An occupational therapist can support a child’s development in a number of areas. The following is an outline of a few of the areas where an occupational therapy programme may be beneficial.

Fine Motor Skills
Skills related to the small muscles of the body, particularly those of the hands. Children need adequate dexterity, strength, and coordination to manage a variety of objects in their daily routines such as writing utensils, eating utensils, and scissors.

Sensory Integration
The organisation of sensory input for use. This may include perception of the body or the environment, adaptive response, or learning process. Through sensory integration, many parts of the central nervous system work together so that a child can interact with the environment safely and effectively.

Cognition and Problem Solving
Cognitive ability is required to learn skills in all performance areas. These skills underlie the child’s ability to perceive, attend to, and learn from the environment.

Visual Perception
This is the process responsible for the reception and cognition of visual stimuli. Visual perception allows a child to make accurate judgments of the size, configuration, and spatial relationships of objects.

Visual Motor Skills
These skills are the integration of visual perception and fine and gross motor skills. Children who have difficulties with visual motor skills will often have trouble learning how to print or write.