What is a pediatric occupational therapist?
Pediatric occupational therapists are trained to create opportunities for children to master developmental tasks and achieve independence in their home, school, and community. The American Occupational Therapy Association provides the following description: Through an understanding of the impact of disability, illness, and impairment on a child’s development, play, ability to learn new skills, and overall occupational performance, occupational therapists design interventions that promote healthy development, establish needed skills, and/or modify environments, all in support of participation in daily activities. Occupational therapy practitioners also play a key role in educating parents, caregivers and program staff about child development, and they provide information about disability and diverse learning needs.
A. Occupational therapists work with people of all ages to help them participate in daily life activities or “occupations.” A pediatric occupational therapist focuses on children and their ability to participate in their unique occupations. An occupational therapist works with the person as a whole individual and understands how their social-emotional, physical, cognitive, communication, and adaptive behavior difficulties make it difficult for them to participate fully in their everyday life activities. Some skill areas that pediatric occupational therapists work with include play, fine motor, handwriting, self-help, sensory processing, and visual-motor skills.
