Occupational Therapy Indications
Your child may need to be referred to an OT if :
By age 4 months:
o Child is unable to prop on forearms to lift head and look at toys or people.
By age 10 months:
o Child lacks motor coordination to finger feed.
By age 20 months:
o Child lacks motor coordination to spoon feed.
By age 3 yrs:
o Child lacks motor coordination to take off/put on clothing items (socks, shirt, coat, etc.)
Child does not have head control and/or trunk control to reach with arms to interact with toys appropriate for age.
Child shows difficulty with fine motor/poor use of hands that is significantly different than same age peers.
Child is unable to use both hands together to hold bottle or cup and/or to play with toys, string beads, put Lego’s together, etc.
Child has difficulty establishing a sleep/wake cycle or self-regulation skills; is seen as an “irritable” infant.
Child has difficulty using his vision and motor skills together (ie scoop food onto a spoon and locate mouth, catch/throw a ball)
Child is under or over sensitive to touch, movement, and/or sounds; child is overwhelmed by sounds in his/her environment or easily becomes upset by changes in routine.
Child can not keep up in play situations with other children, or sits in the corner by himself instead of playing; may seem confused or overwhelmed in play; appears to have difficulty knowing how to play with toys or motor planning new toys; may break toys.
Child seems unaware of others and/or his environment; makes no attempt to engage in social interaction and/or has decreased eye contact.
