When Should My Child Start Speech Therapy?
When your child comes into the world, their development is full steam ahead, and you want to ensure it’s on track. Early speech therapy can make all the difference if you suspect a communication issue.
Learn How Adults Can Benefit from Occupational Therapy
In 2022, more than 70 million adults in the United States reported a disability for a wide spectrum of reasons that ranged from COVID-19 fallout to arthritis.
If you’re facing a health challenge that’s impacting your quality of life and your ability to function, our goal through our occupational therapy (OT) services is to shift the focus off of your disabilities and, instead, focus on your abilities.
The team here at Celebrations Speech Group offers OT for adults — meeting them where they’re at and helping them to move forward.
If you want to learn how occupational therapy can improve your life in the face of a mental, behavioral, or physical health challenge, read on to learn more.
Occupational therapy definition
The term occupational can be confusing as many assume that “occupational therapy” must be a program designed to help you work. This is not at all the case — OT is designed to help people function in their everyday lives, no matter what that looks like.
The American Occupational Therapy Association describes OT as an intervention that “Uses everyday life activities (occupations) to promote health, well-being, and your ability to participate in the important activities in your life. This includes any meaningful activity that a person wants to accomplish, including taking care of yourself and your family, working, volunteering, going to school, among many others.”
Each patient’s OT is their own
Given the broad definition of OT we outlined above, it’s hard to describe what exactly takes place during our occupational therapy sessions.
Each person’s goals are unique and we tailor our programs to each patient’s specific needs and desires. For example, perhaps you’re a father who wants to be able to cook their kids a meal, but you have a health challenge that makes it more difficult than normal. During your OT, we can focus on this goal and find ways to get you there.
Or, maybe you’re struggling with balance issues preventing you from performing a wide range of everyday activities — even getting dressed is tricky. During your OT, we can focus on balance exercises, often in real-life settings, so that you can gain better control over your life.
Who can benefit from OT
We’ve discussed a few scenarios where adults can benefit from OT, but we want to explore further examples. The adults who avail themselves of our OT services are dealing with any number of health issues, including:
- Speech and voice disorders
- Brain damage
- Musculoskeletal issues like arthritis, which affects 1 in 4 adults in the US
- Recovery from surgery or illness
- Neurological health issues, such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis
- Developmental issues, such as autism spectrum disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
This is just the tip of the iceberg, but we want to give you an idea of the extremely wide scope of conditions we can address through occupational therapy.
The bottom line is that occupational therapy can play an invaluable role in helping people to lead happier, more productive lives, no matter their circumstances.
If you’d like to explore whether occupational therapy is right for you, we invite you to come in for an evaluation, during which we can explain our approach in more detail. To get the ball rolling, please contact one of our offices in Brentwood, Stockton, or Elk Grove, California, to schedule an appointment.
You Might Also Enjoy...
The Two Core Symptoms and Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Kids
Autism spectrum disorder affects 1 in 36 kids, which is an increase over the previous count of 1 in 44. Here, we take a look at the two core characteristics of autism and what you should do if you recognize them in your child.
6 Ways to Support Your Child Through Stuttering Challenges
Your child has a stutter, and you want to do what you can to encourage and support them through this communication hurdle. Here, we review four great tips to keep stress low and progress high.
5 Signs of a Receptive Language Disorder
Your child seems to be paying attention, but you’re worried that what you’re saying isn’t really getting through. This could point toward a developmental issue called receptive language disorder.
Your Child Has Autism Spectrum Disorder — What's Next?
You want your child to have the best start in life, but an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis has you confused about next steps. Here are some suggestions that can build a solid foundation.
Occupational and Speech Therapy — A Powerful Combination
You or a loved one suffered a stroke, or your child has a speech disorder — these are just two instances in which you can benefit greatly from combining speech and occupational therapy under one roof.