Most parents dislike the idea of resorting to pediatric occupational therapy services – to them; it is basically equivalent to admitting that there is something wrong with their child. However, beyond this fallacious stigma, pediatric occupational therapy can largely help the child’s development holistically and sustainably.
Undivided attention
Pediatric occupational therapy provides the micro-management that your child needs. Due to the large number of students, schools can’t exclusively nurture him or her. Therefore, with pediatric therapy services, the attention and effort can be concentrated on your child, hence really making it possible to nurture them in areas of which they might be weak in like fine motor skills such writing or cognitive abilities like paying attention in class. The therapists are also reliable and legitimate, as most of them must have a master’s degree to work with any child. They are also required to be flexible with their schedule and location to accommodate your preferences and thus convenience is rarely ever an issue.
Personalized layout
Many parents may undermine therapy as they would rather send their child to self-development camps, which most schools do provide at a lower cost. However, if your child’s condition is critical, these camps are not catered to develop your child individually. For pediatric occupational therapy, before proceeding with the services, your therapist will assess your child and eventually conclude their needs. With these needs, they will talk to you about the appropriate targets you may want to set in the program for maximum enhancement of your child’s ability.
The therapist will then mold the program almost entirely based on these derived targets. This will then provide a very personalized program, permeated with components capable of directly combating your child’s areas of difficulty and increasing their competence in daily skills. Furthermore, due to consistency and undivided attention, the benefits from therapy will be far more long-term as compared to the benefits of a one-off camp.
Holistic development
Pediatric occupational therapy does not only focus on improving one aspect of your child’s disability, but seeks to improve him or her as a whole. Your child will of course also be trained in their fine motor skills and more specifically and importantly their ability to grasp. This is because inability to hold a pencil or flip a page will cause immense difficulty in school.
Activities like dot-dot paint and popping bubble wrap will develop their pincer grasp, a basic hand technique necessary for holding a pencil. But beyond this, therapists will also instill methods of self-help in social and psychological areas. For example, for kids with behavioral problems, instead of throwing tantrums when they feel angry, they will be trained to find a positive outlet like writing or maybe exercising for more sporty children. These are meaningful lessons and tips which most schools do not provide.
Conclusively, if you have a jarring feeling that your child needs pediatric occupational therapy, it’s best to give them that. It is not admitting defeat. It is instead coming to grips that your child may not be a little different compared to others, but still believing that he or she is able to achieve independence and excellence in life with a little extra help.
