Welcome to
Therapy Zone 4 Kidz
      
                    Owner, Deborah Neargarder,OTR/L
           
        
                What is pediatric occupational therapy?

Occupational Therapy (OT) refers to therapy that aids in
developing or regaining skills needed for the job of living
referred to as “daily living skills”.  These skills could include
dressing, grooming, bathing, toileting, feeding, home making
etc.  For children, occupational therapy refers to the children’s
work, also known as PLAY!!  An occupational therapist who
specializes in pediatrics will encourage and help children to
develop play skills to further their overall development and
functional independent skills. A pediatric occupational therapist
treats children who have motor development and/or sensory
processing difficulties.  The OT also identifies the child’s
strengths and builds on them to further function. Through
specialized and individualized treatment, pediatric occupational
therapist's strive to improve such areas which may include but
are not limited to:

              gross motor skills        
               fine motor skills
        upper body strength and coordination
        motor planning
        balance
        self-help skills, such as feeding, dressing, and         
                grooming
        attention difficulties
        sensory integration/sensory processing disorders
        following directions and problem solving


                            Mission Statement:

To provide a high quality and a consistent pediatric  
occupational therapy service for children in a nurturing
and child-friendly environment.  
To provide excellent service for the families of children
with special needs to support and guide them through the
occupational therapy process.  
To provide families with skills to carry-over appropriate
activities throughout the child’s day and in life.  
To provide the “just right” challenge to every child in
order to maximize his or her developmental potential in a
positive, safe, motivating and fun environment.
Helping Children Reach Their Target

Doing things for the fun of it constitutes play.
…The first few years of a child’s life…seem spent almost
wholly in play.  Nothing gives us more uneasiness than to
see a child who does not play.  We consider it a sure sign of
sickness, either of body or mind… [As a result of playing],
the child grows.  Growth is the primary use of play, and this
is as true of intellectual growth as of physical.
                                                                                                                 
                                               West, 1888