Occupational Therapy is hard to explain to adults, let alone to a child.
Before your child starts working with a Paediatric Occupational Therapist, show them this video so they can learn What is an Occupational Therapist?
Transcript
An Occupational Therapist, or OT for short, is an adult who helps you with activities that might be hard for you to do.
These activities could be things that happen at home, like:
- Having a bath or shower
- Washing your hair
- Eating dinner
- Helping out with chores
- Playing with your siblings, and
- Going to sleep
OTs can also help you with activities that happen at school, like, if you find it hard to:
- Follow instructions
- Listen to the teacher
- Sit still
- Do handwriting
- Focus in class
- Play with friends at lunchtime
- Playing tiggy or ball with your friends
OTs can also help you if you find it hard to
- Go to the shops with your family
- Go and play in the park,
- Join sport groups
Although OTs help teach you these skills, it is different to school. In the OT sessions, the OT will play games with you to help you practice these skills. Sometimes you might be having so much fun that you forget that you are learning!
Everyone has things that they are good at and things that they have more trouble doing. An OT is there to help you get better at things that might be hard for you. They teach you skills so you can get better at doing those things and start doing more things by yourself!
