How at-home pediatric occupational therapy works

How At-Home Pediatric Occupational Therapy Works

As a parent, you want the best care for your kid. But between work, school, and your family’s busy schedule, finding the time to help your child receive consistent care can be challenging.

Luckily, at-home occupational therapy (OT) is an option. Not only will an OT travel to you, but your kid gets to learn and improve during their sessions from the familiarity of their home!   

Keep reading to learn more about how at-home pediatric occupational therapy works, including the benefits, what to expect in the evaluation session, and more.

What Is Pediatric Occupational Therapy?

The sole focus of your child should be to have fun and grow as much as they can. Through play, children can develop in various ways–cognitively, emotionally, socially, physically, and more!

But sometimes, children need a little extra help hitting developmental milestones and accomplishing their daily activities better, like…

• Tying their shoes, brushing their hair, dressing themselves, etc.
• Learning social cues and how to play with others
• Being able to balance, run, and jump around
• Writing, reading, and other educational-related tasks 
• Self-calming when upset

That’s where pediatric occupational therapists can come in.

Pediatric occupational therapy can help children ages 0-18 learn valuable skills and practice daily activities and interactions in a safe and controlled environment. For many children with developmental delays and disabilities, OT helps them hit developmental milestones and accomplish activities they need to succeed in their daily lives.

Benefits of At-Home Pediatric Occupational Therapy

The best way to know if your child would benefit from OT is to monitor them during playtime and as they go about their daily life. If they’re struggling to accomplish basic activities, have suffered an injury, or have an existing neurological condition or disability of some kind, then it may be a good idea to meet with your pediatrician to see if your child will benefit from occupational therapy.

In general, here are some proven benefits of pediatric OT:

• Learn and practice social skills
• Gain confidence and independence
• Learn valuable skills to help with their executive functioning
• Improve motor skills and aid in physical development
• Learn coping skills and self-regulation

To learn more about how occupational therapy can help your child, check out this article!

When it comes to at-home treatment, kids can practice these daily activities in the same environment. Not only does this help make your kid more comfortable, but lets them apply what they’re learning in OT to their daily life in real-time.

If you’re on the fence about in-home therapy, consider these great benefits:

• No more waiting rooms and travel time
• More flexibility in your schedule
• Customized treatment 
• Less external distractions as in typical OT spaces (e.g., Other patients, sounds, new environment, etc.)
• Full privacy for your child and family

How At-Home Pediatric Occupational Therapy Works

If you’re new to occupational therapy, finding out how to get your child the help they need to thrive can seem overwhelming. From finding the right OT to scheduling weekly sessions, we’ve put together a 5 step overview of how OT works to help you feel more confident about starting OT:‍

1. “Pediatric Occupational Therapist Near Me”

The first step to getting your kid the best help is finding a trusted pediatric specialist. Here are some suggestions for finding the best OT for your kid:

• Ask your child’s pediatrician if they have any OT recommendations
• Search, “Pediatric occupational therapists near me” in your search engine and sort through providers based on your location
• Cut back on search time and use Coral Care to get matched with a specialist in no time

2. Prepare for the Session

Once you find an OT, it’s time to book the evaluation session. Before the session, make sure you prepare any information that may help your OT understand your child better: 

• Child’s medical history
• Child’s missed milestones
• Any delays, disorders, or diagnoses of any kind
• Goals for your child

The beauty of in-home sessions is that you don’t have to allow extra time for getting your kid out the door and driving to the appointment. Simply choose a room in your home that you want to hold the evaluation session in and wait for the therapist to arrive!

3. Evaluation 

Evaluation sessions last for about 1 to 2 hours. The OT will ask you and your child (if they are old enough and able to answer) various questions during this first session. These questions could have to do with their daily routines and activities, any struggles they are experiencing, and goals they may have.

The OT may also have your child play games or participate in activities that test for any delays or disabilities to help the OT identify areas that could use improvement: 

• Writing, reading, and other age-appropriate academic activities
• Coloring and drawing
• Stacking blocks or playing with toys
• Putting on socks, shoes, or a jacket
• Exploring familiar textures (e.g., food, toys, clothes)

At the end of the session, the OT will discuss their findings and may make further referrals depending on their opinion (i.e., speech-language therapist, ENT, etc.). 

Based on the OT’s expert opinion, they’ll describe the best course of action for your child, including how often they’ll need in-home sessions, what they’ll have your kid work on in therapy, and an estimated timeline for improvement.

As always, feel free to ask questions!

4. Continued In-Home Treatment

Now it’s time for the real work to begin. Work with your kid’s therapist to schedule sessions based on their recommendations. Your child may benefit from working with their OT twice a week or twice a month–frequency and duration of treatment can vary depending on their needs.

During the regular in-home sessions, the OT will arrive at your house ready to help. They may bring their own toys or other equipment for the session, but the benefit of in-home sessions means that your kid can use toys or materials that they’re already familiar with in their home.

Each session will vary depending on your child’s abilities, age, and goals. Most of the time the OT will have your child participate in fun and challenging games or play activities designed to aid in the improvement of their cognitive, physical, or even social health:

• Arts & crafts activities designed to help with fine motor skills (e.g., stringing beads to make a necklace)
• Play limbo, catch, or participate in other physical activities to improve physical strength and coordination 
• Practice “cleaning” the counters, windows, or other areas to help with physical strength
• Working on a crossword or writing a letter to help with cognitive health
• Working on putting a puzzle together can help with cognitive and social skills

It’s common for OTs to assign your child “homework” that you can help them do in-between sessions that are similar to the activities they do in normal sessions.

5. Practice & Progress

With time, you’ll notice your child’s hard work begin to pay off. While starting OT doesn’t mean your child will improve overnight, it does mean that you’re equipping them with the skills and resources that can help your child take steps toward an even brighter future. Whether your child’s goals are physical, cognitive, social, or emotional, pediatric OT can be extremely effective and beneficial for helping them succeed in their daily life. 

Some children may only benefit from a couple of months of OT, while others may benefit from long-term treatment. Your OT should check in with you each session to discuss an estimated length of treatment, progress, and more to help ensure that each session helps your kid work towards their goals.

Looking for an In-Home Pediatric Occupational Therapist?

If you think at-home care is the best option for you and your child, then we’ve got you covered.

At Coral Care, we help our patients get matched with trusted at-home occupational, physical, and speech therapists. Reach out now and we’ll get your first session scheduled in two weeks or less!