As a parent, you know that every child hits some rough spots in school. The question for many is whether the struggles may be a sign that your student may need some extra support.
For example are you concerned because: Your daughter struggle every night to finish her homework because she’s brought home incomplete instructions, and copied from the board in an almost illegible scrawl. When your son tries to use scissors, does he end up snipping his fingers more than the paper? Are teachers sending home progress reports telling you your student needs to pay more attention in class?
If these scenarios sound all-too-familiar to you, this checklist will provide more insight into whether your child may need occupational therapy (OT).
By using our checklist to review who needs occupational therapy, you’ll be able to tell whether OT might help your child make greater progress at school.
In any setting, OT uses daily activities—“occupations”—in a therapeutic way. It enables people to do what they want and need to do. It empowers them to live their fullest possible lives by helping them promote health and prevent or live better with illness, injuries, or disabilities.
School-based occupational therapists view kids from a holistic perspective. They see the whole child, not just his or her disability or disorder. They use evidence-based interventions to help him or her succeed in the daily occupations involved in accessing an education.
OT practitioners are members of the school’s education team. The interventions they design and implement can help students take part in and succeed more often at such daily education-related occupations as:
Typically, children and youth with the following diagnoses may benefit from OT:
Other students facing specific problems in school may also be eligible to receive OT.
If you’re asking, “Does my child need occupational therapy?” this checklist can help you find out.
Do any of the statements below accurately describe your student?
___ My child is overly sensitive to stimulation.
___ My child overreacts to or doesn’t like touch, noise, smells, etc.
___ My child is fidgety and easily distracted in the classroom, and is often out of his or her seat.
___ My child is easily overwhelmed at the playground, during recess, and in class.
___ My child is slow to perform tasks.
___ My child has poor or illegible handwriting.
___ My child has difficulty using scissors.
___ My child has difficulty performing or avoids fine motor tasks.
___ My child appears clumsy and stumbles often, slouches in the chair.
___ My child craves roughhousing and tackling and wrestling games
___ My child is slow to learn new activities.
___ My child is in constant motion.
___ My child has difficulty learning new motor tasks and prefers sedentary activities.
___ My child has difficulty making friends because he or she is overly aggressive or passive and withdrawn.
___ My child “gets stuck” on tasks and has difficulty switching to other tasks.
___ My child is overly focused on one topic or subject.
___ My child confuses similar-sounding words and misinterprets teachers’ or peers’ questions and requests.
___ My child has difficulty reading, especially aloud.
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), schools must provide only those occupational therapy services that further a student’s free appropriate public education.
But students will naturally benefit the most from school-based therapy services when their families are reinforcing and complementing those services at home.
If you're looking to move forward in your professional career in a way that supports growth, balance, and impact—consider working with us as a school-based therapist.
When you work with Kelly Pediatric Therapy, you’ll enjoy competitive pay, compensation for documentation, access to mentorship, free professional development, and work-free nights, weekends, and holidays. And know the work you do every day is making a profound impact on our next generation.
Learn more about joining our team.