2 Reasons To Consider Occupational Therapy For Your Child

One of the best resources available to you when it comes to your child's development is an occupational therapist, mostly because of the many ways in which they can assist you. Occupational therapists specialize in helping people develop the skills necessary to lead a functional life. Listed below are two reasons to consider occupational therapy for your child.

Delays In Development

One of the biggest reasons to see an occupational therapist with your child is if you notice that your child is not developing at a normal rate. Signs of this can be that your child is not learning and using social skills to make friends or that he or she is falling behind the rest of his or her class at school. Signs of developmental delay in younger children can include taking longer than is typical to learn how to walk, crawl, or even sit up. 

In this situation, a therapist can help by creating activities that can engage the child and help with his or her development. For example, for issues related to falling behind in school, the therapist may create games or other entertaining activities to help the child develop the ability to focus more or develop better study habits. 

Difficulties Playing

Another reason to take your child to an occupational therapist is if you notice that your child is having difficulty when it comes to playing on his or her own or with others. In this situation, you may notice that your child will not typically begin playing unless you or your significant other initiates and guides the playing. In many cases, you may also notice that your child is not learning how to share toys with other children or will perform extremely basic and repetitive tasks while playing. 

An occupational therapist can help in this situation by creating situations where your child is playing with other children and showing him or her not only how to play and share with the other children, but the reasoning behind doing so. In addition, this gives the therapist an opportunity to observe your child's interactions with the other children in order to determine the causes of his or her difficulties playing. These causes can be anything from being extremely focused on one type of toy or subject to being extremely anxious around the other children.

If you want to learn more about occupational therapy, contact an occupational therapist today in order to discuss how he or she may be able to assist you with any difficulties that your child is having. An occupational therapist can help if you notice that your child is experiencing delays in development or difficulties playing.

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