Your child may have developmental issues if he or she has problems with fine motor skills, learning abilities or coordination skills. Answering the questions below can help you determine if your child would benefit from an evaluation by an occupational therapist.
Fine Motor Skills
Children use their hands to explore their environment through play. A number of experiences a child encounters during the day require the use of fine motor skills, such a stacking blocks, coloring with crayons, feeding oneself and fastening buttons.
Does your child:
- Use crayons, pencils or scissors efficiently?
- Enjoy coloring, drawing and writing?
- Enjoy playing with small toys, such as Legos or blocks?
- Manipulate buttons, snaps and zippers to dress himself/herself?
- Hold and use utensils efficiently for eating?
- Become easily distracted, restless and overactive?
- See self-confident and cooperate with peers?
If you answered no to even a few questions, your child may benefit from further assessment. Please ask your physician about a referral to our program.
Learning Abilities or Coordination Skills
If a child has problems integrating sensory information, this could affect his/her learning abilities and coordination skills.
Does your child:
- Have difficulty buttoning clothes or tying shoelaces?
- Have poor handwriting or awkward pencil grasp?
- Experience moments of clumsiness or balance problems?
- Excessively seek out or avoid movement, such as swings, slides and merry-go-rounds?
- Have trouble copying pictures, letters or doing puzzles?
- Have a low attention span and is easily distracted or hyperactive?
- Show low self-esteem, poor self-confidence, fear of failure or behavior problems?
If you answered no to even a few questions, your child may benefit from further assessment. Please ask your physician about a referral to our program.