Introduction to ACEs

Occupational therapy practitioners provide services to children, youth, and their families to promote active engagement and participation in daily activities. Occupational therapy practitioners are skilled professionals who utilize research and evidence-based practices to create interventions that align with your child’s goals. They are experts in evaluating and modifying components of activities or the environment to better fit your child and enable your child to engage in meaningful or daily tasks. The profession uses a holistic perspective to evaluate how your child’s condition affects their participation in daily activities in aspects of psychological, physical, emotional, sensory, cognitive, and social aspects.

A child’s daily occupations often involve playing, learning, sleeping and resting, socializing with friends, getting dressed, and everyday activities. Occupational therapy provides services to children of all ages, newborns to teenagers, through simulating daily occupations in therapy that are important to you and your child.

Occupational therapy practitioners are available in schools, hospitals, clinics, homes, and community centers. Contacting your child’s primary care doctor is a great way to find local occupational therapy practitioners.

Children can often receive occupational therapy services when daily activities are difficult to preform or engage in due to limitations in physical or cognitive domains. Occupational therapy practitioners focus on the daily activities that you and your child want or need to partake in. Occupational therapy services are utilized to reach your child’s and family’s goals while promoting independence and functional success for your child during their daily activities. For example, occupational therapy practitioners can help your child learn the skills to get ready for bed, get dressed for school, develop routines, promote leisure or social skills, and much more!

Occupational therapy practitioners concentrate on promoting participation while also focusing on prevention, promoting healthy lifestyles, and addressing mental health. When your child begins to have difficulties performing daily activities, an occupational therapy practitioner will evaluate your child, the environment, and the task with additional input from caregivers. Individualized goals can be identified to help you and your child resume or pursue meaningful activities.

Your child’s primary physician can help recommend practitioners and services when needed. Medicaid and many private insurances cover occupational therapy services when referred by a physician. Your child’s teacher can also help recommend occupational therapy services inside the school when conditions are impacting learning and educational opportunities.