OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Occupational therapy (OT) is a regulated healthcare profession that enables individuals to achieve their optimum ability to engage in everyday activities. A child’s occupation is to continually develop a range of new skills through engagement in play, self-care, social and academic activities. Paediatric occupational therapists help to enhance skill development and quality of life for children who experience motor, sensory, learning, social and behavioural challenges. Occupational therapists, through their unique combination of skills, are well positioned to support parents and educators to effectively and creatively problem solve to enhance quality of life for all children.

  • If your child has challenges with:

    • Gross motor skills (riding a bike, running, throwing a ball)

    • Fine motor skills (cutting, printing, fastening buttons)

    • Visual perception/visual motor skills (matching, printing, copying)

    • Oral motor feeding skills (chewing, drinking, avoidance of food)

    • Sensory processing (hyper or hypo reactivity)

    • Play and toy use

    • Socializing with peers

    • Self-regulation (issues with emotion and arousal regulation, attention, aggression, impulsivity)

    • Sensory Processing Disorder

    • Developmental Coordination Disorder (gross and fine motor delays)

    • Dyspraxia (impaired motor planning)

    • Autism Spectrum Disorder

    • Global Developmental Delay

    • Learning Disability

    • Regulatory Disorders

    • Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

    • Cerebral Palsy

    • Feeding Disorders such as ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder)

    • Poor Handwriting

    • Mental Health Challenges (anxiety, depression, low self-esteem)

    • Sensory Integration

    • Sensory Processing Disorders

    • Ayers Sensory Integration®

    • Sensory Diets

    • Wilbarger Therapressure Protocol

    • Alert Program

    • Ready Approach

    • SOS Feeding Program

    • Beckman Oral Motor Evaluation Protocol (for Feeding)

    • Face Your Fears Program

    • Astronaut Training Program

    • Vital Links Therapeutic Listening

    • DIR®/Floortime

    • The Play Project®

    • Handwriting Without Tears

    • Early Intervention

    • Applied Behaviour Analysis

    • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

    • Zones of Regulation

    • Incredible 5-Point Scale

    • Social Thinking

    • Trauma Informed approaches

    • Neuro-developmental Treatment (NDT)

    • Primitive reflex integration analysis and intervention strategies

    • Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)

Unique to our occupational therapy team is:

The depth of understanding of a sensory integration frame of reference and its application to assessment and intervention. Many of our associates also have a special expertise in working with children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). These associates have a wide range of experience working with this population. Some associates worked as ABA providers prior to graduating as OTs and others have provided or continue to provide OT consultation to various treatment centres, as well as public and private schools, often working with children and adolescents with dual diagnoses. Many of our OT associates have certification in the provision of DIR/Floortime® services which helps parents learn to expand the social communication and play skills in their child with ASD. In addition, we have expertise and experience utilizing recognized cognitive behaviour therapy models designed to develop self-regulation, social interaction and social thinking skills in children without formal diagnoses. We also have expertise managing the picky eater whose restricted diets are related to a combination of sensory, motor and behavioural challenges