Occupational Therapy Services provides intervention to assist children (birth to school entry) to develop skills necessary to participate as independently as possible in everyday activities. These activities include:

- Self-care activities such as feeding, dressing, grooming, toileting and sleeping.

- Activities that contribute to a child's productivity such as kindergarten readiness skills, including fine motor skills such as pre-printing skills, drawing, cutting, manipulating objects and the ability to attend to and participate in school activities.

- Play, which is a child's primary occupation. It is through play that a child develops new skills. A child may demonstrate difficulty with play skills such as using toys appropriately, interacting with others or displaying problem behaviors.

Some problems that may contribute to functional limitations in these areas include:

- Fine motor difficulties.

- Visual processing difficulties.

- Sensory processing issues - difficulty organizing sensory information to help make sense of the world around us.

- Difficulty with motor planning - the ability to decide what one's body has to do and then do it.

Formal or informal assessment is done to more clearly define concerns. Intervention includes working in partnership with families and caregivers so that treatment strategies can be integrated into the child's daily routines. Therapy includes the use of adaptive activities that are developmentally appropriate and of interest to the child. Recommendations are made in terms of equipment, environmental adaptations and other assistive devices.

Any questions? Contact:

Hanna Nagtegaal, MScOT
Senior Occupational Therapist
Occupational Therapy Program Supervisor
Phone: (250) 286-0955, ext 2210
Email: hanna.nagtegaal@rivercityinclusion.ca

Occupational Therapists have a Master's or Bachelor's Degree in Occupational Therapy and are registered with the College of Occupational Therapists of B.C.

Forms

Referral Form