IN HOME OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

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Emotional regulation has a direct correlation to mental health and our relationships with others. This begins with our awareness of emotions, how our body experiences them, and results in some form of a reaction. Increasing the ability to understand and interpret emotions while accessing our toolbox (coping skills!)  yields healthier minds and bodies!

Executive functions encompass a complex set of skills needed to be successful at school, work, and every day life! These include time management, organization, the ability to follow multiple step directions, working memory, attention & focus, flexible thinking, impulse control, and motor planning. Just to name a few! 

What leads to "nice" handwriting? It's more involved than you may think! In order to efficiently and effectively learn to write, we need the foundational building blocks - proper strength of neck and upper extremities, ability to effectively grade movements, hand and finger control, eye coordination, and tactile tolerance. All this before learning the written ABC's!

Our brains complete a complex sequence each time we do a task. It begins with the ability to come up with the idea, plan out the steps required to complete the sequence, and then actually execute the plan! There needs to be efficient planning and neural communication to walk, run, jump, and play! 

We are born with a set of reflexes that provide the foundations for early development, safety, and motor control. The nervous system typically integrates these reflexes and we develop purposeful, voluntary movement. Sometimes, however, these reflexes remain and disrupt our function. Individuals with retained reflexes may have difficulty sitting still, concentrating, learning to read, and may even experience bedwetting.  

Before we achieve independence and autonomy, we have to master the skills to help ourselves. Empowerment comes with each achievement including being able to select our own clothes, putting those clothes on, fastening buttons and zipping zippers,  brushing our teeth, tying our own shoes and using utensils to feed ourselves. 

Being able to successfully function in various environments, our nervous systems have to be able to take in, filter out, and make sense of hundreds of stimuli every day. This process is essential for developing appropriate responses, including tolerance, acceptance, and coregulation.

One of the most important occupations of childhood is play. The ability to interact, communicate, and connect with others effectively builds confidence and success for healthier relationships and overall wellbeing. 

Our brains receive a constant stream of information from our eyes. Our brains must then decode and interpret this information in order for it to become meaningful.  These systems work together, allowing us to read, write, discriminate between objects and perceive depth. All of this is necessary for safely navigating through our surroundings with ease.