What is Pediatric Occupational Therapy?

Ergotherapy and Pediatrics

Occupational therapy is a health science that aims to increase well-being, improve and improve the quality of life for people who are healthy or have health problems, through various activities, materials and techniques. It aims to ensure that individuals' daily lives, work and activities are independent and well-being, to support social life and to make people's lives easier.

Pediatric Occupational Therapy aims to help childhood individuals adapt to an independent life, facilitate their daily lives, and increase the person's quality of life. It aims to increase the child's social skills while making it easier for him to cope with difficulties.

What does Pediatric Occupational Therapy aim for?

They target the child's development and independence in daily life. The aim is to develop not only movement and physical skills but also social skills.

Sensory Integration in Pediatric Occupational Therapy

We receive the stimuli from the environment through our senses and create a response in our body with our sensory systems. Apart from our five known senses, there are also sensory inputs we receive from our balance system, internal organs and proprioceptive senses, and in a healthy person, these sensory systems function smoothly and enable the person to continue his daily life. However, disorders in these sensory systems may occur for any reason.

Pediatric Occupational Therapists deal with the disorders in these sensory systems and approach these systems holistically with techniques such as sensory integration.

To whom can occupational therapy be applied?

Ergotherapy can be applied to both healthy individuals and individuals with any health problems. It can be worked at various ages and ranges. Occupational therapy can also be used to improve the quality of life in healthy people.

Areas and diseases that Pediatric Occupational Therapy deals with

In hyperactivity

In attention deficit

Can be applied in sensory integration disorders

Treatment of developmental delays

balance disorders

Autism

down syndrome

mental illnesses

learning disorders

Treatment of behavioral disorders

motor disorders

Cerebral Palsy etc.

What benefits does occupational therapy have for the child?

Health problems have a very negative impact on a child's life, both physically and psychologically. As the child sees that he cannot do independent activities like his peers, that he is forced or that he is left behind, he suffers serious mental damage. His self-confidence decreases.

If the child's developmental disorders can be detected from an early age and occupational therapy studies can be initiated, both the child's adaptation to daily life and social communication with his/her peers will be healthy.