Signs To Look For
If your child is experiencing 3 or more problems on the checklist, Occupational Therapy intervention may be helpful.
Infant & Toddler
- Has low muscle tone; seems weak or floppy
- Difficulty consoling self, unusually fussy
- Unable to bring hands together with toys
- Slow to rollover, creep, sit or stand
- Failure to explore environments
- Unable to build tower with blocks after age 2 years
- Frequent fisting of hands after six months of age
- Difficulty tolerating prone (on stomach) position
- Dislikes baths, being washed, certain textures
- Becomes tense when held, dislikes being cuddled
- Unable to settle down, sleep difficulties
- Over-reacts to sounds, may become fearful or disorganized in loud or chaotic environment
Preschool (3-5 years)
- Says “I can’t” or “I won’t” to age appropriate self-care or play activities
- Has low muscle tone; seems weak or floppy; difficulty sitting upright at circle
- Avoids or dislikes hair combing, face washing, nail cutting, certain clothing, textures or temperatures
- Bumps into furniture or people, has trouble with body awareness or judging space around him/her
- Breaks toys or crayons easily; uses too much force in interactions with others
- Does not enjoy jumping, swings or having feet off of the ground
- Dislikes or has trouble coloring inside the lines, doing puzzles or cutting with scissors
- Appears clumsy, falls frequently
- Tends to be overly active, has difficulty slowing down, may demonstrate short attention span by moving quickly from one toy to another
- Demonstrates difficulty with transitions or changes in routine/plans. Prefers very set routines and can be rigid or controlling
- Has eating difficulties; may be a picky or sloppy, clumsy eater
- Over-reacts to sounds, may become fearful or disorganized in loud or chaotic environments
- Avoids playground activities; seems fearful or coming up or down the stairs
- Unable to settle down, may have sleep difficulties
- Needs more practice than other children to learn new skills
- Has more difficulty than expected separating from care-takers; may be clingy
School-Aged
- Tends to be clumsier than other children (trips, falls, bumps into people or things, injury prone)
- Has low muscle tone; tends to lean on arms or slumps at desk
- Avoids or dislikes hair combing, face washing, nail cutting, certain clothing, textures or temperatures
- Reverses letters such as b and d; can’t space letters on the lines
- Needs more practice than other children to learn new skills
- Does not enjoy jumping, swings or having feet off of the ground
- Dislikes or struggles with fine motor activities or handwriting
- Uses either too much or too little force (while writing, giving hugs, holding a paper cup, petting a cat)
- Tends to be overly active, has difficulty slowing down
- Has poor self-esteem, lack of confidence, can be emotionally labile, poor social skills
- Has difficulty with motor activities that involve coordinating both sides of the body together(shoe tying, swimming, bicycle riding)
- Over-reacts to touch, tastes, sounds, movement, or odors; may become fearful or disorganized in loud or chaotic environments; self-injurious behaviors
- Avoids physical education class, sports or playground activities
- Has difficulty focusing attention or gets over-focused and is unable to shift to the next task
- Struggles with motor tasks that have several steps
