Occupational Therapy (O.T.) focuses on the functional tasks of everyday living.  Everything from getting dressed in the morning, to playing with toys to managing your belongings as you head out the door to football practice.  A child's occupations are "play" and "school".  In schools, OTs are known as the "Handwriting Queens"!  Handwriting is a necessary fine motor task at school that incorporates postural control, hand dexterity, visual memory plus so much more. Handwriting concerns is the primary reason for a referral to a school OT.

Other areas addressed by OT:

• Play skills (use of toys)

• Sensory Processing

• Self-Help Skills (feeding, dressing, bathing, toileting)

• Oral Motor Skills (Picky eater, difficulty with textures)

• Fine Motor Skills (manipulating toys, printing, cutting)

• Gross Motor Skills (climbing, catching a ball)

• Visual-motor Skills (mazes, copying shapes)

• Social Skills (listening, eye contact, body language)

• Executive Functioning skills (planning, organizing)

• Cognitive/School Performance (attention, problem-solving)

• Community Access (Taking the bus, money management)