23/07/2023
When might a child need Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy is often indicated when a child is struggling with day-to-day activities at home, school or in the community.
You might notice the child:
💙 Not reaching age-appropriate developmental milestones such as sitting, crawling and walking.
🧡 Not developing age-appropriate play and social skills.
💙 Struggling to manipulate small items such as toys, colours or cutlery as age-appropriate. They may avoid tasks and games that require fine motor skills.
🧡 Find difficulty to participate in gross motor play such as ball play or demonstrate poor coordination and balance. May be fearful of feet leaving the ground, avoid crossing the body midline during play or avoid gross motor play in general.
💙 Be very picky with food, or find difficulty to drink from a cup and straw.
🧡 Be over or under sensitive to stimulation from the environment, or constantly moving, jumping, crashing and bumping.
💙 Unable to concentrate and focus at school, very easily distracted or finds difficulty following instructions and completing work.
🧡 Delayed play skills including difficulty to explore toys purposefully, difficulty with imitative play or wandering aimlessly without purpose.
🌈✨ Remember that all children are different and develop these skill sets at their own pace. However, if you think your child may be struggling with some of the areas mentioned, you can contact an occupational therapist.
