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Pediatric Occupational Therapy In Tampa
Our therapists assist children in playing, learning, and building the skills and confidence they need to thrive in their environments. Our occupational therapy program can benefit children with conditions including:
- Attention deficit disorders — can cause difficulties with behaviors such as focusing, following instructions, and completing tasks
- Autism spectrum disorders — can cause problems with social communication and behavior.
- Cerebral palsy — a disorder affecting a child's muscle tone, movement, or posture
- Fine motor skill delays—including using pencils, puzzles, and dressing
- Genetic syndromes — Down syndrome (which can cause developmental and intellectual delays) and muscular dystrophy (which can impact muscle mass and strength)
- Handwriting
- Oral aversion and feeding skills
- Orthotic and adaptive equipment
- Poor posture and body mechanics
- Sensory processing disorders and self-regulation
- Upper extremity strength and endurance
What To Know About Occupational Therapy In Tampa
Occupational therapy activities for kids
Various occupational activities can be arranged for kids depending on the condition they are faced with. These activities are designed specifically based on a child’s age. For infants & toddlers, some common exercises included are:
- Gentle massage
- Use of specialized, visually stimulating toys to help with light, sound and olfactory input activities.
- Oral motor exercises to improve control in eating
There are also sensory integration activities that enable the child to react more actively and accurately to their surroundings, such as 'Deep Pressure' activities (ex. Weighted vests, weighted blankets and lap blankets). These activities can be active or passive. One way to do this is creating a 'Sensory Corner' by blocking off a corner of a room and using soft furnishing with a variety of textures such as a bean bag which provides deep pressure with a calming effect.
Benefits Of Occupational Therapy For Kids
There are many benefits of pediatric occupational therapy. This type of therapy is used to treat a wide range of diseases and disorders. Pediatric Occupational Therapy can help your child become independent in daily living tasks, become successful academically, address sensory processing difficulties, and much more. Through the use of occupational therapy, the goal is to increase children's independence in everyday living including being able to perform activities of daily life, increase overall strength and stability, enhance social and play skills, improves visual perceptual/visual motor skills and more.
Does My Child Need Occupational Therapy?
If your child has difficulties when it comes to performing daily tasks at school, home, or in the community, or if they experience challenges that do not affect most typically developing children, then occupational therapy may be the solution. You should also contact an occupational therapist when you notice your child suffers from any sort of development delay, gross motor skill, visual processing, oral sensory skills, social interaction skills, or learning challenges. Dacona Medical Center is the occupational therapy institution in Tampa that will be able to cater to your child’s needs.