Occupational Therapy in the Early Intervention and Preschool Setting

Empowering and enabling parents and their children to build a stronger future!

What is Your Occupation?
Occupation is anything that engages one’s time. It’s everything we do – the skills of daily living!

What is Occupational Therapy?
The role of an Occupational Therapist or a Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant with children is to facilitate intervention to those who have deficits in their daily living skills due to congenial or developmental delays, illness or injury.

Do children have an occupation?
Absolutely! In the first year of life, a child may go from lifting their head, to reaching, grasping, rolling, sitting, crawling and maybe even walking. Over the next few months, the child may be jumping, running, completing puzzles, building towers with blocks and cutting with scissors. They gain these skills primarily through play and exploration. So, playing is a child’s primary occupation!

How can Occupational Therapy benefit children?
The development of these skills is an amazing sequential process. It is important that a child achieves one developmental milestone before he or she moves onto the next, just as it is necessary for us to learn the alphabet before we can spell.

Occupational Therapy provides intervention through purposeful play and a variety of activities to improve strength, tone and balance for greater success with their fine motor and visual motor tasks.

How will I know if my child would benefit from Occupational Therapy Services?
Any questions or concerns regarding possible delays in any area of your child’s development should first be discussed with your child’s physician. A referral can be made to the Chautauqua County Department of Health for Early Intervention Services. Early intervention is the key!

What is Early Intervention?
The New York State Early Intervention Program is a state-wide program to help families meet the special needs of infants and toddlers with developmental delays. Infants and toddlers birth to age three who experience delays in any area of development are eligible for services (CCDH, 2009.)

What if my child is over three?
Call or visit the School District where you live. The Committee on Preschool special Education (CPSE) Chairperson will guide you through the process. Only children ages 2-1/2 to 5 years old can be served by this program (CCDH, 2007.)