Occupational Therapy

Children At Play provides pediatric occupational therapy evaluations and therapy services either at our state of the art center, in our preschool or at your home or community site. Our specialty is in promoting the fine motor, sensory, self-help growth and development of young children ranging in ages from birth to five years old. We use an individualized approach with every child. As partners in your child’s progress, parent participation is encouraged. Our occupational therapists collaborate with families during therapy sessions. Together, the therapists and parents develop ideas and plan activities which carry over into the daily routines of their child.

Who Are Occupational Therapists?

Our Occupational Therapists are NY State licensed and certified professionals. Our Occupational Therapists hold certifications including Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT), Sensory Integration, TAMO, and The TLP Listening Program. Many have training in Myofacial Release, Handwriting Without Tears, DIR/ Floor Time, Brain Gym and Therapeutic Yoga. They work to improve a child’s strength, eye-hand coordination, fine hand dexterity and coordination as well as perceptual skills, pre-writing skills, sensory processing, and self-help skills.

Why Would A Child Need Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy focuses on refining fine motor skills, improving visual-perceptual and cognitive abilities, as well as improving sensory-processing differences and self-help independence. A child with developmental delays who is striving to achieve independence and learn some basic self-help skills, such as bathing, getting dressed, brushing teeth, and self-feeding would benefit from Occupational Therapy. A child who is awkward, clumsy and does not seem to notice obstacles in his way or who shows sensitivity to auditory, visual, or touch sensory input would benefit from a sensory integration program. A child with attention issues would benefit from an occupational therapy program to improve focus and social skills. A child who has weak grasp and release skills, difficulty holding small objects and manipulating tools such as a crayon, or lacks the perceptual-motor skill to create line designs or the letters of his name is a candidate for occupational therapy. A child who has difficulty organizing a strategy to complete simple assembly toys, fit together the pieces of a puzzle, string beads or snip with scissors would also benefit from the skills of an occupational therapist.

What Will Pediatric Occupational Therapy Sessions Be Like?

Children learn by doing and playing. At Children At Play, learning and mastery are taking place in the context of fun. During occupational therapy sessions, the therapist will actively engage each child in play activities where the child will exercise both muscles and mind…improving strength, eye-hand coordination and fine hand dexterity. Perceptual skills and pre-writing skills will be emphasized. A pediatric occupational therapist will help a child learn how to improve focusing and attending skills needed to function successfully at home, in the classroom and in the community. Learning to make “sense” out of the information (visual, tactile, auditory, movement) from his/her body and the environment is an important part of an occupational therapy session. The child will engage in guided sensory-motor activities designed to help the child adapt to the sensory demands of their environment. Self-help skills are also practiced to foster independence. By addressing developmental challenges as early as possible, infants, toddlers and young children have the best chance of reaching their full potential.

Our hope is that through therapy a child will have greater life experiences every day. Whether it is sitting to assemble puzzles or make play dough “cookies,” interacting with friends, eating dinner as a family, being able to play at the local park or express needs and wants in a way that can be understood, our wish is to improve the quality of everyday life for each child we serve.