Hi there, Bailey here! By now, you should all know that I work as a pediatric occupational therapist! I’m here to share a secret with you… I LOVE what I do for a living! I don’t see it as a job, but a career that I have worked hard to be a part of and be great at!
I get asked all the time, “what is occupational therapy and why would my child need OT?” Many people confuse the word occupation with “job.”
An occupation, in the therapy world, is anything one needs to do or wants to do.
Pediatric occupational therapists work to improve the function and independence of children and teens, ages 0-21, with disabilities, injuries, or illnesses. They provide therapeutic interventions that help develop the motor, visual, cognitive, and sensory skills necessary to interact with their environments.
One of the most important occupations of a child is PLAY! Research shows us that children learn the best through PLAY! Play helps children build neural connections in their brain and develop and strengthen their physical, social, cognitive, and emotional skills. One way pediatric therapists often incorporate play is through games and arts and crafts. These types of activities encourage skills such as fine and gross motor strength and coordination, problem solving and independent thinking, executive functioning, language, and self-regulation!
I look forward to periodically sharing little pearls of wisdom through my Pedi OT lens.
