AUDITORY
Allow the child to have a quiet place to work.
Provide touch cues to the child before
beginning to speak to ensure that the child is
paying attention.
Offer slow progress in understanding complex
instructions by ensuring the students get it 1
step at a time.
ATTENTION AND BEHAVIOR
Establish
expectations
for
their
performance and work. For example,
determine how long a child can focus on the
task, and then increase the time needed for a
task to keep improving.
Learn about the best learning style for your
child. (ex. for visual learners, add more colors
to tasks.)
Offer opportunities for exercise by
providing
movement
breaks
and/or
movement throughout the tasks.
Offer environmental support such as a
clutter-free and tidy room to work in, and
fewer distractions in the room.
Break down difficult activities into easier
tasks to prioritize quality over quantity.
Make a task checklist to help the child with
organization and planning.
Recognize what motivates the child to
perform and use them as rewards.
Give breaks between tasks to help the child
reset and return to the task with renewed
attention.
ORAL MOTOR AND SENSORY
To improve child’s eating habits, promote the
following:
Eating at a regular time and place;
Eating with your child;
Ensuring your child is sitting and positioned
properly;
Introducing different flavors and textures;
Reduce the amount of distractions so that
the child’s attention is on his/her plate; and
Give consistent praise or encouragement for
the child’s good job.
Assist your child in improving
and
maintaining his/her toothbrushing habits.
Use a small toothbrush with soft bristle.
Stand behind your child, ideally infront of
the mirror to let the child see and copy what
you’re doing.
Make it fun. Sing a song or make silly noises anything that will make the time enjoyable.
If your child doesn’t like the taste of
toothpaste, try using with fruity flavors or
milder flavors.
Offer a reward when they reach a certain
goal or the number of times their teeth are
cleaned twice a day on a calendar.
Prevent your child from mouthing non-food
items such as crayons, clay, papers, and the like.
To decrease oral tactile hypersensitivity, use
a vibrating toothbrush to massage gums and
cheeks and provide crunchy foods.
DAVAO DOCTORS COLLEGE,INC.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PROGRAM
INTERVENTION
STRATEGIES
IN THE HOME
VESTIBULAR
A sensory function related to position,
balance, and secure movement. It provides
the sense of balance and information about
the body position
Provide movement exercises (dancing to
action songs) to increase energy and
attention.
TACTILE
The ability to understand information coming
from the skin.
Decrease tactile sensitivity. Participate in
pressure touch activities (ex. firmly toweling off
after a bath and brushing on body parts with
crayons and then erasing with various textures.)
Include sensory play activities in their day
(ex. water play, massage, clay, glue, beans, sand
play, brushing, and stickers).
Allow active involvement. Encourage the child
to perform life skills (ex. bathing, brushing,
dressing) by himself/herself.
Activities involving tactile discrimination
(the ability to tell what you are touching with
only the sense of touch). For example, provide a
mystery box for small items and different
textures to match and sort.
VISUAL
Store or place frequently used items at a
convenient eye level.
Encourage the child to keep items organized.
Put items back where they belong.
Print instructions in large print.
Label frequently used objects (ex. medications
and calendars).
Computer and electronic settings for
brightness and accessibility settings should be
adjustable for low vision.
Ensure adaptations such as glasses are used
and kept clean.
GROSS MOTOR
These are abilities required to control the
muscles of the body for large movements
such as crawling, walking, jumping,
running, and more.
Learn action songs and perform the actions
as you sing them.
Play movement games with your child (ex.
imitating animal movements).
Play ball games with your child that require
throwing, kicking, and catching.
Let the child participate in household chores
(ex. sweeping the floor) to improve balance,
upper body, lower body, and core muscles.
FINE MOTOR
Provide enjoyable activities that allow
children to use their fingers, such as playing
with tweezers to transfer a cotton ball to
another container.
Vertical surfaces for coloring and writing,
(ex. walls), may be used to promote pencil
grasp.
Short pencils and broken crayons may be
used to promote better pencil grip.
Let children help with household chores (ex.
sorting
malunggay
leaves
for
meal
preparation).