OTs work with all ages of people who are born with or acquire conditions that interfere with their ability to live satisfying lives. OTs are also concerned about prevention of injury and illness. My role as an OT with a child who has Lowe syndrome is to help with self calming to improve his behaviors, to help improve his fine motor coordination so he is better able to grasp the zipper pulls, and button buttons. Also we work on telling time and are now beginning to work on using the telephone. As a home health OT, I also work with family members, listening to their concerns and validating their feelings.
Stress is a large component of living with any child with special needs.
The unpredictability of the meltdowns and the feelings of helplessness that accompanies them takes a toll on the entire family. OT in the school. The OT that works with you child in the school has a different function than an OT who works in your home, in a medical center or clinic. The school OT works only on school related function. That is sometimes very narrowly defined such as handwriting.