What is an Occupational Therapist?
Examples of medical conditions:
learning disorders
stroke
traumatic brain injury
autism spectrum disorders
sensory processing disorders
cerebral palsy
Down syndrome
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
genetic disorders
developmental delays
What Do OTs Treat?
OTs treat the following common problems:
- a highly trained medical professional who evaluates and treats children and adults who have difficulty participating in meaningful activities (“occupations”) relevant to their daily lives
- a professional who provides treatment to clients who have been diagnosed with a specific medical condition by a physician and designs a treatment plan based on each client’s and family’s needs
Examples of medical conditions:
learning disorders
stroke
traumatic brain injury
autism spectrum disorders
sensory processing disorders
cerebral palsy
Down syndrome
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
genetic disorders
developmental delays
What Do OTs Treat?
OTs treat the following common problems:
- Decreased range of motion - limits in moving the head, neck, body, or limbs
- Decreased strength - difficulty performing age appropriate weight bearing movements (e.g. bear walk, wheelbarrow walk) and holding body positions against gravity (e.g. superman)
- Fine motor delays - difficulty with handwriting and cutting skills, using pincer grasp to pick up small items, and buttoning on a shirt
- Self-care delays - difficulty performing dressing, grooming, tooth brushing, and feeding skills
- Bilateral coordination delays - difficulty using both hands together to perform a task (e.g. tying shoes, throwing/catching a ball)
- Visual perceptual disorders - difficulty organising information from the environment in order to perform a task (e.g. putting a puzzle together)
- Sensory processing disorders - difficulty responding appropriately to different sensory experiences (ie touch, taste, sound, and movement) which interferes with the ability to perform daily activities