Occupational Therapy

Emotional Regulation: Helping clients to identify, express, and manage their emotions, Teaching coping strategies for frustration, anxiety, and anger,   Supporting emotional resilience in social and academic or work settings

Sensory Regulation: Assisting clients in managing responses to sensory input, Designing sensory diets or strategies to help modulate sensory over- or under-responsiveness, Supporting individuals with sensory processing disorders, autism, or ADHD.

Behavioral Regulation: Encouraging appropriate behavioral responses to various environments and situations, Implementing strategies such as visual supports, routines, Working closely with caregivers and educators to support consistency.

Cognitive Regulation (Executive Functioning): Supporting skills like attention, impulse control, task initiation, organization, and working memory, Teaching strategies for planning, prioritizing, and goal setting, Assisting with transitions and flexible thinking.

Physiological Regulation: Helping with body awareness and interoception, Teaching breathing techniques, movement breaks, or relaxation strategies, Supporting sleep hygiene and routines when relevant.

Social Regulation: Helping clients understand and follow social rules and cues, Supporting perspective-taking and conflict resolution, Practicing turn-taking, sharing, and appropriate social interactions.

Core Strength and Stability: Trunk control and endurance, Postural alignment during activities

Balance and Coordination: Static balance (holding positions), Dynamic balance (balance while moving, Coordination of upper and lower body movements

Motor Planning (Praxis): Sequencing and executing multi-step gross motor tasks, Navigating obstacles or unfamiliar environments

Bilateral Integration: Using both sides of the body together (e.g., jumping jacks, climbing)

Crossing the Midline: Reaching across the body during activities, Important for crawling, reaching, and later fine motor tasks

Muscle Tone and Strength: Building endurance and strength in major muscle groups, Addressing hypotonia or hypertonia

Postural Control and Alignment Sitting upright for tasks, Stability during transitions and movement

Locomotion Skills Crawling, walking, running, jumping, skipping, Navigating stairs and playground equipment

Body Awareness (Proprioception) Knowing where the body is in space, Coordinating movement without needing to look

Vestibular Processing Movement-based sensory input, Tolerance and response to motion (e.g., spinning, swinging)

Endurance and Stamina Tolerating physical activity for longer periods, Building physical resilience for play and school

Hand Strength Grip strength, Pinch strength, Wrist and forearm stability

Finger Dexterity and Isolation Ability to move fingers independently (e.g., playing piano, typing), Finger coordination

Hand-Eye Coordination Coordinating visual input with hand movement (e.g., catching, drawing, building)

Bilateral Coordination Using both hands together in a coordinated way (e.g., cutting with scissors, buttoning)

In-Hand Manipulation Shifting (e.g., moving a pencil in hand) Translation (e.g., moving coins from palm to fingertips) Rotation (e.g., turning a pencil to use the eraser)

Pencil Grasp and Control Development of a funtional pencil grasp, Pressure control and endurance for writing

Scissor Skills Proper scissor grasp, Cutting along lines, curves, and shapes

Tool Use and Object Manipulation Utensil management (knife, fork, spoon), Zipping, buttoning, snapping, tying shoes

Visual-Motor Integration Copying shapes, letters, and patterns accurately, Handwriting, printing, and drawing

Motor Planning (Praxis) Ability to plan and execute unfamiliar tasks using the hands, Sequencing steps in tool use or play

Tactile Perception and Sensory Processing Managing tactile sensitivity or under-responsiveness in hand tasks, Understanding textures and shapes by touch

Functional Play Skills Manipulating small toys, puzzles, building blocks (e.g., LEGOs)

Self-Care and ADLs (Activities of Daily Living) Dressing, grooming, hygiene tasks that require fine motor precision

Oral-Motor Skill Development: strengthen muscles needed for chewing, sucking, and swallowing.

Sensory Integration: Address hypersensitivities to food textures, smells, tastes, or temperatures, Play-based desensitization to help children tolerate and eventually accept a wider variety of foods.

Postural Support: Address seating and positioning, Improve trunk stability to allow better head and mouth control during meals.

Behavioral & Emotional Support: Help manage anxiety or fear around eating, Build positive mealtime routines and reduce stress or power struggles at the table.

Parent & Caregiver Coaching: Educate families on strategies for mealtime structure, food exploration, and consistency, Provide home programs to build feeding skills in daily routines.

Toileting Readiness: Addressing signs of readiness or areas that need support.

Sensory Processing Support: address difficulties with sitting on a toilet, wiping, flushing sounds, or bathroom smells, Provide sensory strategies and routines to reduce anxiety or resistance.

Motor Skill Development: Improve gross motor skills, Support fine motor skills needed for managing clothes, wiping, and handwashing.

Routine Building: Create visual schedules, social stories, and routines that help children know what to expect, Establish consistency between home, school, and daycare settings.

Behavioral Strategies: Help with toilet refusal, regression, or power struggles by using positive reinforcement, gradual exposure, and child-led approaches, Address fear of the toilet or anxiety around accidents.

Caregiver Education & Support: Coach families on strategies that are supportive, realistic, and stress-reducing, Help create a collaborative, judgment-free plan that fits the family’s lifestyle.