Why OT?
If your child presents with a few of the following
symptoms, he/she may benefit from an OT assessment and therapy:
My infant / toddler:
- Has problems eating.
- Refuses to go to anyone but me.
- Has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
- Is extremely irritable when I dress him/her; seems to be uncomfortable in clothes.
- Rarely plays with toys, especially those requiring dexterity.
- Has difficulty shifting focus from one object/activity to another.
- Resists cuddling, arches back away from the person holding him/her.
- Cannot calm self by sucking on a dummy, looking at toys, or listening to my voice.
- Has a "floppy" body, bumps into things and has poor balance.
- Is easily startled.
- Is extremely active and is constantly moving body/limbs or runs endlessly.
- Seems to be delayed in crawling, standing, walking or running.
My preschooler:
- Has difficulty with toilet training.
- Is overly sensitive to stimulation (touch, noise, smells etc.)
- Shows excessive caution in approaching activities involving fast movement or movement of his/her body in space (such as swings, slides, stairs, escalators).
- Is unaware of being touched/bumped unless done with extreme force/intensity
- Is in constant motion.
- Craves fast-moving or spinning activities, perhaps with little or no dizziness.
- Gets in everyone else's space and/or touches everything around him/her.
- Has difficulty learning and/or avoids performing fine motor tasks such as using crayons and fasteners on clothing.
- Seems weak, slumps when sitting/standing; prefers sedentary activities.
- Seems unsure of how to move his/her body in space, is clumsy and awkward.
- Has difficulty learning new motor tasks.
- Has difficulty making friends (overly aggressive or passive/ withdrawn).
- Is intense, demanding or hard to calm and has difficulty with transitions.
- Has sudden mood changes and temper tantrums that are unexpected.
My school-age child:
- Is overly sensitive to stimulation (touch, noise, smells etc.)
- Over or underreacts to physically painful experiences.
- Avoids or craves messy activities.
- Seems to be fearful or sensitive to movement.
- Craves rough-housing, tackling/wrestling games.
- Is in constant motion, craves movement, or loves being upside down.
- Is easily overwhelmed on the playground, during break and in class.
- Has difficulty performing or avoids fine motor tasks such as handwriting.
- Appears clumsy and stumbles often, or has poor balance.
- Tires easily, props her head up or slouches in chair.
- Is slow to learn new activities or perform tasks.
- Is easily distracted in the classroom, often out of his/her seat or fidgety.
- Has a poor concept of left and right or was slow to establish a dominant hand.
- Has difficulty learning new motor tasks and prefers sedentary activities.
- Has difficulty making friends (overly aggressive or passive/ withdrawn).
- “Gets stuck” on tasks and has difficulty changing to another task.
- Is disorganised or has difficulty with layout of work on a page.
Adapted from STARCenter and The Out-of-Sync Child (Carol Stock Kranowitz) checklists.
