Priya-the-OT

  We looked at the different stages a child goes through while developing through play. Those stages are commonly referred to as the 'Social stages of Play Development' and they are important and vital to your child's social development. At the same time, Play Development is also classified according to type or nature of play behaviour. These 'Types of Play' also largely contribute to a child's development and learning.  Children’s play activities mainly fall under two main categories: Structured Play and Unstructured Play.  Structured Play : Like the name suggests, Structured play, is goal-oriented play, or 'play with a purpose' kind of activity which is generally adult-led or supervised. It may involve a specific task that would help a child learn a new skill. eg: an ADL activity like buttoning, tying a shoe lace, etc, or a specific learning objective like days of the week, or colours of the rainbow.  Structured play involves following rules or instr

It is not an uncommon fact that children learn through play. The only occupation of a young child is play and almost all stages of development that he/she goes through has play as the key element.  What is Play and why is it important in Child Development?  Very simply put, 'play' is a time when we are having fun. Actually it’s more than just fun and games! Play is where a child is being creative and spontaneous. It is where he/she learns to form ideas and act upon them.  Play is important because it is the medium that helps children learn about themselves and the world around them. Play allows them to explore different interests and passions, and encourages interactions, sharing, and socialization to help develop social-emotional skills. Children begin learning life skills through play. Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics is all about play.  Stages of Play Play evolves in stages, and you may notice that the way children interact with toys, other children and adults, and even wi

Parent-Teacher Meetings came by twice a year at the Centre I worked in. There was one right after the IEPs for the year were made and another towards the close of the year. When most parents were happy with their child's progress and eager to know what the next steps were, there was one particular couple that had something very different to say. 'S' was a little girl, 5 years of age. She was on the Autism spectrum and was non-verbal. When she first joined the Centre, S had poor eye contact, a decreased attention span, poor recognition of common objects, and poor comprehension of facial expressions & environmental cues. By the end of one academic year, S was by then able to identify her school bag, could point to the picture of a glass to ask for water, and signal for 'toilet'. She would recognize the names of the most common things she carried in her snack box, like banana and sandwich. S could also eye-point to the identify her teacher and the class helper, whe

Z was one of my clients when I worked in Dubai. He was a smart and sweet little 7 year old on the spectrum. He had a lot of sensory seeking and self stimulatory behaviours, of which chewing on his shirt and anything else he found within reach, was the most predominant  one. Z had amazing and very supportive parents. The mom would regularly contact me for tips and remedies at each stage for Z.  One holiday period, mom mailed me regarding Z's chewing behaviour which seemed to have increased due to the break in his therapy. Sharing here, the reply I sent to her. (Names hidden to protect identity) Picture courtesy: Google Hi Mrs. F, Just thought I’ll put the things I wanted to suggest into a mail so you can read over in your free time and try out with  Z . I have used these tips for few of my children with oral sensory issues and they have helped them reduce their mouthing behaviors. So, nothing to worry. It’s going to be fine. Always remember “ DO NOT ” force  Z  to stop. It’s not tha

  After I got into college and while I was in the hostel , I had family members and neighbors asking my mother about what I was studying for. I don't know what she told them, but I know for a fact that they didn't ask her more; instead they waited for me to get back. Every holiday when I was home from college, this question used to come back to me. No matter what explanation I gave, people didn't seem to get an idea of what exactly Occupational therapy was.  "So you treat all conditions and all age groups?"😐 "Is your job like that of a teacher's?"😕 "It must be difficult teaching children with low intelligence, right?"😒 "When you say 'rehabilitation', what exactly do you mean? Do you provide artificial limbs?"😣 "is this a branch of nursing?" (😏Duh!!) "What do you mean when you say you treat people with fractures? So are you a Bone Specialist's assistant?"😩 "is it something like career coun