FAQs on therapy, fine motor skills and sensory issues
What exactly is occupational therapy?
Occupational therapists (OTs) evaluate a child as a whole, focusing on a family's goals. We are here to make each child as independent as he can be in his everyday life. This includes being able to get dressed, brush his teeth, color, write, play and interact with family and friends. OTs also help children who may have hand or arm injuries that affect their ability to do the things they want to do.
How do I know if my child needs an evaluation?
An evaluation may be suggested by a physician, a teacher or other medical professionals. If you are concerned about your child's skills, you may check our developmental chart. You can then discuss this with your pediatrician to see if he thinks your child would benefit from an occupational therapy evaluation.
What is the difference between an evaluation and therapy?
During an evaluation, your child's skills will be assessed to determine if there is a need for therapy. Your therapist will be testing your child to see how she compares to typically developing children. If therapy is needed, she will work on improving delayed skills identified during the evaluation. Our therapists firmly believe in family involvement and education.Your family will be educated on what is being done and how to be involved in therapy if therapy is warranted.
What will happen at my child's evaluation?
The occupational therapist will ask you questions to better understand your child's background/medical history and primary concerns. There will likely be two OTs in the evaluation with you and your child — one will be discussing topics with you while the other one evaluates your child in the same room. A variety of evaluation tools may be used during the evaluation, including standardized tests, observation and measurements. Results and recommendations will be shared with you at the conclusion of the evaluation or through a phone call afterwards.
How long will my child come to therapy?
Each child is different. It depends on the individual needs of each child and the family's ability to carry over the home program.We create home programs with parents/caregivers to increase a child's success in therapy.
Do you talk to my child's other therapists? School? Doctor?
We enjoy being able to talk to other caregivers in your child's life. If they are not part of our hospital system, we ask that you sign a release to allow us to talk to them if this is what you would like.
Why is early intervention (EI) (or any type of follow-up therapy) important?
It is very important for a child to receive therapy as early as possible to begin working on skills that they may need improvement. These skills are important for reaching developmental milestones that are appropriate for his age.
I have a child who is premature. Will his development be different?
Some premature babies who spend long periods of time in the neonatal intensive care unit after birth may have been exposed to too much stimulation from their environment too soon (light, sound, touch). This could cause breakdowns in any of the developing sensory systems, resulting in sensory issues later on. It is important to keep your pediatrician up to date on your baby's status.
How long do you adjust my baby's age if he is premature? How do you adjust age?
Prematurity is adjusted until your child is 2 years old. To adjust your baby's age, subtract the number of weeks the baby was born premature from their actual age. This results in what we call a corrected age.
Example: A baby born at 32 weeks gestation is considered to be 8 weeks (2 months) premature. If that baby is currently 6 months old, their corrected age would be 4 months (6 months minus 2 months = 4 months).
I've heard of tummy time. Is this important? How do I work on this with a child?
Yes, this is important. Tummy time will allow your child to strengthen his back and neck muscles. We suggest that a baby spend at least 50 percent of his awake time on his tummy. This can be done on the floor. It can also be done while you are holding your child with his tummy towards the ground. Learn more about tummy time and torticollis »
My child will only eat certain foods. Are there things that I can do to help him to eat more of a variety?
The speech therapists generally help children who have muscular/anatomy-related difficulties when eating.
Occupational therapists treat children who are having difficulty with eating due to sensory issues. For example, a child may not be able to tolerate the look, smell, or texture of certain foods.
Speak to your pediatrician is you are concerned. He may recommend that you have a speech evaluation as well as an occupational therapy evaluation. This will help us to determine which therapy would most benefit your child.
What are good extra-curricular activities?
Each child has different needs and different interests. Your therapist will be able to make suggestions for home and community activities that will support your child's individual development.
How can I encourage my child to use the hand that is affected by his diagnosis?
Activities that require using both hands are a good way to encourage your child to use his affected hand. Examples include: catching/throwing balls, tug of war, carrying large items, nuts and bolts, stringing beads, and cutting paper with scissors.
Fine motor questions
How can I teach my child to hold his pencil correctly?
A child will hold his pencil correctly when he has good strength, coordination and awareness of his hand in space. Encouraging play with a variety of textures (playdough, sand), resistive toys, small items (Legos) will all lead to the development of a mature grasp.
How can learning handwriting help my child?
Handwriting is important for a number of reasons. If a child is able to write with ease, he can attend to other aspects of learning in the classroom. If he is comfortable with handwriting, he will gain a sense of confidence to complete other tasks. He will also achieve better grades by not being docked points for messy/unreadable handwriting.
My child is 3 and doesn't write. Is he delayed?
At 3 years of age, we would expect a child to be able to draw vertical and horizontal lines. He should also be starting to copy a circle. Encourage play with chalk, paint, playdoh, stickers, building materials, puzzles, stamps, hole punchers, and squeeze toys to increase his fine motor development.
When should my child be holding the pencil correctly?
A child should be grasping a pencil with his finger pointing towards the paper between 2 and 3 years of age. He should be using his thumb and first finger with a little difficulty beginning at 3 ½ years of age. He should have a correct three finger (thumb, first and second finger) grasp by 4 ½ years of age.
When should my child be getting dressed on his own?
Children should help to get undressed by the age of 2 ½ but with help needed for some fasteners. By 3 years of age, they should be able to get dressed with a little help needed with fasteners.
Sensory questions
Will my child be able to better deal with his sensory issues after therapy?
Your child may outgrow some sensory issues but most likely will still have some sensory processing difficulties. Therapy will help your child to deal with some sensory sensitivities as well as help you to understand your child's sensitivities.
I have heard about sensory problems. What does this mean?
Sensory disorder involves one or more of our seven senses — smell, touch, sight, taste, hearing, interpreting input to our musclesand interpreting movement in space. Sensory disorder happens when a child is unable to tolerate daily sensory stimuli that will affect his performance in life skills. An example is when a child refuses to wear certain types/textures of clothes because he cannot tolerate the feeling of it on his skin. This may affect his ability to attend to play or school activities.
What if my child refuses to have his hair cut or his finger nails clipped?
He might just dislike the feeling, or if it is severe, he may have a sensory disorder to certain touch. A trained occupational therapist will be able to help you to discern between the two.