OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Occupational therapists and occupational therapist assistants help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes.

Occupational therapy services typically include:

• an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals, 

• customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and

• an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan.

At Three Rivers Therapy, occupational therapy (OT) treatment focuses on helping you with a physical, sensory, or cognitive disability and to be as independent as possible in all areas of you life. OT can help you child with various needs improve their cognitive, physical, sensory, and motor skills and enhance their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.

Some people may think that occupational therapy is only for adults; kids, after all, do not have occupations. But you child's main job is playing and learning, and occupational therapists can evaluate your child's skills for playing, school performance, and daily activities and compare them with what is developmentally appropriate for their age group. Our Occupational Therapists address psychological, social, and environmental factors that can affect functioning in different ways. This approach makes OT a vital part of health care for some kids.

Who Might Need Occupational Therapy?

If you have any of these medical conditions you might benefit from OT:

• birth injuries or birth defects

• sensory processing disorders

• traumatic injuries (brain or spinal cord)

• learning problems

• autism/pervasive developmental disorders

• rheumatoid arthritis

• mental health or behavioral problems

• broken bones or other orthopedic injuries

• developmental delays

• post-surgical conditions

• burns

• spina bifida

• traumatic amputations

• cancer

• severe hand injuries

• multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and other chronic illnesses

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