Occupational Therapy

What does an Occupational Therapist Do ?

OT specialists are trained to give patients strategies, adaptation guidelines, physical activities, helping tools, and environment adjustments.
They observe, plan, intervene, and cooperate with their patients to determine the best approach for restoring fine motor skills activity. That includes helping with a wide scope of psychological, neurological, and physical difficulties.

Therapists working with occupational therapy observe a patient to detect any impairments with their hand-eye coordination, motor skills, or mental health.

Simply put, they will check a patient’s home for any hazards that may interfere with their everyday activities. They will then advise patients on how to make their living space safer and more secure for recovery.

Aside from physical interferences, therapists can also analyze social problems. They can evaluate the type of support a patient gets from the family and how willing they are to lend a hand.

If a patient has difficulties at work, therapists can plan different ways to help a client select goals, activities, or tactics to better handle their situation. Such therapies can include activities for developing fine motor skills, memory games, or adaptive techniques that will compensate for all the impairments.

What Kind of Assistive Devices Can a Therapist Recommend ?

After careful analysis and observation, an OT therapist can consider using assistive devices to help patients overcome specific difficulties.

Depending on the health problem, traumatic injury, or illness, the therapist can recommend:

• Hearing aids
• Restroom aids
• Mobility helpers (walkers, wheelchair, crutches, etc.)
• Screen radars
• Environment management aid
• Vision aid, etc.

The right choice of aid will be a valuable asset to a healthy recovery. It can help patients get back their independence and benefit from the long-term effects. However, once a patient has received these assistive devices, they must take good care of them.

Inappropriate use will only prolong the problems, and any mistreatment can be very expensive to fix. That’s why it’s very important to make the most of these devices.

Can Occupational Therapy Help With Child’s Development ?

The earliest years of a child’s development are packed with new experiences and stimulations that can impact their social skills, cognitive functions, and physical development of their small muscles. If a child needs help to develop properly, occupational therapy can be useful.

Parents can try Early Intervention therapy programs, which are meant to provide aid for young children with disabilities or those who are vulnerable to developing them. Children with autism or Down syndrome or other specific conditions can benefit from these treatment programs.

For a child experiencing mental or physical delays in development, this therapy can restore their sensory processing, cognitive, motor, and social skills. The main focus of the therapy is to minimize the probability of delay and speed up the development process. Not only is it useful for meeting the child’s basic needs, but it’s also good for giving them confidence and helping them feel happy.

But, every therapy session will be tailored to a specific individual, that includes the child’s health state, their siblings, and family. According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), families are a key component in the therapy process.

How Can Occupational Therapy Aid With Certain Challenges ?

Children with specific difficulties need frequent occupational therapy. One such health problem that affects their motor skills is known as dyspraxia, which makes coordination more difficult. Therapists can use a range of different activities to improve these skills.

One such example is the activity that teaches children to use tweezers to pick up a certain item. Another example is jumping jacks or obstacle courses. Exercises such as these are effective in improving hand-dominance and boost the child’s fine motor skills.

OT can be helpful for sensory processing in children who’ve trouble reacting to taste, smell, or touch. If a child figures out, they can’t use sensory information the same way other children do, and they are more likely to overreact and result in meltdowns. In cases such as these, a therapist may suggest a unique diet. With a mix of exercises and diet, children can develop the sensory input necessary for healthy development.

In other words, occupational therapy can be useful for children with dysgraphia, dyslexia, visual difficulties, or those who have trouble completing basic things in life.

Who Should Get Occupational Therapy ?

This form of therapy can be useful for a wide range of people. If you are struggling to complete even the most mundane things in life, then you might need it. For people who experience any of these health difficulties, it’s a good idea to consult an occupational therapist. These include:

• Poor vision
• Spinal cord injury
• Persistent pain
• Arthritis
• Stroke
• Replaced joints
• Inadequate balance
• Multiple sclerosis
• Metabolic conditions (diabetes 1 and 2)
• Cancer
• Behavioral issues
• Brain injury
• Alzheimer’s

For the younger generation, children with ADHD, birth defects, serious injuries, autism, and arthritis, it may be a good idea to book therapy.

Why is Occupational Therapy important ?

Occupational therapy can be immensely useful for helping people re-learn to do the basic things in life. It can help anyone from a very young age, as children, to the more older generation.

Anyone with mental health difficulties, physical, learning disabilities can benefit from this form of therapy. The goal of this therapy is to help patients achieve maximum independence capability so that they can integrate into society, work, or their family.

Whether the patient needs to re-learn, learn, or facilitate their cognitive or motor skills, the therapy can help them overcome these boundaries so they can enjoy a normal life as much as possible. All of the efforts can eventually pay off and help patients adapt to their environment more effectively.