Paediatric Occupational Therapy (OT)

Kids need kid-specific care! OT can help children build the skills they need to participate in everyday life: at home, at school, during play and out in their community.

 

Our Occupational Therapists look at the whole child to understand what might be making everyday activities harder. This can include how a child processes sensory information, regulates their emotions, organizes and plans tasks, coordinates their body, interacts with others, or manages everyday routines.

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At Groms, OT is practical, playful and individualized. We focus on understanding how each child’s brain and body work best, then use their strengths and interests to build skills and find strategies that actually work in real life.

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OT might be helpful if your child:

• Has big reactions to transitions or changes in routine

• Becomes easily overwhelmed by noise, clothing, touch, crowds or busy environments

• Is constantly seeking movement or has a hard time slowing their body down

• Struggles to get started, stay on task or finish everyday activities

• Finds getting dressed, brushing teeth, eating, bedtime or getting out the door unusually difficult

• Has trouble with handwriting, scissors, buttons or other fine motor tasks

• Seems clumsy, has difficulty learning new movements or struggles with body awareness

• Has a hard time managing frustration, flexible thinking, turn-taking or group play

• Needs more support with everyday routines and independence than you would expect for their age

 

Sometimes families know exactly what is hard. Other times they just know that certain parts of the day feel much harder than they should. OT can help figure out why and what might make things easier.

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Paediatric OT can help with:

• Emotional regulation + sensory processing - helping kids recognize and manage overwhelm, sensory sensitivities, movement-seeking behaviours and big emotions

• ADHD + executive functioning - supporting attention, organization, planning, transitions, starting and completing tasks, and following multi-step routines

• School participation - handwriting, fine motor skills, sitting and movement needs, classroom strategies, attention and participation

• Daily routines + independence - getting dressed, brushing teeth, eating, packing a backpack, getting ready for school, bedtime routines and chores

• Motor coordination + body awareness - supporting kids who feel clumsy, have difficulty learning new movements, or struggle with motor planning and coordination

• Social participation + play - flexible thinking, turn-taking, impulse control, managing frustration and participating in games or group activities

• Parent + caregiver support - helping families understand why certain activities or routines are difficult and finding practical strategies that can be used at home and in the community

 

Our OT team has experience supporting children and youth with ADHD, autism, developmental coordination disorder, sensory processing differences, emotional regulation challenges, executive functioning difficulties, and a variety of developmental, physical and cognitive needs.

 

Just like everything we do at Groms, therapy doesn’t always have to happen sitting at a table. OT might look like movement, play, climbing, obstacle courses, practicing real-life routines or getting outside - whatever helps your child work toward meaningful goals while still feeling like a kid.

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