Spotting the Signs: Does Your Child Need Occupational Therapy?

As a parent, you want what’s best for your child, carefully watching and supporting their growth, learning, and development. Your child’s first smile, first steps, and first words are developmental milestones, each celebrated and forever etched into memory. While each child meets these milestones at their own pace, some may need extra support to overcome challenges. 

With loving care and expert guidance through an early intervention centre in Singapore, every child can be empowered to develop the skills they need to thrive and meet the demands of everyday activities.

What is Pediatric Occupational Therapy?

Pediatric Occupational Therapy enables children to develop and improve skills, such as sensory processing, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, social skills, emotional regulation and behavior, to empower children to achieve success in their activities of daily living. These activities include play, building and maintaining friendships, caring for himself/herself, and learning in school. Through play-based interventions, pediatric occupational therapists ensure that each child develops the essential skills for successful engagement to activities of daily living.

Typically, occupational therapy for children begins with an assessment. This evaluation helps the occupational therapist understand a child, what he/she is already able to do and what he/she will need. This provides a clear picture for the occupational therapist to create a plan designed for each child; this is what they call a treatment plan. This serves as a guide outlining how the occupational therapist, the child, and their family will work together towards achieving goals to increase independence and achieve successful engagement in activities of daily living. Having a treatment plan in hand, the occupational therapist implements play-based interventions for utmost engagement and enjoyment for the child. The occupational therapist then involves the parent or caregiver by providing them with helpful strategies and feedback that can be done at home.

What Signs Suggest That My Child may Need Occupational Therapy?

When it comes to a child’s developmental milestones, there are expected age ranges for children to meet them. While many studies have shown that varied cultures and practices also influence these milestones – for example, Asian countries often show children with earlier development of independence skills than their Western counterparts – parents then tend to look locally. They start observing their young ones with their peers and begin to notice abilities that their child has yet to meet. This brings about an array of thoughts, comments and questions. 

“How come my child isn’t talking yet?”

“My child likes to run and climb so much, he/she does not like to sit.”

“My child cries a lot when we go to busy places.”

“My child doesn’t like to play with other kids.” 

These are some common comments from parents when they notice differences between their child and peers of the same age. There are many signs to look out for, some more subtle than others. However, early recognition of these signs is important for ensuring development and increasing success in engaging activities of daily living.

Below are some examples of behaviors that a pediatric occupational therapist might look for in young children:

1.) Difficulties in Sensory Processing Skills:

• Easily overwhelmed by sensory experiences:
• Becoming scared by loud noises and/or bright lights
• Sensitivity to scents and smells

a. Avoiding sensory experiences:

• Refusing to hold soft mushy things, or maybe rough textured things, or any new textured things
• Refusing hugs or being held
• Refusing or preferring certain clothing
• Covering of ears even when it’s not that noisy
• Does not like haircuts or nails being cut

b. Excessively looking for sensory experiences:

• Putting non-food items in their mouth
• Preferring only certain playground equipment
• Excessive fidgeting in seat
• Excessive running and climbing
• Excessive humming, shouting, or singing

c. Low engagement to sensory experiences:

• Does not startle at sudden loud noises
• Requires repeated calls for attention
• Does not seem to feel when he/she is hurt

2.) Difficulty in staying asleep or going to sleep

3.) Difficulty in Eating/Picky eating:

• Often preferring crunchy food over soft mushy food or vice versa
• Only wanting certain tastes of food and refusing other tastes of food
• Wanting only 1 or 2 types of food to eat

4.) Difficulties in Gross Motor Skills:

• Seemingly clumsy, often tripping or hitting into obstacles
• Avoids joining in movement-based play with other children
• Prefers laying down or sitting down more than other kids
• Does not like to copy dances or action songs

5.) Difficulties in Fine Motor Skills:

• Does not use a spoon yet or (a little later) a fork
• Still uses a fist grip on crayons or pencils, or has not developed holding crayons or pencils in grasp with fingers
• Still grabs at small objects to pick up instead of using fingers
• Gets frustrated when handling buttons and/or zippers
• Still has difficulty in putting on or off simple clothes like socks and shirts

6.) Difficulties in Emotional Regulation and/or Behavior

• Tends to cry or get frustrated easily when encountering some difficulties
• Cries or throws tantrums when not getting what he/she likes immediately
• Excessive tantrums
• Does not look to be interested activities that require shared attention like storytime and group activities
• Does not like to follow simple rules and instructions set before him/her

7.) Difficulties in Play and Social Interaction:

• Does not seem interested in joining other kids for play
• Does not like to share toys or space to play with other children
• Does not seem to play similarly to his peers, like playing pretend with figures and playhouse or imitating fireman or policeman play
• Does not seem to like to imitate adults or peers for activities like dancing or action songs
• Does not like to wait for their turn with peers
• Obvious limited use or no use of words compared to his peers
• Excessively shy or refusal to engage other adults and peers
• Excessive separation anxiety

What Does it Mean for My Child (and Family) to Need Occupational Therapy?

Parents in the position of needing to decide to bring their child to occupational therapy find themselves wondering and worrying what this may mean for, not only their child but also, their family. In Singapore, parents often find themselves worrying that they may be judged by other parents for not being around enough or paying closer attention to their child, leading to blaming themselves and trying to “make up for the previous lack of attention given” thereby delaying crucial early intervention.  Occupational therapy for children has never been about pointing out their weaknesses, but a passionate profession of developing skills necessary to empower them to become independent and successfully engage in activities of daily living.

When a parent finds themselves in this situation, the work does not end in simply bringing your child to therapy. A parent involving themselves in their child’s therapeutic journey is vital for successful intervention. Close collaboration and strong therapeutic alliance is necessary all throughout this journey, this would then enable a parent to better understand and support their child and become their strongest advocate. With all these in hand, their child is empowered to achieve success beyond the confines of the clinical environment. A strong parent-therapist relationship plays an important role to treatment efficacy, as this will inevitably lead to transcending clinical gains to independence in daily living, helping the child achieve success in their occupational roles of being a student, a friend, and a family member: a social-emotional independent individual.

Take That First Step With KidzOTC

At Kidz Occupational Therapy Consultants, we address a variety of development differences in children through occupational and educational therapy. Established in 2001, we have been trusted by many families across south east Asia to help their children overcome challenges in everyday life. Our approach to pediatric occupational therapy is comprehensive: we involve both kids and their parents in the process. Parents worry less since they can fund their child’s treatment journey with the Baby Bonus Scheme. 

The Child Development Account (CDA), part of the Baby Bonus Scheme, helps parents manage the cost of early childhood needs. It can be used at Approved Institutions for services such as therapy, educational support, and early intervention.

KidzOTC is proud to be a registered Approved Institution, so parents can use their CDA funds with us to support their child’s developmental and learning journey. We’re here to make access to quality support a little easier.

Moms and dads have great instincts and should always trust them when it comes to their children’s well-being. If you feel that your child may benefit from occupational therapy, don’t hesitate to contact us. Remember, acknowledging and seeking the right early intervention centre in Singapore, is the first step towards empowering your child to achieve success. By addressing these challenges, you will be giving your child the best opportunity to grow into a confident and independent adult. 

References:

Wong, V., Wong, S., Chan, K., & Wong, W. (2002). Functional Independence Measure (WeeFIM) for Chinese children: Hong Kong Cohort. Pediatrics, 109(2), e36. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.109.2.e36

Dunn, W. (2014). Sensory Profile 2: Parent report [Questionnaire]. Pearson Assessments

Brigance, A. H. (2013). Brigance inventory of early development III. Curriculum Associates, Inc.

Baby bonus scheme. Made For Families. (n.d.). https://www.madeforfamilies.gov.sg/support-measures/raising-your-child/financial-support/baby-bonus-scheme