Occupational therapy is used to improve a patient’s ability to complete daily tasks and activities, and for children, that often means school or play. Therefore, occupational therapy for uncoordinated children is commonly sought out by parents who want to avoid potential regression of motor skills during the summer months. At Niagara Therapy, LLC, some of the most common pediatric issues our occupational therapists address include writing, vision, perception, and coordination.
Occupational therapy can help children improve their grip, posture, and control through various exercises, such as practicing letter formation and strengthening hand muscles. The result is more legible handwriting. To enhance abilities when it comes to sports, musical instruments, or play, occupational therapy can enhance hand-eye coordination with activities that require children to watch and catch objects. Gross motor skills for children involve the coordination of large muscle groups; to help with this, we use exercises that focus on balance, coordination, and strength, including running, jumping, and climbing. Regardless of your child’s current abilities, Niagara Therapy, LLC is ready to help continue to refine them in between school years.
Handwriting OT: Occupational Therapy for Children’s Messy Handwriting
Poor handwriting is often cited as one of the most common reasons a child might benefit from occupational therapy; poor handwriting is also referred to as dysgraphia. Some level of dysgraphia affects 33% of children in grades two and three. Uncoordinated movements, poor core strength, and difficulty focusing in school are additional issues that have been observed to be associated with handwriting difficulty. Fortunately, Niagara Therapy, LLC offers a special Handwriting Without Tears treatment and program that provides patients with guided handwriting OT to assist with forming letters and spacing properly; this treatment also focuses on specific tall, short, and “hanging letters.” Whether it starts with pencil grasp difficulty or your child’s ability to focus, Niagara Therapy, LLC has the right tools and personnel to treat.
Vision & Perception Training: Hand-Eye Coordination for Children
Whether they’re interested in playing sports or simply visiting the playground, children that struggle with hand-eye coordination during play will likely benefit from vision and perception training. These struggles can often be observed when a child is doing an activity like reading or throwing a ball. Vision training focuses on ocular motor skills – things like following a ball with their eyes, copying something written on a whiteboard, and doing age-appropriate math. This means vision training can serve as an excellent booster for children looking to start the new school year strong. Perception training, while related, focuses more on the ability to take in what you see and use it as context; think of this as being able to recognize an object in a mirror or complete an image in your brain. These two types of treatment often go hand-in-hand; fortunately, Niagara Therapy, LLC provides both for young children struggling with these and other related issues in school.
Gross Motor Skills: Physical & Occupational Therapy for Children in Erie, Pa.
Children struggling with clumsiness are also likely to benefit from occupational therapy for gross motor skills. Not unlike hand-eye coordination for children, gross motor skills often involve physical activity such as running, catching a ball, or playing on playground equipment; it makes sense, then, that vision and perception training can also help to improve gross motor skills for children.
By employing occupational therapy to treat gross motor skills, parents can expect to see their children’s posture and balance improved, as well as their primitive reflexes addressed. For reference, primitive reflexes are automatic movements that help you survive as a baby, but if they fail to integrate as you grow older, they can lead to developmental issues. Niagara Therapy, LLC uses specific exercises and gross motor tasks such as whole-body movements and working with obstacle courses to help improve gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination for children.
Niagara Therapy, LLC Offers Occupational Therapy for Uncoordinated Children in the Erie Area
Children who participate in occupational therapy during the summer months can experience significant improvement in many of the above-listed areas. Many of these areas are more connected than some may realize. By having your child practice letter formation and strengthen their hand muscles, engage in hand-eye coordination activities, and focus on areas like balance with an occupational therapist, their improvement in these areas will carry over into the classroom. Utilize our skilled professionals and facility this summer for one-on-one, individualized sessions and watch your child benefit in the areas most difficult for them with occupational therapy treatments at Niagara Therapy, LLC
