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Occupational Therapy for Kids. By: Froza Mercado Audience: Parents. What is Occupational Therapy?. “Occupational therapy is a holistic health care profession that aims to promote health by enabling individuals to perform meaningful and purposeful activities across the lifespan” - Diffen.
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Occupational Therapy for Kids By: Froza Mercado Audience: Parents
What is Occupational Therapy? “Occupational therapy is a holistic health care profession that aims to promote health by enabling individuals to perform meaningful and purposeful activities across the lifespan” -Diffen
Who can benefit from OT? Individuals who have conditions that are: • Mentally • Physically • Developmentally • Emotionally …disabling.
What is a Child’s Occupation? EXPLORE & PLAY!!
How to know if your child needs OT • Has your child suffered a major trauma or injury? • Does your child suffer from an illness, condition, or disease? • Has your child been developing abnormally? • Does your child lack complete and normal functioning of upper and lower extremities? If you answered yes to any of the questions above, then you should consider OT for your child.
Examples of Trauma that Require OT • Stroke • Shaken Baby Syndrome • Car accident injury • Any accident that impairs daily function
Examples of Congenital Diseases that Require OT • Cerebral Palsy • Antley-Bixler Syndrome • Prader-Willi Syndrome • Spina Bifida • Fragile X Syndrome • Missing or Undeveloped Limbs
Developmental Milestones • Birth-3 Months • Motor skills: • Can face head straight when on back • Can lift head while lying on tummy • Can turn from side to back • Stretching & Kicking more • Can grasp & hold on to toy for a few seconds
Birth-3 Months • Hearing: • Responds to external stimuli • Responds to your voice • Vision: • Able to focus on your face • Examine colors, sizes, shapes • Examine his/her own hands & feet
Developmental Milestones 4-6 Months • Motor Skills: • Able to wiggle arms and legs • Able to rock on stomach and eventually rolls over • Have better head control • Able to lift head while on laying on belly • May even try to push themselves up or bear some weight on legs
4-6 Months • Hand-Eye Coordination: • Able to grasp your finger • Able to rattle a soft object • Able to place objects in mouth
4-6 Months • Vision: • Able to distinguish between strange and familiar faces • Able to concentrate on a toy • Able to turn head toward bright colors • Studying fingers and toes • Staring at his or her reflection
7-9 Months Developmental Milestones • Motor Skills: • Able to roll over in both directions • May be able to sit on their own • May be able to scoot, rock back & forth, or crawl • May be able to pull themselves up into standing
7-9 Months • Hand-Eye Coordination: • Able to transfer objects from one hand to another • Able to transfer objects directly into their mouths • Able to pull objects closer with a raking motion of the hands
Developmental Milestones 10-12 Months • Motor Skills: • Able to sit without help • Able to pull themselves to a standing position • Able to do creeping and crawling • Able to cruise along the furniture • By 12 months, he/she may be able to take first steps without support
10-12 Months • Hand-Eye Coordination: • Able to feed themselves finger foods • Able to grasp items between the thumb & forefinger. • Able to bang two objects together • Able to stack objects (i.e. blocks)
How to get started • Observe your child in daily activity • Talk to your primary health care physician • Get a referral to an OT • Do research on your OT. Check credentials. • Discuss your child’s needs with the OT • Be updated & involved in your child’s treatment plan
Supporting your child’s OT needs Buy the right toys
Do Projects at Home • Work on fine motor skills: • Drawing • Coloring/Painting • Tying knots • Arts & Crafts • Play Dough
Pinterest: OT at your Fingertips Fun activities for your kids!!
Remember… Enhancing your child’s developmental skills means constant practice, use, and reinforcement.
References Diffen. (2013). Occupational therapy vs. physical therapy. Retrieved from http://www.diffen.com/difference/ Occupational_Therapy_vs_Physical_Therapy Mayo Clinic Staff. (2010, June 08). Infant development. Retrieved from: http://www.mayoclinic.org/ infantdevelopment/art-20048012 The imagination tree. (2014, January 07). Retrieved from http://theimaginationtree.com/category/age/ agetoddler