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Pediatric Occupational Therapy San Diego

Improving Children’s Motor Skills: Occupational Therapy’s Function

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We are seeing more and more regularly that children are not taught proper pen handling techniques or how to tighten buttons. One method that might be helpful is occupational therapy. The goals of this treatment are to improve coordination, balance, and motor abilities.

Occupational therapy (OT) assists those who struggle with daily duties. Occupational therapy may help children improve their basic skills, which can boost their self-esteem. Occupational therapy (OT) assists persons who struggle to do daily chores owing to limited motor skills. For youngsters, this comprises tasks that are necessary for learning and functioning properly in school.

OT focuses on the abilities that children require to execute tasks that they find difficult, such as buttoning a coat or writing and typing. Here’s what you should know about Pediatric occupational therapy San Diego.

What is pediatric occupational therapy?

Working with children ages 0 to 18 to address a variety of conditions and issues to improve their function in connection to the activities they perform is known as pediatric occupational therapy. We seek to increase function in tasks including writing, clothing, fine and gross motor skills, and self-care-centered activities. Some of the problems we work with include autism, ADHD, dyspraxia, and stroke.

Children who get therapy centered around meaningful activities are more likely to see changes more quickly.

Here are examples of tasks and skills that pediatric OTs can focus on:

• Self-care practices including dressing (which needs fine motor and motor planning).
• Handling fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination when writing and copying notes.
• Use scissors to hold and move a pencil (fine motor abilities, motor planning)
• Throwing and catching (gross motor abilities, such as coordination and balance)
• Stuffing a backpack (organizational skills, motor planning)
• Sensitivity to sensory information (self-control abilities)

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OT consists of drills and exercises to develop specific weak skills. For instance, multimodal handwriting skills may be used in treatment if a kid has extremely sloppy handwriting. If a child is struggling with concentration, the Occupational therapist school San Diego may ask that child to do full-body exercises before sitting down to do homework. The earlier a child begins OT, the more effective it becomes.

Children’s self-esteem and confidence can be bolstered by their ability to complete simple activities; these qualities can be undermined when they struggle, particularly in front of their classmates. Children who have trouble with their motor skills are frequently awkward and lack coordination. Being perceived as “different” might make them feel like victims and expose them to bullying. Have a conversation with your youngster about the potential benefits of facing obstacles. Additionally, you may get worksheets on mentality that can encourage your youngster to see gains.

How an OT can help with specific problems

Children with certain problems often need OT. One condition that affects motor skills is developmental coordination disorder (sometimes called dyspraxia). There are several activities that therapists can use to improve skills. One fine motor activity could be for children to pick up objects with tweezers. To help with hand dominance, children can practice cutting objects with scissors. To develop gross motor skills, children can do jumping jacks, catch different-sized balls, or run through obstacle courses.

OT can also assist youngsters with sensory processing issues. When children struggle with sensory processing, they may overreact or fail to respond to what they hear, see, taste, touch, or smell. This might lead youngsters to become sluggish or hyperactive. In this instance, Occupational therapists San Diego can create a sensory diet.

This strategy consists of a series of physical exercises and adjustments aimed at providing youngsters with the necessary sensory input. OTs can also employ hard labor to assist youngsters who seek or avoid specific sorts of sensory inputs. Pediatric occupational therapy San Diego can also benefit children with dyslexia, visual processing disorders, executive functioning issues, and dysgraphia.

In addition to occupational therapy, there are other things you may do to improve motor skills. Get tips from an expert on how to teach self-care routines to children. Explore fun ways to develop fine motor and gross motor skills. And discover activities that will help older children improve their motor skills.

To sum up, occupational therapy is vital in helping children with a variety of motor skill difficulties, which will ultimately improve their function and sense of self. OT assists children in acquiring the fundamental skills required for everyday chores and academic achievement through customized treatments.

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