What does pediatric occupational therapy help my child with?
Pediatric occupational therapy helps children build the everyday skills they need to play, learn and grow — including fine motor skills like handwriting, doing up buttons and using scissors; gross motor skills like balance, coordination and jumping; plus sensory processing, self-care and feeding. Swift Health registered occupational therapists support fine motor and gross motor skill development for children across British Columbia, working with your child at home, at school or online. No doctor’s referral is needed to see an occupational therapist privately in BC.
Fine motor and gross motor skills therapy for kids
Fine motor skills are the small, precise movements of the hands and fingers a child uses for handwriting, colouring, using cutlery, doing up zippers and buttons, and cutting with scissors. When these skills are still developing, everyday school and self-care tasks can feel frustrating for a child.
Gross motor skills are the larger movements — sitting, crawling, walking, running, jumping, climbing and catching a ball — that rely on core strength, balance and coordination. Building them helps a child keep up confidently at the playground and in the classroom.
Our occupational therapists assess where your child is at, set goals together with your family, and use play-based activities to strengthen both. Explore our occupational therapy services, see pediatric occupational therapy in Vancouver and occupational therapy in Abbotsford, or book an appointment — call or text 604-800-5542.
Occupational Therapists at Swift Health Services are trained in treating a wide variety of pediatric diagnoses including, although not limited to:
OT Surrey Clinic Availability
Mondays @ 12PM to 6PM
Tuesdays @ 12pm to 7PM
Thursdays @ 4PM to 6PM
Fridays @ 3PM to 6PM
Saturdays @ 11AM to 4PM
Some dates and times have waitlists!
Standardized Assessments
We offer comprehensive standardized occupational therapy assessment packages to meet all the needs of your child.
We offer:
- School-based assessment packages
- Home-based assessment packages
Which include:
- Sensory Profile: the sensory profile provides a standard method for occupational therapists to measure a child’s sensory processing abilities and to profile the affects of sensory processing on functional performance in the daily life of a child.
- Beery VMI: this is a 3-part assessment which screens a child’s motor coordination, visual motor integration and visual perception.
- Brigance Diagnostic Inventory of Early Development: a standardized assessment that measures diagnoses delays (i.e. standing, walking, stair climbing, running, jumping, kicking, catching, balance) and age equivalents of the development of children from birth to seven years of age.
- McMaster Handwriting Assessment (2nd edition): this assessment evaluates the handwriting of school-aged children in kindergarten to grade 6. This assessment was designed to identify the specific areas of handwriting (i.e. postural control, behavioural, pencil grasp, pencil pressure, spacing, reversals) a child is having difficulty with.
Call us today to learn more about standardized occupational therapy assessments and how they can benefit your child.
Assessment and Treatment
Our occupational therapists specialize in the assessment and treatment of:
- Self Care skills (i.e. dressing, grooming, feeding, toileting)
- Visual Perceptual skills
- Visual Motor Integration
- Gross Motor skills
- Fine Motor Skills
- Handwriting
- Sensory Processing
- Social play
Paediatric Mental Health and Occupational Therapy
Swift Health occupational therapists are providing a range of services for children and youth experiencing mental health difficulties including assessment, treatment, consultation, and parent education. Mental Health difficulties include, although not limited to Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Attachment Disorders, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD),
past trauma and explosive behaviours. Occupational therapy services for mental health are provided in the home and or school. Currently serving Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver, and Richmond, area.
Annual Review Assessments
Swift Health Services offers annual review assessment and report packages. Our occupational therapists understand the importance of setting appropriate goals and monitoring progress goals for your child and ensuring your child’s occupational therapy goals are contributing to their Individual Education Program (IEP) at their school.
Our annual review assessment package includes:
- One-hour screening assessment at home
- School visit to assess child in their natural classroom environment and provide teacher/teacher assistants with feedback
- Short report with specific goals
Funding Sources
Funding Sources
Extended Health
Variety – Children’s Charity of BC
President’s Choice Children’s charity
CKNW Kid’s Fund
Equipment Assistive Devices
Related reading: Why does my child chew on everything? Oral sensory seeking explained
