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Occupational therapy in south carolina

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What Is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapy is when a trained therapist uses everyday activities to treat the physical, mental, developmental, and emotional ailments that prevent a child from performing day-to-day tasks, in an effort to improve motor skills and sensory processing.

Occupational Therapy is one of many services we can help coordinate for you as a part of your Early Intervention services with us.

service COORDINATion of occupational THERAPY in south carolina

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About Play coordinates Occupational Therapy for infants & toddlers (Ages 0-5) who are experiencing developmental delays or disabilities.

Infants and toddlers from birth to five years old might be eligible for Early Intervention and Occupational Therapy services in South Carolina if they seem to showing signs of delayed motor skills or cognitive skills delays: 
  • Sleep
  • Feeding
  • Playing
  • Potty time
  • Dressing
  • Bathing 
  • Transitions
  • New environments
  • Routines/rituals
Talk to your child’s pediatrician or contact About Play.
Early Intervention and Occupational Therapy might be available for you at no cost through a South Carolina state funding program called BabyNet or through DDSN, but you must first be screened as eligible and approved.

GET MATCHED WITH OUR TRAINED early intervention PROFESSIONALS

Your E.I. can help you get the Occupational Therapy your child needs.

Although About Play does not provide Occupational Therapy services directly ourselves, part of our job requirements as your Early Intervention provider in SC is to help coordinate specialized services your child might need, which includes Occupational Therapy.

Ready to get started? To work with us, just tell your initial screener at BabyNet or DDSN, “ I want to work with About Play.”

Helping Children Thrive With Early Intervention Occupational Therapy

As your child grows and develops, there’s nothing more magical. Watching them crawl or walk or hearing them speak for the first time is something you’ll never forget. Like any parent or caregiver, you’ll probably keep track of every milestone and ensure they’re progressing as they should.
Although every child develops differently, there are certain achievements that they should reach at specific times. If you’re worried your child is missing the mark on significant milestones, early intervention occupational therapy might be a viable solution.

Occupational Therapy for Children at About Play

The early intervention services at About Play are comprehensive and meant to support children in all areas as they learn and grow. We’re proud to offer early intervention services that will coordinate occupational therapy as one of our areas of expertise.

Our Early Interventionists will coordinate with you and the Pediatric Occupational Therapist to develop games and activities that will improve your child’s fine motor skills, sensory motor skills, cognitive skills, balance, coordination, and more. Our goal is to help your child thrive in their everyday lives and grow to be as healthy and happy as possible. Your child may qualify for child occupational therapy through BabyNet or DDSN early intervention.

What Is Early Intervention Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy (OT) involves the therapeutic use of everyday activities, or occupations, to treat the physical, mental, developmental, and emotional ailments that impact a person’s ability to perform day-to-day tasks.

In occupational therapy for children, therapists will help families with children with developmental delays improve motor, social, sensory processing, play, and cognitive skills. They will identify your child’s specific skill sets and develop an individualized treatment plan. No child is the same, and each deserves the best possible care.

The fun part of pediatric occupational therapy is that therapy looks very much like an exciting game or activity for your child. Early intervention services focus on helping children learn through play, so OT time never feels like a frustrating chore for your child. They have fun and engage in a new activity that helps them move, learn, and grow!

Benefits of Early Intervention Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy for children provides a number of benefits for your child, both in the long and short term.
  • Improves gross motor skills – Gross motor skills help children crawl, walk, jump, and play. Occupational therapists will work on stability, postural control, and balance to help with these skills.
  • Improves fine motor skills – OT can enhance fine motor skills that depend on the coordination of the muscles in your hands and fingers. These skills can affect academic performance and everyday life tasks.
  • Helps sensory processing difficulties – Does your child have difficulty responding to different sensory inputs – types of clothing material, outdoor environments, new food textures, etc.? OT can help your child better receive and respond to their sensory input.
  • Increases independence in daily living – Activities of daily living can include feeding, dressing, and grooming. An OT can help your child complete daily living routines with increased independence and ease.
  • Increases strength and stability – By developing strength and stability in OT, your child will be able to complete fine, gross, and visual motor activities and thrive in their environments with increased ease and independence.
  • Enhances social skills – Social and play skills can be improved when an OT works on functional play, taking turns, sharing, expressing emotions, and social cue interpretation.
  • Improves visual motor skills – An occupational therapist can improve your child’s visual motor and perception skills, which will greatly effect handwriting, reading, playing, and more.

If you live in South Carolina and think your infant or child is experiencing developmental delays, we can help.