| Ø Fine motor skills? |
| Ø Gross motor skills? |
| Ø Attention and concentration? |
| Ø Social skills and emotional regulation? |
| Ø Self-organisation? |
| Ø Self-care skills? |
| Ø Learning challenges: conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders, Global Developmental Delay, Dyspraxia or Developmental Co-ordination Disorder and Specific Learning Difficulties? |
If any of the above mentioned challenges sound like the struggle your child is having, the early intervention of Occupational Therapy could make a real difference to your child’s confidence, skills and learning.
HOW TO BE AN O-T AT HOME
To keep your child moving forward, try these 4 ideas for at-home Occupational Therapy.
Strengthening fine-motor skills is well within your ability.
- Stability
- Always make sure that your child is stable and supported through the feet (i.e. their feet should not be dangling in the air) before they tackle any fine motor tasks.
- Keep in mind that your child may not develop a mature pencil grasp until they are 5-6 years old.
- Have ARTS & CRAFTS time
- Many of the skills that occupational therapists target are taught through art.
- Your child may learn to copy shapes, hold a pencil or use a pair of scissors without even realizing its therapy.
- Fun art projects are something that’s easy for you to do at home.
- Work on handwriting
- Printing or cursive can be a huge chore for kids with fine motor delays, and improving control of those skills is a major OT goal.
- Work on your child’s pencil grasp.
REMEMBER: PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT! If your child continues to practice with an immature grasp, it may become permanent L
- Play with your child
- Since the occupation of a child is play, most games of early childhood have an Occupational Therapy component.
- Simply throwing a ball with your child can improve eye-hand coordination, concentration, and balance.
- Games like Ring-around-the-Rosie, Hop Scotch, bean-bag toss, and simple playground activities, all can provide an OT workout without your child even knowing it.
NB: Having fun together is always the best kind of therapy! J
For further assistance, it is never too early or too late to seek advice from a professional Occupational Therapist near you!
