Welcome
To My Occupational Therapy Room
About Me
I am a New York State Licensed and
Registered Occupational Therapist who works at
Edwards-Knox Central School. I graduated from
Gouverneur Central High School in 1997. In
2002, I graduated from Russell Sage College with a
master's degree in Entry Level Science with a major
in Occupational Therapy.
Therapist's Corner
What does an
occupational therapist do in the school setting?
In the school system, an
occupational therapist looks at how the child's
"occupation" (academic performance) is
being effected by fine motor, gross motor, social,
sensory, visual perceptual, environmental factors
and cognitive factors within the classroom. An
occupational therapist uses task analysis (breaking
down an activity into simple/basic steps), clinical
observations, classroom observation and standardized
assessments to evaluate a child. Occupational
therapists can act as a consultant to teachers and
other staff members in the school district.
Children are often referred for an occupational
therapy evaluation due to fine motor concerns,
visual perceptual concerns and behavioral concerns
in regard to sensory type behaviors that the
classroom teacher has. Occupational therapist
look at a child's muscle tone, upper extremity
strength and stability, pencil grasp, ability to
cross midline, bilateral motor coordination, in-hand
manipulation skills, body awareness, laterality,
visual motor integration, visual perceptual skills,
handwriting, fine motor skills, separation of the
two sides of the hand (precision and stability),
etc.
Occupational therapist's can work
with children who have sensory processing
disorders. An occupational therapist could
suggest appropriate calming or alerting activities
for the child depending upon the child's
needs. Occupational therapist's can design
sensory diets for children who have a sensory
processing disorder. Sensory diets provide
activities for a child to do at certain times of the
day that may be difficult for a child to handle i.e.
transitioning. Occupational therapists can
recommend assistive technology that would be
beneficial to a child and help the child succeed
within the academic environment. Assistive
technology can be very simple from adapted scissors
to the use of computer devices. Occupational
therapists can make recommendations for the
classroom environment that could make the
environment more conducive children that are easily
distracted or sensitive to noise. Occupational
therapists also look at a child's posture and how their
environment either promotes or hinders good
posture. Occupational therapists can also help
children develop social skills, problem solving
skills and coping skills that will help them to
succeed within the school environment.
Occupational therapy can be provided in the
classroom (push in model) or outside of the
classroom (pull out model) depending upon the
child's needs.
Fine Motor Activities
1. Lacing and stringing beads
2. Using tongs/tweezers to
pick up various small objects
3. Playing with play dough,
silly putty, theraputty, clay
4. Hiding coins/small objects
in play dough, silly putty, theraputty
5. Having your child form
small balls with play dough and
have him/her pinch the balls
with thumb and index finger
6. Using clothespins to pick
up small objects or using clothespins for a spelling
activity by writing letters on the clothespins and
having your child pinch the clothespins onto a piece
of cardboard
7. Spin tops
8. Snapping fingers
9. Playing with legos, knex,
jacks, marbles, etc.
10. Using a hole punch for an
art project or to make a design
11. Tearing pieces of paper
and making a collage/design
12. Games such as Jenga,
Operation, Thin Ice, Connect 4, Ants in Pants, Don't
Break The Ice
13. Lite brite or peg boards
14. Making sculptures with
toothpicks and soft candy such as dots, gum drops,
marshmallows, tootsie rolls, clay
15. Putting coins in a piggy
bank
16. Using a small stapler
17. Sticker pictures
18. Wheelbarrow walking, crab
walking, or bear walking
19. Coloring with crayons,
markers, colored pencils, chalk
20. Painting/finger painting
21. Cutting out pictures,
cutting various textures such as construction paper,
play dough, pipe cleaners, sandpaper, straws
22. Using an eye dropper to move
water
23. Drawing/Tracing
24. Any craft activities that
involve cutting, coloring, painting, tracing,
stapling, hole punching etc.
25. Puzzles
26. Mazes
27. Dot to Dots
28. Using a spray bottle to
water the plants, make a design on the side walk or
driveway
29. Making pasta or cheerios
necklace/bracelet
30. Playing with finger
puppets
It is important to vary fine motor
activities for your child so that they do not become
"bored" with fine motor activities.
My email: cbesaw @ekcsk12.org
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