What’s the difference between occupational therapy and physical therapy?

OT and PT work well together and can look similar and even overlap in some areas but they can also address different things. In physical therapy we target more of a “gross motor” set of skills where occupational therapy targets your child’s “fine motor”. This means that we work with larger muscle groups to target more foundational issues in your child’s strength, endurance, balance, motor planning and bilateral coordination. Which helps your child’s performance and gains in OT too!

How do I know if my child will benefit from physical therapy services?

Your child may benefit from physical therapy if they have difficulty with strength, balance, coordination, crawling, walking, running, jumping, or keeping up with other children their age. You might also notice frequent falls, clumsiness, delayed motor milestones, or fatigue during physical activities.

Physical therapy helps children improve movement, build strength and endurance, and gain confidence to participate more fully in daily activities, play, and sports. If you have concerns, an evaluation can help determine the best support for your child.

What kind of activities will my child do in physical therapy?

We use a variety of techniques to help our clients reach their goals. We create obstacle courses, play a variety of gross motor games, practice yoga, and occasionally
we throw in traditional exercises. We also have therapists trained in fitting for various orthotics to help the clients who need additional support with their gait, mobility and posture.