Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy Services

One of the main occupations of childhood and being a child is play.
Occupational therapy builds development through occupations which are fun and engaging.
The BOLD clinic environment is set up to promote a variety of functional skills for each child.
Children learn through play, which assists in building the foundational motor skills, cognitive skills, social-interactions, body awareness, attentional skills, and self-care skills.
Children learn to play with friends, dress themselves, or pack their backpack. They also learn how to enjoy eating a variety of food and increase independence in daily / family routines (i.e. movie night, riding bikes, walks in the park, playing with their pets, or snuggling at bedtime stories).
Children experience a variety of sensory sensations and can learn to manage challenging sensations (i.e. noises, sights, touch) and enjoy experiencing life as a child.
Children develop sleep routines that allow them to enjoy healthy activities during the day.
Children learn to recognize and use their strengths in a way that supports them in home, school, and the community.

Treatment Sessions

All treatment models are chosen to maximize the best approach to meet your child's goals.
Some examples might be:

Individual occupational therapy sessions
Intensive treatment sessions - multiple consecutive days
Group treatment sessions (as appropriate for goals)
Parent support & education within sessions
Parent support groups
Telehealth as appropriate

The Occupation of Play

The occupation of a child is PLAY!
Occupational therapy supports overall development and progression of skills by identifying activities that are motivating and engaging.
As children learn and grow, they do this through interacting with a variety of tools, objects, and within a variety of environments or settings. This allows them to build foundational skills to support their continued development across the lifespan. If there are challenge areas which are negatively impacting their development, this can slow or stunt their progress in a variety of areas. Some challenge areas may include: seeking of intense sensations or a constant need for movement, extreme sensitivity to certain stimuli (i.e. noises, clothing, smells, etc.), extremely picky eating, challenges with fine-motor skills or gross-motor skills and coordination, poor body awareness (i.e. constantly bumping into things or others), poor emotional regulation (i.e. extreme emotional ups and downs), and a variety of other challenges in any or all areas of development.
Occupational therapists seek to support you and your child through evaluation of many areas of development that may be impacting your child's ability to enjoy life. They will provide individualized recommendations and treatment sessions that are tailored to meet the needs of your child with strategies for supports at home and in the community.