What Does an Occupational Therapist Do?
Occupational Therapists help people learn to adapt to their circumstances and overcome obstacles that are getting in the way of fully enjoying and participating in the ordinary activities of their daily lives, including:
- Self care
- dressing (tying shoes, zips & buttons etc)
- eating
- routines
- hygiene and toileting
- Productivity
- school challenges
- arts/crafts and hobbies
- sport-specific skills
- Leisure
- sports, hobbies, recreational activities
- Sensory Processing
- seeking significantly more or less sensory stimulation than is typical
- struggling with textures/sounds/visual input
- Executive Functioning
- personal & mental organization
- ADHD-related challenges such as impulse control and dopamine-seeking
- Fine and Gross Motor tasks
- small accurate movements (eg handwriting, manipulating items and tools like scissors or game pieces)
- large movements and motor planning
- balance and coordination
- muscle tone and smooth movement
- Social Skills
- ‘reading the room’ and matching behaviour to the space and time (library vs playground, etc)
- making and keeping friends
- identifying and regulating emotions
- coping with distress through difficult tasks or moments
An Occupational Therapist (OT) takes a holistic approach by examining the environment, the person, and the challenging activity and then, through assessments and collaboration with the family, they develop an individualized plan involving task adaptation, environmental modification and skill building in order to bring about long term positive change.
OT may also be helpful in the case of an accident that alters your capabilities, a physical disability, developmental delays or when living with neurodivergence (eg. ADHD, OCD or ASD).
As part of our multi-disciplinary team approach at NowWhat, our OT also consults on many of our program offerings, supports the children in our alternative learning groups and helps behaviour coaches develop plans for targeting specific challenges with their clients.
An Occupational therapist takes a holistic approach by examining the environment, the person, and the challenging activity and then, through assessments and collaboration with the family, they develop an individualized plan involving task adaptation, environmental modification and skill building in order to bring about long term positive change.
Our Occupational Therapy team, Lindsay Bosveld and Bronwyn Luders treat children and teens using age-appropriate strategies and creative activities in 50-minute blocks.
Children’s Occupational Therapy Services
A child’s ‘occupation’ is playing & exploring the world around them, and secondly, learning to operate and care for their growing bodies (the world inside of them!). Occupational Therapy can be effective in helping with these important life foundations all the way from early infancy to adulthood, across a range of domains:
Feeding & Swallowing: Eating is a huge part of life, and challenges around food and eating can create real distress in children and family’s lives.
Sensory Processing Challenges: Sensory Processing (or Sensory Integration as it is also known) describes how our brains:
- Recognize incoming sensory information
- Interpret the information accurately
- Organize the information logically in real time
- Respond to the information in a consistent, helpful way
Occupational Therapists blend practical support and strategies with compassionate emotional support at times when extra scaffolding is needed to help you overcome whatever barrier stands between you and your work, leisure or day-to-day function.
Occupational Therapy coverage (OT) is sometimes included in employer-provided benefit plans, in a separate category from mental health supports. OAP funds also cover OT services.
RATES
Standard Occupational Therapy or Speech Therapy Initial Assessment: $375
(ongoing sessions: $195)
- Intake form/case history review
- Parent/guardian interview call or in-person discussion
- Initial appointment (50 min)
- Parent feedback call or in-person discussion with verbal recommendations for targeted skills practice based on the concerns and challenges identified
Comprehensive Occupational Therapy or Speech Therapy Initial Assessment: $650
(ongoing sessions: $195)
- Intake form/case history review
- Parent/guardian interview call or in-person discussion
- Initial appointment (50 min)
- Parent feedback call or in-person discussion with verbal recommendations for targeted skills practice based on the concerns and challenges identified
- Full written report provided
Additional Specialized OT Reports:
Depending on your child’s specific needs and challenges, the OT may recommend one of the following additional specialized OT assessments:
- Sensory Profile – $400
- Beery Visual Motor Integration – $400
Each of these Measures includes:
- One hour of in-person assessment
- Assessment planning, scoring, analyzing of results, and tailoring plans for follow-up treatment sessions by the OT
- In-home skills practice recommendations
- Written report delivered to family
You will always be informed ahead of time if there is a cost attached to something you’ve asked your therapist for!
Not sure if OT is the right place to start? Contact Us and our intake team will help guide you.
