Feeding difficulties can be common in children and stressful for families. This may include: difficulty chewing or swallowing, having a limited number of accepted foods, reluctance to try new food textures and flavors, and rigid or challenging mealtime behaviors. We work with families to make a plan and help children to improve their skills and have a positive mealtime experience.

Sensory integration is the process by which we receive information through our senses, organize this information, and use it to participate in everyday activities. Children may have sensory processing differences in four ways: seeker, avoider, sensor, and bystander. We work with children to regulate their sensory input and make adjustments to their environment to make them more comfortable, secure, and able to focus.

Self-regulation is the ability to understand and manage your own feelings, behaviors, and reactions. However, before this can occur, a child must learn to co-regulate with a trusted adult. OT uses sensory and coping strategies to assist children in learning how to regulate. This includes emotional regulation, where children learn to identify emotions and express them. We also address self-esteem and confidence.

Fine motor skills involve the use of the small muscle of the hands to effectively manipulate an object or perform a task. Fine motor skill development is critical for completion of daily living skills (eating, dressing, etc.) and academic skills such as handwriting. Visual motor skills involve hand-eye coordination to complete tasks such as cutting, drawing, completing patterns, stacking, and managing clothing fasteners.

Executive functioning refers to skills that help us plan, sequence, problem solve, and organize and eventually lead to abstract thinking. Children who have difficulty with executive functioning may struggle with impulsivity, academic skills and organization, time management, and sustaining attention. We work with children to develop these skills in order to participate in daily occupations at their highest potential.

ADL’s refer to activities that children participate in to help care for themselves. Examples of these may include bathing, brushing teeth, washing hands, dressing, toileting, combing hair, and simple meal preparation. We work with children to improve the skills needed to increase independence in ADLs. These skills could be motor skills, sequencing skills, or sensory processing tolerance.