Occupational Therapy

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        Occupational therapists play an invaluable role in addressing infant and family needs. As occupational therapists, we tend to look through a holistic or broad-spectrum lens to understand what motivates a person for success, physical and emotional barriers they may face, and disruptions in their daily habits and routines. Through assessing performance and analyzing the many contributing factors, we develop a treatment plan with the ultimate goal of improving one's overall quality of life. 

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Defining Occupation

        The "occupation" part in "occupational therapy" serves as an umbrella term that encompasses all meaningful activities of one's daily life.

For adults, these occupations may include getting dressed, job performance, personal hygiene, home management, health management, and caring for your infant.  However, for infants and children, these occupations tend to look a little different to primarily include play, functional mobility (ability to control and organize their body movements appropriately), feeding, sleep, and social interaction.

 

Occupational Therapy in the NICU

        During your stay in the NICU, you may have seen an occupational therapist working with your baby.  OT's in the NICU have had extensive training and posseses knowledge in neonatal neurodevelopment, neurobehavioral organization, age-appropriate feeding practices, stress management, infant/caregiver mental health, and family attachment/bonding.  The OT collaborates with the medical team (neonatologists, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, speech therapists, respiratory therapists, etc.) to create a supportive plan to foster optimal infant development.  Depending on the health status and specific needs of your infant, you may be referred to occupational therapy services for continued care.