Children learn life skills as they grow, but for some, self-care tasks like getting dressed or eating meals can be a source of frustration. Occupational therapy (OT) helps children strengthen their physical coordination, sensory processing and modulation, executive functioning, and overall self-regulation to improve engagement in daily activities and routines. Our Holistic therapy techniques at More to Say can offer a solution for families that are experiencing difficulties in these areas.
What Happens in Pediatric Occupational Therapy Sessions
Pediatric occupational therapy sessions use hands-on, naturalistic activities to build abilities related to self-care independence. These tasks are individualized based on each child’s needs, strengths, and environment. Activities can address the following areas:
- Executive function: Cognitive skills that help children plan, focus, remember instructions, and manage actions and emotions.
- Fine motor skills: Small, precise movements of hands and fingers, crucial for tasks like buttoning clothes, brushing teeth, or using utensils.
- Gross motor skills: Larger body movements involving strength, balance, and coordination, important for activities like getting dressed and bathing.
- Visual perception and motor integration: How a child’s eyes and body work together to make sense of what they see and to coordinate movements. These skills are needed for handling utensils, using zippers or moving safely through their environment.
- Sensory processing and regulation: Refers to how a child’s brain takes in and makes sense of information from their senses (like touch, sound, sight and movement), and manages their responses to those sensations. Sensory regulation is essential for self-care activities like toothbrushing, bathing, getting dressed, and more!
Tools and Strategies Pediatric OTs May Use During Therapy
Occupational therapy sessions at More to Say are naturalistic and play-based, letting children take the lead while working on skill development. Examples include:
- Simple dressing tools built into play like button boards, zipper pulls or Velcro strips to strengthen fine motor control and support independent dressing skills.
- Play-based activities that build hand strength and precision, like scooping or pouring in a sensory bin. These make it easier for children to hold utensils, brush their teeth or manage grooming tools.
- Visual schedules that show step-by-step routines. These support sequencing skills, helping children complete tasks like brushing hair or washing hands in the right order.
- Movement-based games and activities to improve balance, strength, and coordination skills that are needed for self-care activities like getting dressed or bathing.
- Sensory-rich activities, like individualized pacing with exploring new textures, swinging, or deep pressure activities. Some activities may be completing obstacle courses, playing with a sensory bin, and more. These can help children respond more comfortably to their environment and feel confident handling multisensory self-care tasks.
- Games and activities that improve eye-hand coordination, such as puzzles, drawing, or catching and throwing, thereby improving coordination for tasks that require utensil use.
- … and more!
With support and consistency, children become more confident in their ability to engage in daily self-care activities. These gains carry over into home life, school settings and peer interactions to give children greater independence and self-confidence.
When to Consider Pediatric Occupational Therapy
If your child has difficulties with dressing, using utensils, brushing teeth or engaging in other self-care tasks, it may be time to schedule an occupational therapy evaluation. You might also notice signs like frequent meltdowns during routine tasks, difficulty using both hands together or needing help with basic hygiene beyond what’s typical for their age.
An evaluation helps uncover what is behind these difficulties and offers a personalized approach to help your child build self-care skills. Starting therapy early gives families more time to practice strategies, adjust routines and ease challenges before they become bigger sources of frustration. Children’s brains are also most adaptable at a younger age, making their brain ready for learning and easier skill development.
Schedule a Free Occupational Therapy Phone Screening
Whether your child is just starting to feed themselves or learning to dress, occupational therapy can help build these important life skills step by step. At More to Say Pediatric Development & Therapy, our licensed therapists provide evaluations and hands-on treatment tailored to each child’s needs.
Contact our Branford or Oxford, CT location to schedule a free phone screening . We will help you determine if an evaluation is the right next step and explain how therapy can support your child’s development.
