What skills do we foster at Oak Bloom OT?
Fine Motor
Challenges your child may face with fine motor difficulties:
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Difficulty tying shoelaces
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Unable to zip or button clothing
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Challenges surrounding eating and using cutlery
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Poor handwriting and cutting
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Difficulty with manipulating objects in hand
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Challenges while piecing together Legos, puzzles, or train tracks
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What do we do at Oak Bloom OT?
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Fine motor skills are an integral part of the development and are used in everyday activities, including self-care, play, and school. Research reveals that students in school spend up to 60% of the day performing fine motor activities, underscoring how important fine motor skills are in your child's development. At Oak Bloom OT, we integrate multiple approaches (multi-sensory, cognitive, motor) and evidence-based curricula (Handwriting Without Tears) to help bolster your child's fine motor skills. Through play and project-based learning, we target a variety of factors, like strength, visual-motor integration, and in-hand manipulation, to help improve your child's fine motor skills.
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Interested in reading more into fine motor research? click here.
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Gross Motor
Challenges your child may face with gross motor difficulties:
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Difficulty planning, organizing, and sequencing tasks
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Delayed gross motor milestones for age
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Seems weaker or fatigues quicker than same-aged peers
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Difficulty with balance and coordination
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Appears accident-prone or clumsy
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Avoidance or disinterest in physical tasks
What do we do at Oak Bloom OT?
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Gross motor skills affect everyday activities. It impacts daily tasks like dressing, allowing your child to balance themselves while standing, and putting socks and shoes on. It also impacts engagement in school, enabling your child to have the endurance to sit upright during class time, carry heavy books, and navigate the classroom environment. At Oak Bloom OT, we identify areas of gross motor your child may be struggling with and curate activities and games geared towards developing your child's gross motor skills. We integrate a variety of fun activities, like obstacle courses, balance boards, trampolines, and velcro balls, to improve your child's bilateral coordination, strength, balance, endurance, and motor control.
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Interested in reading more into gross motor research? click here.
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Sensory Integration
Challenges your SENSORY SEEKING child may face:
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Plays rough and takes physical risks
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Constantly touches objects
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Often squirms and fidgets
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Constantly on the move and seeking movement
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Challenges your SENSORY AVOIDING child may face:
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Refuses to wear certain textures of clothing
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Limited diet and does not like trying new foods
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Easily overwhelmed by loud noises or crowded environments
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Gets upset about trying new things or changes in routine
What do we do at Oak Bloom OT?
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Our body is constantly receiving sensory input. While most are familiar with the 5 senses of taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing, there are 2 more senses that people are less aware of proprioception (knowing where our body parts are in space) and vestibular (knowing where our head is in space). Our body has to receive different sensory inputs, organize them, and then integrate them all. At Oak Bloom OT, we identify what your child's sensory profile is through a variety of assessments (Sensory Profile and Sensory Processing Measure) and create interventions tailored to your child's sensory needs. We employ a sensory diet using swings and sensory play with items like shaving cream and slime to foster your child's ability to integrate different sensory stimuli.
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Interested in reading more into sensory integration research? click here.
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