Free Occupational Therapy Screening!

Occupational Therapy Services will assess concerns you may have about your child in any of the following areas...

Developmental Delay

Developmental delay means that a child is behind in developing skills that are common during a particular age or during a particular time period. This delay, however, is more than being a little behind other children in a skill; it is being behind in a combination of skills or not meeting development milestones. These are examples of developmental delays:

Not reaching developmental milestones of sitting, crawling, and walking.
Not learning at an age appropriate level.
Not developing age appropriate play and social skills.

Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills are small movements made with fingers, toes, wrists, lips, and tongue, like holding a small object or picking up a spoon. Does your child struggle with one or more of these actions?

Manipulating toys and puzzles. Holding a pencil.
Using silverware or straws at an age-appropriate time.
Using scissors.
Using zippers, buttons, shoelaces.
Coloring, drawing, tracing, prewriting shapes.
Poor handwriting, letter/number formation.
Not developing a hand dominance at an age-appropriate time.
Avoiding tasks and games that require fine motor skills.

Sensory Processing

Sensory processing is making sense of information that we receive through our senses, like sound and smell. Does your child seem oversensitive to things around them and show the following symptoms?

Overly sensitive or heightened reactivity to sound, touch, or movement.
Under-responsive to certain sensations (e.g., high pain tolerance, doesn't notice cuts/bruises).
Constantly moving, jumping, crashing, bumping.
Easily distracted by visual or auditory stimuli.
Emotionally reactive.
Difficulty coping with change.
Inability to calm self when upset.

Visual Processing

Visual processing is the process we use to make sense of what we see. It is a process in our brain that interprets visual information. Does your child have difficulty with one or more of these things?

Difficulty with recognizing letters.
Difficulty with the spacing and sizes of letters.
Difficulty with copying shapes or letters.
Difficulty with visual tracking and crossing midline.
Difficulty finding objects among other objects.
Difficulty with copying from the board or another paper.
Difficulty with the concept of right and left.
Difficulty maintaining eye contact.

Visual processing difficulties may also cause your child to lose his or her place when reading or copying from the board.

Oral Motor / Sensory

Oral motor or oral sensory skills are control of muscle movements in the face and oral area, such as the lips, jaw, tongue, and soft palate. Does your child do any of the following?

Excessive drool.
Chews food in the front of the mouth, rather than on the molars.
Difficulty using a cup at an age-appropriate time.
Difficulty with drinking from a straw at an age-appropriate time.
Tiredness after eating.
Baby loses excessive liquid from his or her lips when bottle or breast feeding.
Child loses excessive liquid or food from his or her mouth when drinking or chewing.
Child appears to be excessively picky when eating, only eating certain types or textures of food.
Child excessively mouths toys or objects beyond an age-appropriate time.

Take a look at this Oral Motor Developmental Milestones handout.

Gross Motor Skills

Gross motor skills help us move and coordinate our arms, legs, and other body parts. They involve larger muscles that help us control our body. A child who is behind in movement, strength, and/or balance may appear clumsy or uncoordinated. They may also have difficulty with these things:

Going up and down stairs at an age appropriate time
Coordinating both sides of the body
Understanding the concept of right and left
Poor ball skills
Poor balance

Their muscle tone, or muscle tension and resistance, could be higher or lower than the appropriate developmental milestone. They might also:

be fearful of feet leaving the ground
doesn't cross midline of his or her body during play and school tasks
avoids tasks and games that require gross motor skills

Social Skills

Social interaction skills are skills that help us have relationships and understand those around us. They help us bond with other people in our life. Your child may have delayed social skills if they show some of the following things:

Difficulty interacting socially and engaging with family and peers.
Difficulty adapting to new environments.
Delayed language skills.
Overly focused on one subject (e.g., space, universe, dinosaurs, trains).
Can't cope in the school environment.

Play Skills

Play skills are skills that can help a child make sense of the world around them. A child can gain self-confidence, learn problem solving, and develop social skills through play. Your child may be developmentally delayed if they show one of the following symptoms:

Needs guidance to initiate play.
Difficulty with imitative play.
Wanders aimlessly without purposeful play.
Moves quickly from one activity to the next.
Does not explore toys.
Participates in repetitive play for hours (e.g., lining up toys).
Does not join in with peers/siblings when playing.
Does not understand concepts of sharing and turn taking.

Learning Challenges

Learning challenges, sometimes called learning disabilities, are another type of developmental delay. If your child is challenged by one of the following, you may want to consult an occupational therapist:

Unable to concentrate and focus at school.
Easily distracted.
Difficulty following instructions and completing work.
Tires easily with school work.
Poor impulse control.
Hyperactivity or low energy.
Not keeping up with workload at school.
Difficulty learning new material.
Makes letter or number reversals after age seven.

Associative Behaviors

If your child's development seems delayed in any of the areas above, are they also exhibiting any of the following behaviors? Sometimes one or more delays occur along with these associative behaviors.

Doesn't cuddle like other children.
Doesn't return a happy smile back to you.
Doesn't seem to notice if you are in the room.
Doesn't seem to notice certain noises (for example, seems to hear a car horn or a cat's meow but not when you call his or her name).
Acts as if he or she is in his or her own world.
Prefers to play alone; seems to "tune others out".
Doesn't seem interested in or play with toys but likes to play with objects in the house.
Has intense interest in objects young children are not usually interested in (for example, would rather carry around a flashlight or ballpoint pen than a stuffed animal or favorite blanket).
Can say the ABCs, numbers, or words to TV jingles but can't use words to ask for things he or she wants.
Doesn't seem to be afraid of anything.
Doesn't seem to feel pain in a typical fashion.
Uses words or phrases that are unusual for the situation or repeats scripts from TV.

We can help!

Remember that all children are different and develop these skill sets at their own pace. However, if you think your child may be struggling with adopting some of the skill areas described above, don't worry, we can help you! If you have concerns about other areas not described above... see below.

Physical Therapy Concerns?

Do you notice your child struggling with their physical development and motor skills? Have problems with physical activities come up following an injury or illness? Do they have a disability or health condition causing delays?

Our Physical Therapy services are specialized to handle these difficulties as well as a wide range of conditions outlined here... see more

Speech Therapy Concerns?

Do you or other people have difficulty understanding your child? Do people think your child is younger than they are because of the way they speak? Are they using fewer words than other children their age?

Our Speech Therapy services will help your children overcome potential feeding, speech, and language development issues like those outlined here... see more

Request a Free Screening!