Occupational Therapy is a profession that incorporates meaningful & purposeful activity toenable people with limitations or impairments to achieve their full potential. The primary goalof Occupational Therapy is to enable people to participate as fully as possible in the activities ofeveryday life. Pediatric Occupational Therapists help children develop skills in the areas of self-care, school and play, which are a child’s main areas of occupation. By supporting children andenabling them to achieve their maximum potential, Pediatric Occupational Therapists indirectlywork on developing confidence, self-esteem, social skills, play skills and general well-being.Based on a holistic vision of the human being, on the unity of body and mind, the aim of thetherapy is to integrate the cognitive, emotional, symbolical and physical interactions in theindividual’s capacity to be and to act in a psychosocial context.
Pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), now known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), arecharacterized by delays in the development of social and communication skills. Parents maynote symptoms as early as infancy, although the typical age of onset is by 3 years of age.
Symptoms may include:
Children with PDD vary widely. Some children do not speak at all, while others speak in limitedphrases or conversations, and some have relatively average language development. Repetitiveplay skills and limited social skills are generally evident. Extreme responses to sensoryinformation, such as loud noises and lights, are also common.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people'sbehavior, people with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and mayact on impulse. Most cases are diagnosed when children are under 12 years old, butsometimes it's diagnosed later in childhood
Chromosomal disorders are a type of genetic disorder that develop because of achange (mutation) in one or more of your child’s genes. Chromosomes are thepart of DNA cells that contain genes. Any changes in your child’s chromosomescould cause a chromosomal disorder. Some chromosomal disorders are passeddown in families. Others develop without a known family history. If your childhas a chromosomal disorder, they may have fewer or more chromosomes thannormal or may be missing certain chromosomes altogether
Some of the chromosomal disorders OTs work with:
Learning disabilities are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders1 that can significantlyaffect a person’s ability to learn new things. As a result, the person may have troublewith tasks such as speaking, reading, writing, paying attention, understandinginformation, remembering things, performing mathematical calculations, orcoordinating movements.
“Learning disability” is an umbrella term that encompasses many types of specificlearning disorders, including:
It is a condition in which the brain has trouble receiving and responding to information thatcomes in through the senses. Some people with sensory processing disorder are oversensitiveto things in their environment. Common sounds may be painful or overwhelming. The lighttouch of a shirt may chafe the skin.
Cerebral palsy is a group of conditions that affect movement and posture. It's caused bydamage that occurs to the developing brain, most often before birth. Symptoms appearduring infancy or preschool years and vary from very mild to serious. Children with cerebralpalsy may have exaggerated reflexes. The arms, legs and trunk may appear floppy. Or theymay have stiff muscles, known as spasticity. Symptoms also can include irregular posture,movements that can't be controlled, a walk that's not steady or some combination of these.
The term 'developmental delay' or 'global development delay' is used when a child takeslonger to reach certain development milestones than other children their age.This mightinclude learning to walk or talk, movement skills, learning new things and interactingwith others socially and emotionally
If your child is struggling to perform daily activities or if any medical condition,disease, or injury has made it difficult for your child to complete the routineactivities independently, you may take help from occupational therapist toimprove your child’s physical, sensory and cognitive strength to live asindependently as possible.
