When your child needs extra support to complete everyday life skills, it can be a challenge for parents to keep up. Whether it’s difficulty getting dressed, completing schoolwork, regulating their body when upset, or making friends, these challenges have a big impact on a child’s confidence and sense of independence. These difficulties are also more common than you might think, and support is available. By addressing the specific skills children need to navigate their daily lives, occupational therapy (OT) empowers them to become more independent and self-sufficient now and throughout their lives.
What Is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy helps children develop essential skills for daily activities. For kids, these are skills like self-care tasks (such as grooming), school-related activities, gross motor coordination, self-regulation, social participation with peers, and more!
At More to Say, our occupational therapists work closely with families to understand a child’s unique strengths and areas of growth to create a personalized plan to support their ability to thrive in their daily lives.
How Does Occupational Therapy Help Children Build Independence?
OT helps children become more independent by supporting skill development in areas needed for daily life. Through engaging, play-based activities, we support children in improving areas of growth and gaining confidence in their abilities. Read about some different ways that OTs help children build skills for independence:
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Facilitate development of fine motor control and coordination for daily tasks
Fine motor skills are essential for tasks like dressing, writing, and eating. Our therapists use engaging activities to build hand strength, develop grasp on a variety of utensils and manipulatives, and guide motor movements by vision to improve dexterity, endurance, and coordination. This makes self-care, school work, and everyday activities easier.
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Build coordination, balance, and strength to help children move with confidence
Gross motor skills impact activities like running, jumping, climbing, engaging in sports, and navigating equipment on the playground. Through engaging movement activities such as obstacle courses, scooter games, floor is lava, animal walks, yoga poses, and more, OTs help children gain better body awareness and gross motor coordination, making everyday movements easier. This also helps boost a child’s confidence and help them keep up with their peers!
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Develop and teach strategies to help children complete self-care tasks independently
Engaging in dressing, hygiene, and/or mealtimes can be challenging for some children. Occupational therapists work 1:1 with families to determine which strategies are helpful for each child individually. Some examples of strategies that can make self-care routines and tasks manageable and successful are: visual schedules, adaptive tools, fading assistance/cuing, and more!
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Help children modulate sensory inputs and regulate their responses, making daily experiences enjoyable
For children with sensory processing difficulties, certain sounds, textures, movements, and more can feel overwhelming. Our occupational therapists use regulating sensory techniques to help children manage sensory inputs without feeling overwhelmed. We also help children explore new sights, sounds, and textures in a child-led approach to ensure a positive experience.
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Improve planning, organization, and problem-solving skills for school and homelife
Executive functioning skills help us plan, organize, and complete tasks. These skills are critical for managing schoolwork, sequencing routines, and completing daily tasks. Occupational therapists can develop executive functioning skills through play-based and engaging activities, as well as provide adaptive strategies for home to ensure a child is able to thrive in their daily activities and routines. Some strategies may include: visual schedules, timers, and breaking down tasks into manageable steps to help children develop focus, time management, and independence.
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Strengthen social participation so children can interact more confidently with peers
Some children have difficulties navigating social situations, understanding social cues, turn taking, sharing, or participating in group activities. Our occupational therapists help by naturally incorporating turn taking, sharing, and more during sessions to build social emotional skills.
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Personalize strategies for your child
Every child is unique, which is why creating an individualized plan to meet their specific strengths and areas of growth is so important. Through our naturalistic, play-based approach to therapy, we are able to help your child grow and thrive in their daily lives. We also provide extensive home programming to ensure that parents and caregivers feel confident in carrying over strategies outside of the clinic environment!
Signs Your Child May Benefit from Occupational Therapy
Every child develops at their own pace, but if you notice persistent difficulties in daily tasks, it may be time to consider an OT evaluation. Some signs that your child may benefit from occupational therapy include:
- Difficulty with fine motor tasks like tying shoes, using scissors, or holding a pencil
- Trouble with gross motor skills such as running, jumping, or balancing
- Avoidance of self-care tasks like brushing teeth, bathing, or feeding themselves
- Sensory sensitivities that make them easily overwhelmed, such as bright lights, noisy environments, or certain textures
- Difficulty following multi-step directions, staying organized, or sequencing daily routines
- Challenges in making friends, playing with peers, or engaging in group activities
- Difficulty managing emotions
If any of these challenges sound familiar, an occupational therapy evaluation can help determine the best path forward for your child’s development and independence.
What to Expect from Occupational Therapy Sessions
OT sessions are designed to be fun, engaging, and tailored to each child’s needs. Rather than feeling like work, therapy sessions involve evidence-based, play-based activities that help children build skills in a motivating and engaging way. Depending on your child’s goals, sessions may include:
- Fine motor activities using crafts, building blocks, or playdough
- Gross motor activities like climbing, jumping, obstacle courses, or yoga-based movements
- Sensory integration techniques such as deep pressure activities, sensory rich activities, or regulation strategies
- Natural social participation experiences through games, play, and more
As children develop their skills, they gain confidence and a sense of accomplishment, making daily activities feel easier and even fun. Over time, they not only become more independent but also take pride in caring for themselves and look forward to tackling new challenges.
Getting Started with Occupational Therapy
If your child is facing difficulties with independence, don’t wait—take the first step toward helping them grow, succeed, and gain confidence in their abilities by setting up an evaluation.
Early intervention is important in helping children develop independence and confidence. During the evaluation, an experienced occupational therapist will assess your child’s strengths and areas of growth and create a personalized plan to support their development.
Occupational therapy provides children with the confidence and ability to take on everyday tasks with greater ease. Whether your child struggles with dressing, handwriting, organization, social participation, and more, OT is a powerful tool for building independence in all aspects of daily life.
No matter where the challenge lies, we can develop an OT plan tailored to support your child’s needs. At More to Say, our expert occupational therapists identify the root of these areas of growth and use proven strategies to build essential skills in an engaging, effective way. Call (203) 828-6790 today to schedule an evaluation at our Branford, CT, or Oxford, CT, clinic!
