For parents who aren't sure
Does my child need occupational therapy?
Most parents who contact me don't arrive with a clinical question. They arrive with a feeling: something here is harder than it should be — and it isn't clear whether it's a stage, a personality, or something worth looking at.
Things parents actually notice
These are not warning signs and this is not a checklist. It is simply a place to start a conversation.
- Homework or worksheets take much longer than expected
- Handwriting is difficult to read
- Writing is tiring or frustrating
- Avoiding drawing, colouring, crafts or other fine-motor activities
- Cutting with scissors is difficult
- Getting dressed or other age-appropriate daily tasks are difficult
- Difficulty organising themselves and their materials for a task
- Your child appears capable, but schoolwork seems disproportionately difficult
- Learning to read or write is particularly challenging
- Your child seems clumsy, or avoids certain physical activities
- Difficulty participating in age-appropriate play
- You're unsure whether your child is ready for first grade
Not a checklist
No single item on this list means a child needs therapy. Children develop at different rates, and very often what you're seeing is ordinary developmental variation.
What occupational therapy actually looks at
OT doesn't only ask whether a child can perform a task. It asks what is happening underneath: which abilities the task requires, which of them are already in place, and what is making the effort larger than expected.
That's why two children with the same complaint — 'writing is hard' — can end up with completely different answers.
Participation
How fully your child takes part in the activities of their age — in class, in the playground, at home.
Independence
How much help is needed with things children this age usually manage alone.
Learning
Whether effort that should go to content is being spent on the mechanics of doing.
Development
Which underlying skills are still consolidating, and what is worth strengthening now.
And sometimes the answer is that everything is fine
Some conversations end with no need for therapy at all. That's a good answer too, and often exactly what parents needed to hear.
The purpose of a first conversation isn't to find a problem. It's to understand the picture and decide together what the sensible next step is — if any.
Still not sure?
Book a short introductory call and describe what you're seeing. If occupational therapy isn't the right place, I'll point you in a better direction.
Not sure exactly what your child needs? You can start with a conversation.
You don't need to diagnose the difficulty yourself. You can simply describe what you're seeing, and we'll start from a shared understanding of whether an occupational therapy assessment or treatment is appropriate.