Children Discovery House

What is Occupational Therapy?

ADHD and Autism is now a well-known condition among children as well as adults around the world and its estimated about 10% the world’s population is undergoing these condition. It is also very common in the local context here in Sri Lanka where the society has shed a blind eye.

Occupational therapy (OT) is a widely recognized method to mould differently abled individuals to carry out their daily tasks effectively. Occupational therapy treatment focuses on helping people with a physical, sensory, or cognitive disability to be functionally independent as possible in all areas of their lives. Children Discovery House specializes in providing healthcare facilities and Occupational Therapy assistance for kids with Autism and ADHD in improving their cognitive, physical, sensory, and motor skills and enhance their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment. OT is most effective when conditions such as ADHD and Autism is detected at an early stage (4 – 12 years old) so that once the affected matures the best results could be yielded.

A child’s main occupation is playing and learning, and occupational therapists can evaluate  the kids with Autism/ADHD in terms of their skills for playing, school performance, and daily activities and compare them with what is developmentally appropriate for a particular age. Our OT practitioners address physical well-being of the child and psychological, social, and environmental factors that can affect functioning in different ways. This approach makes OT a vital part of health care for these kids.”

WHO WE ARE

Children Discovery House (CDH) is an entity registered under Section 34 of the Sri Lanka Companies Act No 7 of 2007 as a Company Limited by Guarantee. The concept and philosophy were founded by Dr Rukshan Gunatilaka. CDH operates as an Occupational Therapy Centre extending support to anybody seeking help to overcome ADHD and Autism regardless of their socio-economic background. We are equipped with state of the art specialized equipment such as Vestibular swing systems and multi-activity work stations to support the cause along with trained Occupational Therapists adhering to international standards. We also possess the support of doctors and experts who has the specific skills to detect such conditions at very early stages. We hope to further our progress to reaching these goals through the project outlined in this proposal. If parents decide a child might benefit from occupational therapy, they can request through a specialist to recommend their child to Occupational Therapy

Who Needs Occupational Therapy

Kids with the following medical conditions might benefit from OT (According to American Occupational Therapy Association)

occupational therapy (OT) is a widely recognized method to mold children with ADHD/Autism, and differently abled individuals to carry out their daily tasks effectively. Occupational therapy treatment focuses on helping people with a physical, sensory, or cognitive disability to be as independent as possible in all areas of their lives.

Children with special needs

Some might require assistance for disabilities that may be mental or psychological in nature. There are various conditions, including autism spectrum disorders and ADHD which is mentioned above, sensory processing disorder and other various learning difficulties; some individuals may have a combination of more than one condition.

Sensory processing disorders and sensory integration therapy

Special needs individuals, especially children, ideally require various forms of therapy to develop, and one such therapy includes sensory integration, which in general addresses children who are sensitive to certain sensations, for example textures. Sensory integration therapy might involve developing an affected child’s sense of touch until he or she is no longer crippled by the sensitivity and can develop better holistically. Likewise sensory integration is applicable to other senses as well like vestibular, proprioception, visual & auditory.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST HELP KIDS

  • Who have sensory and attentional issues to improve focus and attention span.
  • with severe developmental delays in learning basic tasks such as bathing, getting dressed, brushing their teeth, and feeding themselves
  • in developing good handwriting skills by working on fine motor skills along with prewriting activities.
  • with poor eye – hand coordination and to improve play & learning skills through activities such as hitting targets, balling and batting, copying from a blackboard, etc
  • with behavioural issues to maintain positive attitudes in all environments (role play, social stories)
  • withpoor fine motor coordination skills which are needed for feeding, typing, writing, tying shoelace etc.
  • evaluating a child’s need for specialized equipments, such as wheelchairs, splints, bathing equipment, dressing devices, or communication aids
  • vocational training based on their potential level and interest

Occupational therapists help kids

  • who have sensory and attentional issues to improve focus and social skills.
  • with severe developmental delays in learning basic tasks such as bathing, getting dressed, brushing their teeth, and feeding themselves
  • in developing good handwriting skills by working on fine motor skills.
  • with hand-eye coordination and to improve play & learning skills through activities such as hitting targets, balling and batting, copying from a blackboard, etc
  • with behavioral disorders maintain positive behaviors in all environments (For instance, instead of hitting others or acting out, using positive ways to deal with anger, such as writing about feelings or participating in a physical activity)
  • with physical disabilities the coordination skills needed to feed themselves, use a computer, or increase the speed and legibility of their handwriting
  • evaluating a child’s need for specialized equipments, such as wheelchairs, splints, bathing equipment, dressing devices, or communication aids

Our Services Occupational therapists help kids

  • Who have sensory and attentional issues to improve focus and social skills.
  • In developing good handwriting skills by working on fine motor skills.
  • With behavioral disorders maintain positive behaviors in all environments (For instance, instead of hitting others or acting out, using positive ways to deal with anger, such as writing about feelings or participating in a physical activity)
  • Evaluating a child’s need for specialized equipments, such as wheelchairs, splints, bathing equipment, dressing devices, or communication aids
  • With severe developmental delays in learning basic tasks such as bathing, getting dressed, brushing their teeth, and feeding themselves.
  • improve play & learning skills through activities such as hitting targets, balling and batting, copying from a blackboard, etc
  • With physical disabilities the coordination skills needed to feed themselves, use a computer, or increase the speed and legibility of their handwriting