PEDIATRIC OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
Occupational Therapy focuses on adapting the environment, modifying tasks, teaching skills, and helping children develop the skills they need to grow into functional, independent adults. It helps them improve day-to-day muscle control so they can work on their fine motor skills such as writing, drawing, cutting, and gluing. Occupational therapy also helps with sensory impairments in movement, balancing, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. The longer a child goes without learning these skills, the more the problem compounds itself as the child ages, which makes the skills of a pediatric occupational therapist critical to their patients.
"Every one of us has different sensory experiences. Children with sensory difficulties can look and act a multitude of different ways. They can be overstimulated by the world around them, they can be under stimulated by their world causing them to seek out input that is typically considered “socially unacceptable” or they can be a little of both.
Kids with these issues aren’t trying to be difficult. Their brains have trouble filtering, organizing and interpreting information taken in by the senses. This can cause extreme reactions to sensations like bright light, noises, smells, tastes and textures or day to day experiences such as swinging, spinning, sliding and bouncing on a trampoline.
Here at Turn Center we have a facility equipped with a variety of sensory equipment and the therapists are well versed in Sensory Processing difficulties. They have a variety of strategies and recommendations for parents in need." - Director of Therapy Services, Regan Hall
AREAS OF FOCUS
- Cognitive Skills: Remembering letters, shapes, and sequences
- Fine Motor Skills: Finger dexterity, wrist and forearm control, and hand strength
- Gross Motor Skills: Balance and body coordination
- Self-Care Tasks: Dressing, bathing, and self-feeding
- Social Skills: Taking turns, listening, and following directions