The goal of occupational therapy is to help children become more independent in everyday tasks. OT might work on include:
• Self-care tasks (brushing teeth, buttoning clothes and using eating utensils)
• Hand-eye coordination (learning to write on a classroom whiteboard, or copy in a notebook what the teacher writes on the board)
• Occupational therapists help kids who have trouble with physical c
oordination, organization and planning skills.
• These therapists can help children with certain learning and attention issues do tasks (like writing or working buttons) in a more efficient and less tiring way.
• Fine motor skills
• Gross motor skills
• Cognitive skills (thinking and organizing) involving physical space and objects
• Fine motor skills (grasping and control a pencil, using scissors)
• Planning and organization (helping a teen plan a trip to his locker to swap books, gym clothes or a musical instrument for the next class period)
• Physical outlets (helping kids with behavior issues find better outlets than hitting someone when they’re frustrated or angry)
• Appropriate responses (helping kids with sensory processing issues respond to sensations in a more appropriate way)
