Occupational Therapy
From the day we are born, we are learning and absorbing the world around us – it is our occupation.
Everything from eating, dressing, feeding, engaging with others, regulating emotions, going to the bathroom, hygiene tasks, and so much more. Occupational Therapists rehabilitate tasks that may seem to be routine to some – but don’t come as natural to others.
At Olea Pediatric Therapy we believe in a play-based approach. Therapy for us looks like, well, playing! The best way to engage most children is through play. So, we like to leverage this theory as we work on the harder, more complex tasks – making them more fun! We always focus on meeting the child where they are - that day.
Occupational therapists help infants, toddlers, adolescents and young adults meet their milestones, and improve their functional and daily life skills.
Our occupational therapists work with
children who need support in:
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This is the ability to complete tasks that rely on the smaller muscles in our hands! This includes bringing the pads of our fingers together to pick up items, manipulate small objects, or push things. For rehabilitation, we leverage activities such as: beading, handwriting, coloring, snapping snaps, buttoning a shirt, opening a clothes pin, or using tongs to pick up small objects.
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This is the ability to accomplish tasks that rely on whole body movements - leveraging our large muscle groups. This includes our balance, our core strength needed to sit appropriately in a chair, coordination needed to complete animal walks, skipping, swinging, jumping, etc. Through gross motor skills we target overall body awareness and proprioception which is knowing where your body is in space.
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This is the ability to decipher and understand how you or other people feel. Including, understanding how others are affected by your feelings, how to show empathy, and how to work well with others.
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This is the ability to take care of our body. This includes toothbrushing, tying our shoes, orienting clothing before dressing, putting on and taking off clothing, washing our hands, preparing a snack, cleaning up after ourselves, homework organization, after school activities, and taking care of our pets.
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These are the reflexes we are born with that help us learn functional movement patterns. They are the motions that babies’ central nervous system produces involuntarily in their early stages of life. Through rehabilitation, a primitive reflex that overstays it’s welcome, can be integrated into more voluntary movements.
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This is the ability to process and organize sensory information from our 5 senses. Sensory integration involves the brain processes that are able to experience information delivered from our senses, understand this information, and appropriately respond to it.
Training and Expertise
The occupational therapists at Olea Pediatric Therapy have training and expertise in addressing an individuals’ cognitive, visual perceptual and sensory needs. This includes processing and modulating sensory information. In addition, our occupational therapists have specialized training in reflex integration, the SOS approach to feeding, the Therapeutic Listening and Integrated Listening System, the Kawar astronaut training protocol, neurodevelopmental treatment, Zones of Regulation curriculum, and the Handwriting Without Tears program.
