How can occupational therapy help children with ADHD?

Does your child have a hard time staying in one place? Do you also find it difficult to organize his work and pay attention to schoolwork? Many children with ADHD ( Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ) have such challenges. But don't worry, there is a special treatment that can help with these things. That is occupational therapy, or as we all know it, Occupational Therapy. Let's see how this can help your child.

Simply put, what is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy is a specialized treatment that helps a child develop the skills they need to successfully perform tasks in their daily lives. We call this "OT" for short. A person who has received special training for this is called an Occupational Therapist. This therapy can be very helpful for a child with ADHD.

Just think, when our child can't do their daily tasks properly, it also affects their self-confidence. They feel like they can't do it. OT is about solving these problems.

How do you find a good occupational therapist?

This is a question that many parents have. The best and safest way is to ask your child's doctor about this. Your doctor can recommend a qualified occupational therapist in your area who has experience working with children. Also, larger hospitals may have units for this.

Before you choose a therapist, it's important to ask yourself these questions:

• What kind of training do you have?
• Have you received training specifically in Pediatric Occupational Therapy?
• How much experience do you have working with children with ADHD?
• How do you assess my child?
• What treatment goals do you recommend?
• What types of therapies are included in this treatment program?

What really happens during a therapy session?

The therapist will first conduct a thorough assessment of your child. This will involve obtaining information from you and your child's teachers at school. They will look at how ADHD has affected your child's life:

• Schoolwork: How has it affected learning, homework, and attention?
• Social life: How are your relationships with friends and social skills?
• Home life: How are you behaving with your family and doing your daily chores ?

After this assessment, the child's strengths and weaknesses are identified and a treatment plan is developed to address those issues. A therapy session is an enjoyable experience for the child. The following may occur:

• Playing: Playing ball and various games to develop body coordination.
• Emotion Management: Activities are done to release and control emotions such as anger and aggression.
• Focusing: Trying methods and activities that help you stay focused on one thing.
• Handwriting practice: Practice holding a pencil correctly and writing beautifully.
• Time management: Teaches to be punctual and plan work.
• Using metaphors: Use simple metaphors to explain hyperactivity in a way that your child can understand. For example, your mind is like a "hot car engine." Let's see how to turn that engine off.

Sensory Problems and Sensory Therapy

Sometimes an occupational therapist may also test your child for sensory processing disorder.

Simply put, this is when our brains don't process the things we perceive through our five senses (sights, sounds, smells, and touch). Think of an ambulance siren, a toilet flushing... these are normal things for us. But for some children with ADHD, these sounds, sights, and smells are too much to bear. While some children try to avoid these things, others seek out more of them (e.g., constantly riding a swing, spinning).

A special method that occupational therapists use to help children like this is sensory integrative therapy . This helps reorganize the child's sensory system. This is done using things like:

• Deep pressure: Massage, using a weighted blanket or weighted vest.
• Rhythmic, repetitive movements: riding on a swing, trampoline.
• Different types of touch: Allowing them to touch different types of surfaces (rough, smooth).
• Listening therapy: Methods that help reduce sensitivity to sounds.

This sensory therapy is one part of an overall treatment plan that goes hand in hand with medication and behavioral therapy for ADHD. Although research on this is still new, many experts agree that occupational therapy is a very effective way to treat coordination and organizational deficits in children with ADHD.