What is Occupational Therapy? (OT)

The purpose of occupational therapy in the school environment is to improve a child's ability to complete daily activities, also called occupations.  For a preschooler, the main occupation is play.  Preschoolers learn new tasks by experiencing them during playful activities. An occupational therapist helps children who have difficulty in the following areas: fine motor skills (drawing, cutting, stringing beads), self-care skills (getting dressed, zipping a coat, using buttons, using a fork/spoon), visual perceptual skills, sensory skills (ability to take in sensory experiences and then produce an appropriate motor response), social/behavior skills (following directions, interacting appropriately, having a good attention span), and oral motor skills (feeding/swallowing).

To receive occupational therapy services, a child must have OT specified on their IEP.  An individual treatment plan is developed based on the child's IEP goals and home activities can also be suggested.

Below are some milestones related to fine motor skills.  Keep in mind that the skills that are listed are "average" and your child may fall slightly below or above the milestones, and may still be in the average range.  Please call the preschool occupational therapist @ 859-1800 if you have any questions.

Fine Motor Milestones

By the end of 2 years old

Might use one hand more frequently than the other

Scribbles spontaneously

Imitates vertical lines

Builds tower of 4-6 blocks

Snips paper with scissors

Strings 2 or 3 large beads

2-3 years

Holds crayon with thumb and fingers (not fist)

Imitates circular, horizontal and vertical strokes

Paints with some wrist action

Stacks 8-10 blocks to build a tower

Builds simple block designs, such as train and bridge, following a model

Strings four large beads

Turns book pages one at a time

Rolls, pounds, squeezes and pulls clay

Screws and unscrews jar lids, nuts and bolts

Turns rotating handles

3-4 years

Continued refinement in holding crayon

Traces a horizontal line

Builds a wall with blocks

Cuts on a line

Can spread food with a knife

Removes cap from a small bottle

Can lace string through three holes

Explores and dismantles toys

4-5 years

Uses one hand consistently for most activities

More mature grasp of crayon or marker

Copies cross, right oblique (/), left oblique (\), square and oblique cross (X)

Begins to color between lines

Begins to copy some capital letters

Can build steps and pyramid with blocks

Cuts out circle and square

Touches each finger to thumb

Can unbutton three buttons in less than two minutes