appropriately.
What is Self-Regulation?
Self-regulation is a child’s ability to manage and control their emotions, behaviors, and body responses in different situations. Self-regulation often refers to emotional regulation and behavioral regulation. Self-regulation is essential for children to function in daily activities and social interactions. In therapy, children learn strategies to help them calm down, focus, and/or manage challenging emotions and behaviors to be able to participate in daily activities.
What is Interoception?
Interoception is the sensory system that allows us to identify and interpret signals from inside our bodies. It refers to the ability to perceive and process internal bodily sensations, such as hunger, thirst, temperature, heart rate, pain, and the need to use the bathroom. Interoception plays an important role in helping children understand their physical and emotional states, which is key for self-regulation and overall functioning.
Contact Our Occupational Therapists Today
If you notice your child is struggling with certain fine or gross motor tasks, activities of daily living (eating, dressing, grooming), appears clumsy and uncoordinated, is constantly on the go or if you are questioning if they have sensory processing difficulties, we welcome you to contact us today. At the Center for Pediatric Therapy, our highly trained occupational therapists will evaluate and determine how to best support your child. We take pride in supporting children throughout the surrounding area including Cheshire, Hamden, North Haven, Westport, and Norwalk.