WHO NEEDS THERAPY?
By Heidi Clopton
Pediatric Occupational Therapist and
Director at Centers of Development
Let’s face it, parents wear many
hats…nurse, chauffeur, coach,
teacher, maid, chef, interior
decorator, therapist, CFO,
CEO…”multi-hat EXTRAORDINAIRE”!
Too often parents
are overwhelmed and under
qualified to be the only ones
caring for their child’s developmental,
educational, medical,
and/or emotional needs. Proper
development is a complexly
interwoven miracle with motor
skills, emotions, cognition,
nutrition, sensory processing,
language, vision, and perceptual
abilities all needing attention.
It often takes the services
and many years of knowledge
gained from a professional licensed
therapists to really help
a child develop to their fullest
potential.
Many families do not know
that their medical insurance
covers outpatient therapies
for their child’s developmental
needs. Even if their child
is receiving educational based
therapy in the schools, their
child may qualify and receive
outpatient 1:1 therapy. This is
a great opportunity for a child
to have precious 1:1 time with
a therapist and the family to be
involved in their child’s therapy
to develop helpful home plans.
A good relationship with your
child’s therapist is vital for daily
carry over of therapeutic techniques
into daily routines to
improve outcomes!
When does a child need therapy
interventions and which
therapy is best for their needs?
Occupational therapy can
help a child learn to do their
“occupation” (development,
learning, playing) including
developing motor coordination
and building strength, learning
to calm and self regulate their
sensory systems, focus, attend
and follow directions, perform
fine motor tasks and become independent
with self help skills.
The following are issues that
can be helped by medical based
Occupational Therapy:
• Sensory avoidance that interferes
with proper development:
usually starts as an
avoidance of belly time, crawl-
22 Healthy Living | Winter Issue | 2017–2018