Occupational Therapy in Libertyville, Illinois

Occupational Therapy is meant to provide children with the supportive intervention needed to help them socially engage better and perform routine life functions independently. Kids who find it difficult to function independently, and have a poor development of skills required to perform everyday activities, need occupational therapy. The term occupational therapy might seem misleading. Here, occupation refers to a child’s occupation: to play, learn, and engage socially.

Do you have a child at home who finds it challenging to perform routine tasks such as washing themselves, dressing, or feeding themselves? Do they find it challenging to engage in tasks at an age-appropriate level? This is a strong indicator that your child may need occupational therapy.

WHAT IS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY?

Occupational therapy is a treatment that helps individuals who struggle to perform their “occupation” or everyday activities. We must learn to fully participate in daily occupations to lead a happy and fulfilling life and contribute to our community. Occupational therapists work with patients to develop the skills necessary for daily living. This may include dressing, grooming, eating, cooking, and cleaning. In addition, occupational therapists may help patients improve their ability to cope with their environment or health condition changes. The ultimate goal of occupational therapy is to help patients lead productive and independent lives.

Occupational therapists provide you with adequate occupational therapy services to improve your quality of life. A qualified occupational therapist will consider the individual, their environment, and the occupation they have difficulty with.

WHAT IS OT FOR KIDS? HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM OT FOR ADULTS?

Occupational Therapy tailored explicitly for kids is known as Occupational Therapy for children or Pediatric Occupational Therapy.

Think: what is a child’s occupation?

A child should be able to learn to perform essential life skills such as dressing up, washing themselves, and feeding on their own. They should also be able to play with kids their age or own. They should learn to read, write and speak at an age-appropriate level.

If a child cannot perform these tasks, it becomes difficult for them to navigate life. It will further lower their self-esteem and make it problematic for them to become independent, productive community members.

Child Occupational Therapy is a vital part of many children’s healthcare journeys. It helps children with developmental delays, physical disabilities, sensory processing disorders, and other conditions by supporting them in developing the skills they need for everyday life. Occupational therapists work with kids to help them improve their fine motor skills, gross motor skills, sensory processing, and cognitive skills. They also work on social skills and emotional regulation. In other words, occupational therapists help children develop the skills they need to succeed in school, at home, and in their community. If your child has difficulty with any of these areas, occupational therapy may be right for them.

SIGNS THAT YOUR CHILD NEEDS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

These are some of the signs we see among kids who need OT.

Development Delays

• Slower than normal development of skills the child is expected to develop, compared to other kids of the same age.
• Your child may not be behind in a single skill set; it may be a delay in developing a combination of skills.
• Your child may not be able to reach development milestones, such as walking, crawling, or being able to write.

Poor Fine Motor Skills

• difficulty in using the small muscles which help control the hands, fingers, and thumb.
• This can lead to a struggle in holding toys or puzzle pieces or all types of small objects.
• difficulty in tying shoelaces, using zippers, or buttoning their clothes.

Poor Gross Motor Skills

• difficulty in using the larger muscles of the arms, legs, and torso to perform everyday physical activities.
• This can lead to problems in walking, crawling, and going up and down stairs.
• A child may also be fearful of their feet leaving the ground or may downright avoid tasks and games that require gross motor skills such as running, throwing, or kicking.

Speech and Language Delay

• Your child may not develop speech and language at the expected rate compared to kids their age.
• Your child may find it challenging to express themselves through words or find it hard to articulate.
• They may further find it difficult to understand simple verbal instructions.

Poor Attention Span

• Children may find it challenging to maintain focus on a single task at hand, for instance, while attending class at school or doing their homework.
• Such children may also struggle with time management and have poor memory.

Poor Visual Processing

• A difficulty in making sense of what they see. Unlike disabilities of sight or vision, visual processing disorders make it hard to process information taken in through the eye.
• Your child might have difficulty recognizing letters or finding objects among other objects.
• Your child may also find it tough to copy shapes or letters from the board or another paper.

Poor Sensory Processing

• Kids who exhibit poor sensory processing might behave in unusual ways; they might react strongly to loud noises, sudden bright lights, or certain food textures. As a result, they find it difficult to respond to information they receive through their senses appropriately.
• In such cases, your child may be overly sensitive to sounds, touch, or movement or under-sensitive (not noticing cuts or bruises).
• Your child may find it difficult to calm themselves when they become upset or react emotionally.

Poor Social Interaction Skills

• It isn’t easy to make friends or socialize with their peers, particularly at school or the playground.
• Such children may also find it challenging to adapt to new environments.

Difficulty in Learning

• This can better be defined as learning disabilities, where your child might find problems in reading, writing, speaking, listening, understanding, and general comprehension skills.
• Such children may find it hard to remain focused at school or get tired quickly while doing school work.
• Children may go through bouts of hyperactivity or, in other cases, have low energy.

HOW DOES OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY HELP CHILDREN?

Occupational therapy can help children in many ways. For example, it can assist fine motor skills, such as writing and cutting with scissors. It can help with gross motor skills, such as catching a ball or riding a bike. It can also help with sensory processing, such as managing the feelings of being overwhelmed by loud noises or crowds. In addition, occupational therapy can help with social skills, such as taking turns and sharing. By working on these skills, occupational therapists can help children to be successful in school and in their day-to-day lives.

The occupational therapist will analyze the child’s environment in which he performs his occupation and try to figure out the root of developmental delays. This will allow the Child Occupational Therapist to form a more robust treatment plan for your child.

Occupational Therapy for children will therefore help kids:

• Develop their fine motor skills and gross motor skills
• Improve their hand-eye coordination
• Learn to perform basic life skills such as bathing, eating, washing, and brushing their teeth
• Learn to engage using social skills
• be better at bi-lateral and bi-manual skills
• Learn to manage their emotions
• Become better at regulation and coping strategies

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR CHILD FOR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY?

Parents play a pivotal role in the outcome of their child’s occupational therapy as a child spends a large chunk of their time with their parents, caretakers, and guardians. There are many ways you can make your child’s occupational therapy session go a lot smoother.

• For instance, ensure your child is prepared for the session. Dress them in casual, comfortable clothing that won’t distract them and allows them to move freely. For children that primarily deal with sensory processing disorders, avoid any scratchy or stiff fabrics.
• Next, be sure to provide a complete and thorough medical history of your child when consulting with your Pediatric Occupational Therapist. Details related to their birth and early upbringing can also be vital. Finally, discuss what has happened since the previous appointments on your next visit.

For instance, you will want to discuss any changes at home, any difficulties the child had at school, anything that made the child upset, if the child has been sick, etc. Keep the OT therapist updated on these bits of information.

• Finally, be sure to collaborate on goals. Be as involved as you can in your child’s therapy sessions. You can also help your child learn at home on their own. For instance, let them practice zipping or buttoning their clothes, washing their hands, and brushing their teeth at their own pace.

WHERE TO FIND A CHILD OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST IN LIBERTYVILLE, ILLINOIS?

How do you get in touch with a qualified occupational therapist? Occupational therapists work at schools, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, and mental health institutions. If you are looking for a qualified occupational therapist, you can speak to your child’s school counselor or ask your doctor to refer you to a specialist.

Your doctor and your child’s school counselor will be better qualified to point you in the right direction, and they may be better able to identify if an OT screening session is what your child needs.

Are you seeking professional occupational therapy for children in Libertyville, Illinois?

MOBILE THERAPY CENTERS – WORK WITH QUALIFIED OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS IN LIBERTYVILLE, ILLINOIS

As a resident of Libertyville in Lake County, Illinois, you may be on the lookout for a qualified occupational therapist for your child. You will be pleased to know that one of our MTC centers is available in your area to get your child the OT support they need! Our team of child OT professionals has worked with countless families over the past few years. It has helped their children learn to engage successfully and perform their daily life activities with ease and confidence.

Our child occupational therapy services follow a holistic approach. We work closely with the child’s parents, caregivers, and guardians to maximize the success rate. We also offer services at our clinic and homes/schools in your chosen environment. Visit MTC, and let’s discuss how we can help your child lead a happy, fulfilling life!

WE OFFER A FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION AND SCREENING SESSION!

That’s right! At Mobile Therapy Centers, we offer our clients a FREE consultation and screening session to identify the need for OT in their children. From there on, we can continue to create a treatment plan that caters to your child’s unique needs. Give us a call today at 847-816-7200 or click here to Schedule a FREE Consultation/Screening session with us!