It's occupational therapy month!

Occupational Therapy Month, is in full swing here at HHH Therapy in Ramsey Minnesota. We are celebrating our wonderful OT’s this April!! We thought the timing was perfect to answer one of the most common questions we get from parents "How can occupational therapy help my child”?

Pediatric occupational therapy focuses on helping children develop the skills they need for daily life, particularly skills related to their physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development.

Here are the key skills that pediatric occupational therapy typically addresses:

1. Fine Motor Skills:

o Hand-eye coordination

o Grasping and manipulating objects

o Writing, drawing, and cutting with scissors

o Buttoning, zipping, and other self-care tasks requiring dexterity

2. Gross Motor Skills:

o Balance and coordination

o Posture and body awareness

o Running, jumping, and other large body movements

3. Sensory Processing:

o Recognizing and appropriately responding to sensory stimuli (e.g., sounds,

textures, lights, smells)

o Improving tolerance to sensory input (like being able to tolerate wearing

certain fabrics or being in crowded environments)

o Regulation of sensory responses (e.g., managing overreaction to loud noises)

4. Self-care Skills (Activities of Daily Living):

o Dressing, bathing, grooming, and other personal hygiene tasks

o Feeding skills (e.g., using utensils, drinking from a cup)

o Toilet training and managing other aspects of personal hygiene

5. Cognitive and Executive Functioning Skills:

o Attention, focus, and concentration

o Planning, organizing, and following multi-step instructions

o Memory and problem-solving skills

o Time management and task completion

6. Social and Communication Skills:

o Social interaction, including turn-taking, sharing, and understanding social

cues

o Verbal and non-verbal communication

o Emotional regulation and managing frustration

o Developing peer relationships and friendships

7. Play Skills:

o Engaging in both solitary and group play

o Imaginative and pretend play development

o Playing with toys appropriately and in a developmentally appropriate way

8. Motor Planning:

o The ability to think about, plan, and execute physical actions

o Helping children engage in activities that require new and unfamiliar motor

tasks

9. Visual Motor Integration:

o Coordinating visual input with hand or body movements, which is essential for

tasks like writing, drawing, or sports activities

10. Emotional Regulation:

o Learning how to identify and respond to big emotions of frustration, anger, fear

etc.

o Understanding and identifying what helps each child feel calm and organized

within their own body

Pediatric occupational therapy at HHH Pediatric Therapy in Ramsey Minnesota will help children develop the skills they need to perform tasks at home, school, and in social settings, ensuring they can participate in everyday activities with greater independence and confidence.