What is occupational therapy?

Occupational therapists (OT’s) work with all different age groups in many different settings. OT’s evaluate what a person’s occupations are in their particular stage of life and why there are problems participating in these occupations.  Occupation can mean career/job, but this word also encompasses life roles and skills, such as self-care (e.g. getting oneself bathed and dressed), leisure, and completing necessary daily tasks. 

A child’s occupations include:  

-being a family member 

-being a friend 

-being a student 

-working on becoming an adult

As they participate in these occupations, children learn how to move the big and small muscles of their bodies, how to understand their environment through their senses, respond to their environment with appropriate behavior/action, and how to communicate. They begin to learn a sense of self and how they affect others.  

The most important ways a child learns in early and middle childhood is through play and participation in daily routines as guided by family/caregivers/siblings and teachers.  

How can my child start receiving occupational therapy? 

Having a conversation with a pediatric OT about your concerns regarding your child may be a good place to start.  You may also wish to talk to your child’s physician and ask for a referral to an OT for an evaluation.  School districts are required to host events called “child find” every 3 months.  At these events, children who are 3 and 4 years old can be screened for developmental delays in speech and movement skills.  Once an OT completes an evaluation on your child, it can be determined if ongoing occupational therapy is appropriate. 

What insurances do you take?

-DDD / Long Term Care

-Most AHCCCS plans

-Blue Cross Blue Shield of AZ

-Tricare / VA plans

-Aetna

-Private pay

How long does a therapy session last?

Usually an OT session lasts 50 minutes with the last 10 minutes spent transitioning to the car and talking with parents/guardians as needed.

What does an OT session look like? 

An OT session will be focused on finding the “just right” challenge to assist a child in developing or recovering abilities targeted as being delayed for his or her age.  Because one of child’s primary ways of learning is through play, an OT session looks a lot like play.  However, it is play with a purpose!  If a child is able to focus their attention and has the movement skills necessary to work directly on learning a task (such as tying his shoes), skills practice may be a part of the therapy session. 

Parent/Caregiver involvement 

A vital part of your child’s occupational therapy is caregiver training.  Simply addressing developmental problems every week or two will not yield rapid results.  If a parent or caregiver implements the strategies learned in OT on a daily basis, a child will make progress much more quickly. 

What are sensory processing problems?

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