Occupational therapy (OT) is a specialist treatment to help children and young people whose ability to perform meaningful activities of daily life is hampered due to physical, sensory or cognitive problems.
In this blog, Katy Prudhomme du Hancourt, Occupational Therapist at our Aspris Wellbeing Centre in City Walk, Dubai, provides some of the signs for parents to look out for which may suggest your child needs occupational therapy to help equip them with a brighter future.
Does my child need occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy for children might be required if you or someone that knows your child is concerned about the following:
- Delayed developmental milestones: If a child is behind in achieving age-appropriate developmental milestones
- Sensory processing: If your child is oversensitive or hypersensitive and seems to over-react to sound, touch, smells, taste or movement. Children with sensory processing difficulties may also be under-sensitive or hyposensitive e.g. feeling less pain than other children or constantly seeking sensory experiences
- Social interaction difficulties: If your child is having difficulty interacting with family or peers, understanding social rules, deficits in non-verbal communication, repetitive play etc.
- Gross motor skills: If your child is lagging in development of age-appropriate motor and coordination skills, such as running, balance and coordination
- Fine motor skills: If your child has difficulties with tasks like stringing beads, holding a pencil and cutting with scissors
- Learning difficulties: If your child is easily distracted, does not complete tasks, unable to copy patterns or letters or has difficulty learning new tasks
- Self-care skills: If your child is having difficulty getting dressed, not being able to brush their teeth, organising their schoolbag etc
What are the common disorders Occupational Therapists work with?
Many children can benefit from paediatric occupational therapy. Whether they’re receiving occupational therapy for autism, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or Attention deficit disorder (ADD), down syndrome or any other learning difficulty, a paediatric occupational therapist will provide effective support.
Some of the common disorders that Occupational Therapists work with include:
- Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD)
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Attention deficit disorder (ADD)
- Cerebral palsy
- Developmental co-ordination disorder (Dyspraxia)
- Developmental delays
- Down syndrome
- Dysgraphia
- Sensory processing disorder
- Learning difficulties/perceptual skill difficulties
Get in touch
If you require further information on our children and adolescent services and how we can help to equip your child with a brighter future, please call our helpful team today on (+971) 4 385 4493 (Dubai).
As part of our specialist services, we conduct development and learning assessments to ensure your child receives the support they need.