Occupational Therapy in
Learning Disabilities
Rajani Kelkar
Program Ummeed Child Development Center,
Mumbai
Occupational Therapy
□ Is health profession concerned with how
people function in their respective life roles
and perform everyday activities
□ In children the life roles & activities include
 Academic activities
 Functional skills
 Socialisation & Play
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What do Occupational Therapists do?
□ Child and family centered practice
□ Comprehensive evaluation
□ Effective intervention
 Through various media & modalities
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L D - OT Perspective (1)
□ Group of problems affecting child’s
ability to
Master school tasks
 Process information
 Communicate effectively
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L D - OT Perspective (2)
□ Often associated with other neurological
problems
ADHD
 Auditory processing difficulties
 Visual Perceptual impairment
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L D - OT Perspective (3)
□ Learning disorders are caused by a
difference in the brain that affects how
information is received, processed, or
communicated.
□ Children and adults with learning
disabilities have trouble processing sensory
information because they see, hear, and
understand things differently.
Behaviours Displayed by LD Child
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Gross & fine motor dysfunctions
Educational Disorders
Disorders of attention & concentration
Disorders of thinking & memory
Problems with speech & communication
Auditory processing difficulties
Sensory integrative & perceptual disorders
Psychosocial problems
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Assessment -What and How (1)
□ Interview
□ Formal assessment tools- examples
 Peabody Developmental Motor scales
 Tests of visual motor skills
 Tests of visual-perceptual skills (non-motor)
 Sensory profile
 Handwriting scales
 Social skills rating system
 Play scales
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Assessment -What and How (2)
□ Observation and assessment of
 Behavior
 Occupational and other life skills
 Family dynamics and environment
□ Informal assessment through the use of
activities
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Brain can change
□ Premise of OT intervention based on
concept of Neuroplasiticy
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Natural life long ability to form new
connections
Generate new brain cells in response to
experience & learning
( Doidge, Norman, 2007)
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How does understanding brain help with
learning disability?
□ Faulty wiring in brain disrupts normal lines
of communication and makes it difficult to
process information easily.
□ Under right learning conditions, brain has
ability to reorganize itself by forming new
neural connections.
□ New connections facilitate skills like
reading and writing that had been difficult
using old connections.
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Fine Motor Activities to Improve School
Functions (1)
□ Strengthening
 Hide & find tiny pegs, beads, marbles in
putty
 Crumble paper to fill a bag
 Nuts & bolts games
 Use clothes pins on rope
 Build with magnets
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Fine Motor Activities to Improve School
Functions (2)
□ Manipulation skills
 Place stickers on paper
 Use eye dropper to squirt coloured water on
paper
 Place dried peas in small container with
tweezers
 Use small musical keyboard
 Hold coins & place one at a time in slot
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Preparing Children for Writing (1)
□ Posture
 Adjust seat & table height, use slant boards
□ Hand dominance
 E.g. Practice cutting, lacing, stringing beads
□ Use of appropriate force
 E.g. Writing on sand paper, hiding small
objects in PlayDoh
(Jane Case- Smith, 2008)
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Preparing Children for Writing (2)
□ Tripod grasp
 E.g. Twisting on/off lids, use pencil grips
□ Letter forms
 E.g. Use colour code to identify top &
bottom of each line, practice dot-to-dot
pictures, fill in missing parts of letters.
□ Spacing & alignment
 E.g. Use popsicle stick between words, self
correct, draw letters in small boxes.
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Activities for Visual Motor Integration
□ String macaroni
□ Use toy hammer & nails
□ Draw with templates
□ Use tweezers to pick up small objects
□ Lacing objects
□ Cut shapes
□ Make a necklace
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Sensory Integration Therapy (1)
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Professional treatment techniques
□ Provides carefully guided sensory stimulation
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Vestibular
Visual
Tactile
Proprioceptive i.e. through muscles & joints.
Purposeful activities requiring adaptive
response
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Sensory Integration Therapy (2)
□ Educate teachers, parents, and older
children about sensory integration and to
develop strategies to adapt to and
compensate for dysfunction
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Environmental modifications
Adaptations to daily routines
Changes in how people interact with the
child
(Wilbarger & Wilbarger, 2002)
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Social Skills Training
□ Groups conducted by interdisciplinary
team
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Increase social awareness
Encourage peer relationships
• E.g. asking a friend to play, sportsmanship
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Improve self regulatory behaviours
• E.g. anger management
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Enhance Language expression
• Role playing
• Use of “wh” questions to teach conversational
skills
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Life Skills Training
□ Functional independence
 Daily living tasks
 Play & developing hobbies
□ Prevocational Testing & training in
adolescents
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Integration of Interventional Strategies
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Student’s class room schedule
School routines
Curriculum
At home
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Where is Therapy Provided
□ School as team member
 In classroom
 Resource room
□ Private clinics
□ Multidisciplinary centers
□ Child guidance clinics
□ Hospitals
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In Conclusion
□ Therapy or treatment provided by an
occupational therapist
Helps child's developmental & physical skills
 Focuses on use of hands and fingers
coordination of movement, self-help skills,
such as dressing and eating, and sensory and
perceptual-motor integration
 Includes design and adaptation of materials,
equipment, and environment.
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Thank You
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