Occupational Therapy

What to expect

Occupational Therapy (OT) is a health profession that helps people participate more successfully in everyday life activities (“occupations”). These occupations include things like playing, learning, dressing, working, socialising, regulating emotions, and managing daily routines.

The focus of OT is not just on skills, but on the interaction between the person, their body/brain, and the environment so that everyday life becomes easier and more meaningful.

A medical referral is not necessary to receive Occupational Therapy services.

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Mmasutane Lebogang Hamese

Occupational Therapist
(Children & Adults)
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What Occupational Therapy Supports

For Children

Occupational therapists support children in developing the foundational skills needed for learning, play, and independence.

 

Common areas include:

1. Sensory Processing

  • Helping children who are over-sensitive or under-responsive to sensory input
  • Difficulty with noise, clothing textures, movement, or touch
  • Building sensory regulation strategies

2.Emotional Regulation

  • Supporting children who struggle with frustration, anxiety, or overwhelm
  • Teaching body awareness and calming strategies

3. Motor Skills

  • Fine motor: handwriting, cutting, drawing, buttons, shoelaces
  • Gross motor: balance, coordination, postur

4.Daily Living Skills

  • Dressing
  • Feeding
  • Toileting
  • Sleep routines

5. Attention and Executive Function

  • Planning tasks
  • Organisation
  • Following multi-step instructions

6. Social Participation

  • Turn-taking in play
  • Reading social cues
  • Flexible thinking
For many children, OT helps bridge the gap between developmental potential and classroom demands.

For Adults

Occupational therapy with adults focuses on maintaining or rebuilding independence and quality of life.

 

Areas include:

1. Physical Rehabilitation

  • Stroke recovery
  • Injury rehabilitation
  • Chronic illness support

2. Mental Health Support

  • Managing anxiety, depression, burnout
  • Creating daily routines and meaningful activities

3. Executive Function & Work Skills

  • Time management
  • Organisation
  • Work adaptations

4. Life Transitions

  • Returning to work
  • Parenting
  • Adjusting to disability or illness

5. Sensory Regulation

  • Particularly helpful for neurodivergent adults.

Occupational Therapy and Neurodivergence

OTs often work with individuals who are neurodivergent, including those with:
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Developmental Coordination Disorder
  • Sensory Processing Disorder

 

Support may include:

 

Sensory regulation

  • Understanding sensory profiles
  • Creating sensory diets

Environmental adaptation

  • Classroom accommodations
  • Workspace adjustments

Executive function support

  • Task breakdown
  • Visual schedules

Self-regulation

  • Recognising body signals
  • Building coping tools

Identity-affirming support

  • Emphasising strengths
  • Supporting authentic participation rather than “masking”.

The Role of DIR/Floortime

DIR/Floortime is a developmental therapy model.

DIR stands for:

  • D – Developmental
  • I – Individual differences
  • R – Relationship-based

 

Key Principles

1. Follow the Child’s Lead

The therapist joins the child in what they are naturally interested in.

 

2. Build Emotional Connection

Learning occurs through shared emotional engagement, not just instruction.

 

3. Expand Interaction

The therapist gradually encourages:
  • back-and-forth interaction
  • problem solving
  • symbolic play
  • emotional communication

 

4. Respect Individual Differences

Children differ in:
  • sensory processing
  • motor planning
  • attention
  • emotional regulation
DIR adapts to these differences rather than expecting the child to conform to a fixed therapy structure.

Developmental Capacities Targeted in DIR

DIR focuses on building six foundational capacities:
  1. Shared attention and regulation
  2. Engagement and relating
  3. Two-way communication
  4. Complex problem solving
  5. Symbolic play
  6. Logical thinking
These are considered foundations for emotional development, social communication, and learning.

Why Occupational Therapists Often Use DIR

 

For OTs, DIR integrates well with their focus on:
  • sensory regulation
  • motor planning
  • emotional development
  • play as a developmental occupation
It allows therapy to be:
  • child-led
  • relationship-based
  • developmentally informed.

“Authenticity is the courage to be imperfect, vulnerable and to set boundaries.”