‘Therapy’ is a heavy word and when it comes to putting your child through it, having questions in mind is quite normal. So here we are with the answers to the most commonly asked questions by the parents or caregivers of a child.
Let’s begin…
Q. “How do I know when to consult an Occupational Therapist for my child?” It’s time for you to visit an OT if your child’s developmental milestones are delayed. Given below is a list of areas in which he/she could be lagging.
Your child is capable but not performing.
The child has incessant tantrums.
He is not coordinated or is clumsy. For e.g. The kid faces difficulty in learning a new task like swimming or playing ball games.
The child is distracted or has handwriting problems.
Play skills are monotonous and not exploratory. For e.g. Plays only with cars by either arranging them or zooming. There is nothing new and plays the same way every day.
Occupational Therapist can help your child cope up in multiple areas. However, given above are the most commonly observed ones.
Q. “Are the sessions enough for my child’s progress?”
It is always advised to do a home program along with sessions so that the brain is stimulated even when you are not going for therapy that day. This also results in more neuronal firing making stronger connections for the magic to unfold.
Q. “Is it necessary to take help? I was also like my child and I never took help.”
Yes, it is necessary to take help. Just think of the things that you don’t like doing. Do you really not like them, or do you avoid them because you don’t have the necessary skills and you don’t want to fail? Let me elaborate- If as a child, you were not very good with your coordination skills, you would have avoided playing challenging games by saying, ‘you do not like to play’. Now you as a child are missing out on a sensory and physical experience, learning to avoid situations where you think ‘you will fail’; eventually not learning to solve the problem. So, is it wise not to take help? Think about it.
Q. “How do Occupational Therapists treat? It just looks like they are simply playing with the child.”
Yes true. Sessions are a lot of fun. But your therapists are working mentally and physically to get the desired outcome. They are supporting the child to achieve the goals. For e.g. If a child wants to go on a swing, the therapist would come up with an activity keeping in mind the child’s likes and goals, for which even the therapist must be quick in thinking and planning. So, while sitting on a swing, your therapist might tell a kid to throw balls in a basket. This enhances the child’s sensory experience as well as eye-hand skill, enabling the child to judge the force with which he must throw. In this manner, all the sessions are fun yet therapeutic.
Q. “What improvement can we expect initially?”
If your therapist is working holistically, you will notice subtle shifts- the child will be happier, easy to convince, ready to learn and would be internally motivated. Please note that every brain functions in a different way. Some children take less time whereas some may take more time to show shifts and improvement.
Q. “Can Occupational Therapists help with anxiety issues in adults?”
Yes, they can. The therapist will evaluate the stressors and cognitive ability and weave a plan to empower adults to deal with anxiety.
Q. “What happens in virtual consultation/ Teletherapy? “
Virtual therapies are given through Zoom, Google Meet or WhatsApp call. Just like any other profession, even the OTs saw an online shift during the pandemic. Wonderful results can be achieved with this too. All the tasks and exercises are carefully chosen keeping in mind the easy availability of materials in the house that can have a great therapeutic value. For e.g. In order to improve cognitive skills, perceptual skills or memory a simple set of alphabets (magnetic) or scrabble tiles or a set of Uno cards can be used. Spatial memory, scanning, cognitive skills are enhanced with the help of simple board games like chess, pictureka, flip it and other suitable games depending on availability. Similarly, if the child needs any sensory stimulation, alternate ways of doing it can be executed with the help of cooperative parents. In this manner, parents also learn how to support their child throughout the process as they are able to see and experience the success.
Now that we are satisfactorily acquainted with the common areas of questions, let’s help our kids to progress without any hindrance by ringing an OT.