What is a Pediatric
Occupational Therapist
Pediatric occupational therapists help children fulfill their fullest life and maximize their independence by improving their self-care skills, play skills and school skills. In the process of improving their independency, children are often boosted in self-esteem, confidence, and sense of accomplishment. Occupational therapists adopts a holistic approach in analyzing and assessing the limiting factors for a child in different developmental areas. The developmental areas which occupational therapists addresses are as followed:
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01
SENSORY INTEGRATION
The process how our body receives external and internal information through different senses, interprets and organizes the received information, and produce a response (behavior) based on the processed information.
02
GROSS MOTOR
Skills which involve whole body movements and the use of larger muscle groups (e.g. core, back, arm, and leg muscles).
Gross motor activities include running, jumping, swimming, development of ball skills, bike riding etc.
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03
FINE MOTOR
Skills involve the use of smaller hand muscles.
Fine motor activities includes handwriting, coloring, cutting with scissors, using various tools (e.g. eating utensils, stationaries, toiletries) etc.
04
VISUAL PERCEPTION
The brain's ability to receive, interpret and act upon a visual stimuli.
Activities that require visual perception skills include reading, writing, calculating math, finding items in a bag or drawer etc.
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05
SELF CARE
Skills that enable children to take care of themselves.
Common self care tasks for children includes toileting, eating, grooming, dressing, and sleeping.
06
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION
Higher brain functioning that allow children to complete goal-oriented activities. This is a skill that is crucial to academic successes.
Executive function skills includes attention, memory, organization skills, time management skills etc.
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