What Is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy is a type of therapy that assists individuals in learning how to work with their disabilities, illnesses, or other conditions that make certain daily tasks difficult. Whether you have been living with a condition your entire life or you had an accident or sudden onset of a disorder that caused difficulties with executive functioning, occupational therapy can help you improve these skills and add to your toolbox of resources.

Why Do I need Occupational Therapy?

Needing occupational therapy does not mean that there is something wrong with you. In fact, it usually means that there is something wrong with the world around you, forcing you to make up for the shortcomings of your environment. Occupational therapy can help with the treatment of functional neurological disorders Kirkland WA, injuries that make movement difficult, or even certain conditions such as ADHD.

What Does Occupational Therapy Help With?

During occupational therapy, an occupational therapist (OT) will help you develop new strategies and tools to use in your daily life as a way to mitigate your conditions. The world, generally, is not built with the needs of disabled or impaired individuals in mind, and so it is necessary to learn to adapt however you can to the world around you. An OT may help you with coordination and motor skills, prescribe you assistive devices such as a wheelchair or AAC device, or use tools such as a medication organizer to help you stay on track.

Realizing that you need to attend occupational therapy can be a frustrating, shocking, and even scary situation. Remember that occupational therapy is a way for you to regain control of the world around you, not a way for you to submit to your condition(s). Occupational therapy can be extremely empowering. Even when you may not be able to control your condition, you can control how you handle it, and that is powerful.