2. By: Froza Mercado Audience: Parents

3. “Occupational therapy is a holistic health care profession that aims to promote health by enabling individuals to perform meaningful and purposeful activities across the lifespan” -Diffen

4. Individuals who have conditions that are: MMMMentally PPPPhysically DDDDevelopmentally EEEEmotionally …disabling.

6.  Has your child suffered a major trauma or injury?  Does your child suffer from an illness, condition, or disease?  Has your child been developing abnormally?  Does your child lack complete and normal functioning of upper and lower extremities? If you answered yes to any of the questions above, then you should consider OT for your child.

7.  Stroke  Shaken Baby Syndrome  Car accident injury  Any accident that impairs daily function

8.  Cerebral Palsy  Antley-Bixler Syndrome  Prader-Willi Syndrome  Spina Bifida  Fragile X Syndrome  Missing or Undeveloped Limbs

9.  Motor skills:  Can face head straight when on back  Can lift head while lying on tummy  Can turn from side to back  Stretching & Kicking more  Can grasp & hold on to toy for a few seconds

10.  Hearing:  Responds to external stimuli  Responds to your voice  Vision:  Able to focus on your face  Examine colors, sizes, shapes  Examine his/her own hands & feet

11.  Motor Skills:  Able to wiggle arms and legs  Able to rock on stomach and eventually rolls over  Have better head control  Able to lift head while on laying on belly  May even try to push themselves up or bear some weight on legs

12.  Hand-Eye Coordination:  Able to grasp your finger  Able to rattle a soft object  Able to place objects in mouth

13.  Vision:  Able to distinguish between strange and familiar faces  Able to concentrate on a toy  Able to turn head toward bright colors  Studying fingers and toes  Staring at his or her reflection

14.  Motor Skills:  Able to roll over in both directions  May be able to sit on their own  May be able to scoot, rock back & forth, or crawl  May be able to pull themselves up into standing

15.  Hand-Eye Coordination:  Able to transfer objects from one hand to another  Able to transfer objects directly into their mouths  Able to pull objects closer with a raking motion of the hands

16.  Motor Skills:  Able to sit without help  Able to pull themselves to a standing position  Able to do creeping and crawling  Able to cruise along the furniture  By 12 months, he/she may be able to take first steps without support

17.  Hand-Eye Coordination:  Able to feed themselves finger foods  Able to grasp items between the thumb & forefinger.  Able to bang two objects together  Able to stack objects (i.e. blocks)

18. OOOObserve your child in daily activity TTTTalk to your primary health care physician GGGGet a referral to an OT DDDDo research on your OT. Check credentials. DDDDiscuss your child’s needs with the OT BBBBe updated & involved in your child’s treatment plan

20.  Work on fine motor skills:  Drawing  Coloring/Painting  Tying knots  Arts & Crafts  Play Dough

21. Fun activities for your kids!!