Pediatric occupational therapy helps children succeed at the “jobs” of childhood, including self-care, play, school performance, and social interactions. Occupational therapy can help kids with various needs improve their cognitive, physical, sensory, and motor skills as well as enhance their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.

Using activities that seem like play to children, occupational therapy provides challenging tasks in a one-on-one setting strategically designed to improve the skills children need in their daily life. Recommended interventions are based on a thorough understanding of typical development and the impact of disability, illness, or impairment on the individual child’s development, play, learning, and overall occupational performance.

At MTS Kids, our occupational therapy practitioners provide services by collaborating with other professionals to identify and meet the needs of children experiencing delays or challenges in development. Our goals are multi-faceted and depending on the child can include any of the following:

• Identifying and modifying or overcoming barriers that interfere with, restrict, or inhibit a child’s functional performance
• Teaching and modeling skills and strategies to children and their families to extend therapeutic intervention
• Adapting activities, materials, and environmental conditions so children can participate under different conditions and in various environments

The primary occupations of young children are playing and interacting with caregivers. Occupational therapists evaluate a child’s development and provide intervention to improve skills and/or modify environments when concerns arise about a child’s functional performance. Some examples are:

• Facilitating movement to help a child sit independently or crawl
• Helping a child learn to follow 2- or 3-step instructions
• Helping a child develop the ability to dress, brush their teeth, or feed themselves independently
• Helping a child learn to cope with disappointment or failure
• Reducing extraneous environmental noise for a child who is easily distracted
• Building skills for sharing, taking turns, and playing with peers
• Helping a child develop the ability to use toys and materials (i.e. writing tool, scissors, etc.) in both traditional and creative manners.
• Educational Needs (i.e. letters/ numbers, handwriting, successful participation in the classroom environment, etc.).

In school environments, occupational therapists can help support successful learning, appropriate behavior, and participation in daily school routines and activities. Occupational therapists also collaborate with teachers, parents, and education personnel on ways to support student learning throughout the school environment.