When a child has trouble engaging in daily activities, an Occupational Therapist evaluates and determines what factors are impacting their participation. Factors impeding your child from successfully participating in their roles, routines, and daily activities may include:

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Play 

• Difficulty taking turns and/or sharing

• ​Avoiding games that involve unpredictable movements of other children, especially those that could impact his/her balance

• Dislike of swings or theme-park rides 

• Seeking intense movement experiences such as spinning, crashing or bumping into objects

• Fearful of typical movement experiences such as slides at the park or when riding on an escalator or elevator

• Difficulty with eye-hand coordination skills such as catching a ball

• Difficulty manipulating tools or toys

• Preferring to play the same games over and over

 

Sleep

• Slow to rise in the morning or difficulty falling asleep at bedtime

• Frequently waking-up in the middle of the night

 

Eating

• "Picky-eater" or problem-eater

• Avoiding certain textures or temperatures of food 

• Gagging at the thought of unappealing food

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Coping and adapting with all environments

• Difficulty with transitions or changes in routine​

• Dislike of noisy places such as grocery stores, birthday parties or restaurants 

 

Emotional regulation

• Having frequent temper-tantrums or melt-downs

• Controlling and/or inflexibility with activities, often arguing about or negotiating the terms of an activity

• Engaging in negative self-talk

• Having "big feelings" 

• Difficulty with problem-solving skills

• Difficulty adjusting to new situations or environments

• Easily frustrated and decreased frustration tolerance

 

Self-care activities

• Resisting grooming activities, such as bathing, washing hair, cutting hair, nail clipping or brushing teeth​

• Having difficulty aligning fasteners/buttons on clothing or putting shoes on the correct foot

• Resisting to wear certain types of clothing or a dislike of seams in socks

 

School

• Illegible handwriting or difficulty staying within the lines when coloring, drawing or writing

• Challenges with maintaining attention and fidgeting in the classroom or while doing homework​

• Having difficulty with organizational skills in the classroom, such as placing completed homework in the correct tray, recalling the location of the pencil sharpener, or copying assignments off of the whiteboard

• Pressing too hard or light with a pencil

 

Hobbies/Sports

• Difficulty maintaining their attention on the field or in the gym

• Decreased self control and/or impulsivity​

• Difficulty with kicking or catching a ball

• Easily overwhelmed by excessive noise or visual stimulation from teammates or peers

• Appearing disinterested during group activities

• Difficulty coordinating the two sides of the body, impacting ball skills, swimming, martial arts, gymnastics, etc.

• Difficulty imitating someone else’s body movements such as during a game of "Simon Says"

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