Tips For Early Intervention Occupational Therapy For Kids

If you are a parent, you likely want your child to succeed as much as possible. You might be observing what your child does with his or her day and how he or she interacts with the world and notice that he or she is much less independent than you might prefer. Where other children go off to explore the jungle gym, your child might cling to you or need instruction about what he or she is supposed to do next. This could limit your child's abilities to function in the world. One solution to this problem is early intervention occupational therapy for kids. Here are some tips for going through that process.

1. Identify Your Child's Weakness With Play

Your first step is to realize that play is your child's number one job and the goal of occupational therapy is to help teach him or her the skills that he or she needs to play effectively. You will first need to identify your child's weakness with regards to play. Your child might be hesitant and afraid of toys that he or she has not encountered or people he or she does not know how to join. Your child might not be able to choose a toy to play with. He or she might even need instructions from you. Look for behaviors that you don't think are normal or behaviors that you would like to see change because they are stressing your child out or making him or her sad. Bring this list of weaknesses to the occupational therapist.

2. Start With Games Your Child Knows and Encourage Him or her to Improvise

The next thing that you should do is start with games that your child knows and see if he or she would like to improvise. You could play hide and seek but have your child add a new rule or add costumes. This will help your child through the thought process of creating games for him or herself and allow him or her to gradually move away from games that involve your instructions. Buying your child play sets when you don't have the time to play and having him or her make up a story or new rules for the play set will also help your child be more independent.

For more information, talk to a professional like ABC Pediatric Therapy that specializes in occupational therapy for children. They will be able to help your child get into a normal play schedule.


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