Occupational

Therapy

We help your child reach independence

in their day-to-day skills.

Occupational therapists help people who struggle to do everydays tasks because of poor sensory and motor skills. Pediatric OTs work with children to help them reach independence in their day-to-day skills known as "occupations."

Fine motor skills involve the small hand muscles. When there's a lack of strength, motor control, and dexterity, kids have difficulty with activities like drawing, using scissors, and stringing beads. OTs help children develop fine motor skills so they can grasp and release toys and develop good handwriting or computer skills.

When kids struggle to process sensory information, they may overreact or underreact to their environment. And some kids can't always regulate their frustration or anger, which can lead to a meltdown or becoming hyperactive. OTs can help children learn self regulation skills to more effectively partcipate in everyday activities and routines.

Pediatric OTs help children who tend to be uncoordinated. Also, they help children with low muscle tone and core body strength. This allows the child to sit erect and alert, which is important for class participation and skills like handwriting.

Handwriting is one of the most important fine motor skills for children to master. Occupational therapists teach children to write notes, copy from a board, hold a pencil, and control small movements.

Playing is incredibly important to help children develop social, cognitive, motor, and interactive skills. OTs can help children who struggle to engage in play.

Special Services offered by the Occupational Therapists at Playworks:

Co-treatments with speech therapists

Floortime Therapy
“How Does Your Engine Run?” Alert Program
Zones of Regulation
Interactive Metronome®
Beckman Oral Motor Assessment and Intervention
Therapeutic Listening®
Social skills training/groups
The Print Tool
Independent educational evaluations for local school systems
Custom home programs

Additional Trainings completed by the Occupational Therapists at Playworks include:

Level I Intensive Mentorship with Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation (Lucy Miller, PhD, OTR)
Virginia Certificate of Early Intervention, Virginia Commonwealth University
Neurodevelopmental Training for Infant
Assistive Technology Specialist Certification

Playworks Speech & Occupational Therapy provides informal evaluations, standardized assessments, and ongoing therapy in a clinical setting.

Our Occupational Therapists provide treatment through functional activity and play so children can thrive in their environments. We are trained in the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) approach to Feeding. Our OTs treat children with a variety of disorders, including: Fine Motor problems, Motor Planning Disorders, Sensory Processing Disorders, Sensory Integration Disorders, Difficulty with Handwriting, Low tone, and Genetic Disorders (e.g., Down Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome, Prader-Willi) . All of our OTs are trained to treat children in Early Intervention and School-based settings.

Playworks is unique among therapy companies, offering an individualized hybrid model of in-person and virtual therapy services.