Academic Performance
Being a student is hard work
There are so many factors that influence your child's performance in their school environment. To name a few: physical and mental health; nutrition; peer and teacher relationships; motivation; and parental expectation.
A pediatric Occupational Therapist seeks to support and improve a child's performance of school-based tasks and activities when they are displaying difficulty with functioning well in his/her school environment.
This may involve direct intervention to improve, restore, maintain or prevent deterioration of the skills required for functioning in the school environment. Consultation and education of adults in the child's home and school environment may be necessary to ensure an understanding of the child's skills and abilities, as well as the expectations placed on them in the school setting.
Recommendations of task adaptations, task modifications and assistive devices - for example, writing aid, wiggle cushion, movement breaks) may be necessary to optimize the child's performance in the school setting.
The teacher says my child...
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Has illegible handwriting or reverses letters
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Doesn't stay within the lines when coloring, drawing or writing
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Doesn't seem to pay attention and/or fidgets constantly
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Doesn't place completed homework in the correct tray or has not turned in homework for weeks
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Displays difficulty copying assignments off of the whiteboard
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Presses too hard or light with a pencil
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Has difficulty cutting along the lines and gluing objects in the correct place
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Has a hard time transitioning between activities
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Cries frequently during art and craft projects
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Has difficulty following classmates in a line