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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Executive function skills includes attention, memory, organization skills, time management skills etc.
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