Facing some challenges with your child? Wondering if occupational therapy (OT) is part of the solution you’re looking for?
You’re not alone! Sometimes the most frustrating part of helping your child is the journey is the phone calls, conversations, and Google searches to find the right provider, treatment, or next step.
Solid, helpful information is hard to find. That’s clear from the conversations we have with parents who are exploring outdoor occupational therapy with Bearfoot OT.
They just want to know if they’ve found the right spot for their child. And we’re pretty good at quickly helping parents zero in on whether outdoor OT is a good match.
Here’s our secret to such a high degree of accuracy, there are problems we hear over and over that have us thinking, “Bingo, you’re in the right place!”
For many parents, this assurance of being in the right place is pretty powerful in itself!
So what are some of these top problems that parents are telling us about? Wouldn’t it be nice to know you’re on the right track before calling us (or an outdoor OT provider near you)? Yes, yes, that would be nice! To give you context about our services, we compiled a list of the top reasons parents seek occupational therapy services with Bearfoot OT.
Read the list and see if you’re navigating some of the same challenges with your child.
“My child struggles to control their body.”
You might be referring to the sensory awareness, strength, and coordination to control their whole body. Or maybe you’re concerned about the coordination of their hands for writing or eating.
Here are some coordination concerns we’ve heard from parents:
My child is in elementary school and still uses a fist grip when writing and drawing
Avoids cutlery when eating
Bumps into people or objects
Slumps when sitting on the floor or a chair
If any of these sound familiar, you’re likely in the right spot with occupational therapy. Through our adventure-filled sessions in Bay Area parks, Bearfoot OT helps your child connect with their body while building the strength, coordination, and endurance that are needed for school, play, and home.
Additional Resources for Body Control and Physical Skills
“My child seems to have some sensory issues.”
For most of us, the sensory system basically runs behind the scenes without you giving it much thought. However, some people have a sensory system that processes information differently. Which ends up impacting daily life in big and small ways. Here are ways we’ve heard sensory issues described by parents and caregivers:
Small quirks around sensory stuff
Sensitive to loud noise and clothing tags
Only will wear few types of clothing
Only eats a few foods
Loves repeated activities — like glue squeezing or spinning
We have some safety concerns because our kid really loves climbing, jumping, and crashing their body into things.
Sensory processing is one of those foundational areas where understanding and meeting your child’s unique sensory needs can make a big difference.
And, you guessed it! Nature-based OT is a great way to address all of these things. It offers safe high-velocity activities for kids who need it. On the flip side, there are calming and low-pressure activities for kids who need a gentler sensory experience.
Always looking to make an impact for home, Bearfoot occupational therapy providers make sure to share ideas with parents and caregivers to meet sensory needs at home and school.
Additional Resources About Sensory
“My child is having trouble in school.”
It’s not uncommon for parents to seek out occupational therapy in response to issues that are showing up in school.
Maybe concerns in preschool turn into bigger concerns as structure and expectations increase in kindergarten and grade school. When a child is falling behind or “getting in trouble” at school, it’s usually not one thing. That’s why we look deeper and listen for challenges related to hyperactivity, focus, and executive function. It’s also not uncommon for school challenges to overlap sensory or social skills concerns.
Concerns about hyperactivity and focus frequently sound like:
A hard time sitting still
Not sitting on the rug during circle time
Always talking and moving
Concerns related to executive function frequently sound like:
Limited impulse control
Struggles to follow the rules
Lack of patience
Needs lots of reminders
Multistep directions are a struggle
The good news is that attention, focus, and executive function are areas we can make a lot of progress in with occupational therapy.
Yes, we work on the actual skills like problem-solving, attention, taking-turns, and following directions. Plus, we provide ideas for home and school that fit with your child’s learning style and energy level.
Additional Resources on Focus, Attention, and Following Directions
“My child struggles with emotions.”
With emotional challenges, many parents first think of counseling or talk therapy. What fewer people know is that occupational therapy has lots of ways to help kids with the emotions that impact daily function.
Emotional challenges are actually one of the top areas we work on!
Within the realm of emotions, we hear the most concerns about anxiety and emotional regulation. Emotional regulation is the ability to label and manage emotions. It’s a big skill for kids and impacts a lot of areas of everyday life.
Clues for anxiety challenges:
Very sensitive
Harsh with self
Avoids trying new or difficult things
Clues to emotional regulation challenges, my child:
Struggles to verbalize feelings
Can’t recover or calm down
Has meltdowns
Has lots of crying and whining when upset
Has difficulty controlling their emotions
Gets frustrated easy
Isn’t very flexible
Is a sensitive kid
OT sessions in nature help connect kids with their bodies and emotions inside and outside their time here. Once again, nature is the magic ingredient. Nature provides dynamic situations and a sense of calm. Without feeling pressure or anxiety, kids get self-regulation skills, confidence, and resilience to move through all sorts of emotions.
Plus, the Bearfoot OT team is there as your child’s guide as they connect with their emotions and learn how to move through disappointment, change, and fear.
Additional Resources on Emotional Challenges
“My child struggles to make and keep friends.”
The ability to form meaningful social connections with others can be both a tricky and joyful experience for kids. And often for multiple reasons, some kids have a hard time relating and interacting with others. Which can be the recipe for trouble at school and sleepless nights for parents.
Here are specifics we’ve heard from parents:
Difficulties picking up social cues
Too rough or affectionate with classmates
Learning physical boundaries
Get upset when rules or plans change
At Bearfoot OT, we take a holistic approach to social skills that address specific areas while not asking kids to be different from who they really are. We’re able to support the social development of kids through individual sessions, small groups, and summer camp. In each format of outdoor OT, kids are given opportunities to practice skills for navigating meaningful relationships with others.
Resources on Social Interaction Skills
Incredible Kids. Meaningful Change.
Let’s be clear, usually, it’s not just ONE thing that has a parent seeking OT services for their child. Many initial conversations actually go… “My child is smart, creative, and loves the outdoors but… they struggle with X, Y, and Z." And the issues overlap and impact each other. For instance, a problem like playing too rough with classmates relates to body control, sensory processing, AND the ability to make friends.
Address the foundational issues and you’ll see across-the-board improvement at home and school.
Our big message to parents is that it is possible to address issues big and small while honoring what makes your kids cool, special, and unique.
It’s helping kids find practical solutions to multi-layered problems that is the magic of outdoor occupational therapy with Bearfoot OT.
Comments