Photo by Paul J Everett
For all you Special Needs Parents out there, let's take a quick look at defining Occupational Therapy in terms of our kids. We'll be looking at other kinds of therapies later down the road as well.
WHAT
From Wikipedia:
Occupational Therapy, often abbreviated as "OT", incorporates meaningful and purposeful occupation to enable people with limitations or impairments to participate in everyday life. Occupational therapists work with individuals, families, groups and populations to facilitate health and well-being through engagement or re-engagement in occupation. Occupational therapists are becoming increasingly involved in addressing the impact of social and environmental factors that contribute to exclusion and occupational deprivation.
In layman's terms… It's a therapy for your kids to learn how to participate in every day life.
WHO
Occupational Therapists are facilitators. I like to think of them as teachers. They require a Master's Degree which is augmented by field work and the passing of state exams. So how do you find one? Well, if you're in the school system, your district will have access to the resources available to you through the IEP process. If you're not in the school system, I recommend a referral from your child's doctor. I think that's the safest way of finding a qualified practitioner.
WHERE
The therapies can be done in the home, in the school, or out in the field (such as with equine therapy.) That is determined by the needs of your child, and his or her therapeutic plan.
WHY
Life is here to be lived, but some kids don't have the skills necessary to do so without training. Having limitations is hard. Occupational therapy provides a way of learning HOW to live life with the limitations they currently have.
HOW
Occupational therapists teach the kids (and the parents) how to participate in life by either adjusting the environment, or finding the tools necessary to adjust to the environment. The therapist will work with the child and the parents to find out where the problem areas are, and then work to figure out how to solve those problem areas. This could mean breaking down the problem into steps, or finding equipment to adjust for the problem, or evaluating the school or home for obstacles to the child's success.
The goal of occupational therapy is to make the child more independent, and give them the tools to succeed.
Found "unique" by all who know her, you can find Michele at her blog, Sparks and Butterflies, or at her business Vineyard Virtual Services.
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