Resources
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Resources •
Our resources are designed to complement the work we do at SPOTS and to empower families with trusted information, practical tools, and thoughtful insights. Whether you’re just beginning your occupational therapy journey or looking for ways to support your child at home, at school, and beyond.
Getting Started with Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy helps children participate more fully in their everyday lives—at home, at school, and in their communities. You may find occupational therapy helpful if your child is having difficulty with:
• Daily routines such as dressing, eating, or sleeping
• Attention, regulation, or transitions
• Fine or gross motor skills
• Sensory processing
• School-related tasks and participation
Common Signs of Sensory-Motor Processing Challenges
Sensory-motor processing challenges can show up in many different ways and may affect how a child moves, focuses, plays, or responds to everyday situations. The signs below reflect some of the common concerns parents reach out to us about. They are not meant to be a diagnosis, but rather a starting point for understanding whether occupational therapy support may be helpful.
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Difficulty with handwriting
Appears weak/tires easily
Challenges with daily transition demands
Inconsistency in attending and focusing
Difficulty entering and/or exiting play with others
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Clumsy and awkward when engaged in motor tasks
Persistent drive for autonomy and self-initiated action
Unable to effectively organize daily routines
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Over or under-sensitive to movement, touch, smell, taste, sights, sounds or other sensations
Difficulty listening to and following verbal directions
Challenges with auditory filtering
Sleeping and eating problems
Difficulty managing emotional responses (i.e. disruptive/inflexible/habitual behavioral patterns)
Supporting Your Child at Home
Supporting your child doesn’t require perfection—often, it’s the small, consistent moments that make the biggest impact. These ideas are meant to fit naturally into daily life and support your child’s growth in a way that feels manageable and encouraging. Parental co-regulation is a crucial strategy to help a child self-regulate.
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Predictable routines help children feel safe, organized, and prepared for transitions throughout the day.
Helpful strategies include:
Keeping morning and bedtime routines consistent
Using visual schedules or simple checklists
Offering clear expectations and gentle reminders
Provide boundaries and set realistic consequence for resistive behaviors
Allowing extra time for transitions when possible
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Building independence supports confidence and self-esteem, even when tasks feel challenging i.e. praise the effort not the result.
Ways to encourage independence at home:
Break tasks into small, achievable steps
Offer choices to support decision-making
Allow extra time for your child to try tasks on their own
Celebrate persistence, practice and trying, not just outcomes
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Transitions and emotional regulation can be difficult, especially when routines change or expectations increase.
Support regulation by:
Giving advance notice before transitions
Using calming strategies such as deep breathing, movement, or quiet breaks
Keeping language and emotional tone simple and reassuring
Creating a calm space where your child can reset
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Play is one of the most powerful ways children learn and grow.
Through play, children can:
Strengthen motor skills
Practice social interaction
Explore emotions and creativity
Build problem-solving and flexibility
Play-based learning needs to be pressure-free and can help create meaningful opportunities for connection and development.
Sensory-Motor & Self-Regulation Resources
Every child experiences the world through their senses in a unique way. Understanding sensory-motor processing and regulation can help families better support their child’s comfort, focus, and emotional well-being.
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Sensory-motor processing refers to how the nervous system receives and responds to sensory input.
Children may seek or avoid certain sensations related to:
Movement
Touch
Sound
Visual input
Body awareness
Recognizing these sensory-signals can help caregivers respond with greater resourcefulness, flexibility, and effectiveness
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Regulation helps children manage their energy levels, emotions, and attention throughout the day.
Support regulation by:
Building movement or sensory breaks into routines
Offering calming or alerting activities as needed
Creating predictable daily rhythms
Modeling calm responses and co-regulating during challenging moments
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A child’s environment can play a big role in how they feel and function.
Helpful environmental supports may include:
Thoughtful adjustments to lighting, sound, or access to sensory-motor calming activities
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Every child is different, and strategies that work well for one child may not work for another or the same child on a different day.
Helpful reminders:
Observe patterns and preferences
Adjust strategies as your child grows
Focus on progress rather than perfection
Celebrate small successes along the way
School & Education Support
School can bring both exciting opportunities and unique challenges. Understanding how occupational therapy fits into the educational environment can help families feel more confident and supported as their child navigates school life. The sensory-motor demands during a school day are very different from those a child experiences at home. In the classroom setting a child must tolerate much more spontaneity, unpredictability than at home. The child must have more flexibility with and less control over others.
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Occupational therapy in schools focuses on helping children participate successfully in their learning environment.
School-based OT may support:
Classroom participation and attention
Fine motor skills for writing and tasks
Organization and task completion
Self-Regulation and independence in meeting sensorimotor needs during the school day
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Evaluations and reports can feel overwhelming, especially when filled with unfamiliar language.
Helpful tips include:
Asking questions if something is unclear
Focusing on functional recommendations and next steps
Understanding how goals support daily school activities
Keeping copies of evaluations for future reference
Don’t expect precise predictions about progress a child can make toward change or meeting new goals
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Strong collaboration between families and school teams helps create consistent support for children.
Ways to support collaboration:
Share helpful strategies that work at home
Maintain open, respectful communication with educators
Attend meetings prepared with questions or observations
Advocate for your child’s needs while recognizing team perspectives
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions? Take a look at the FAQs or reach out anytime.
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SPOTS provides occupational therapy services for children and adolescents across a range of developmental stages. We work with children from infancy through adolescence, typically ages 6 months to 16 years.
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Getting started begins with an occupational therapy evaluation. Once the evaluation and required referral are received, our team works carefully to schedule services and match your child with the most appropriate therapeutic approach. Visit our Getting Started page to learn more.
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Yes. Per New York State law, a referral from a physician or nurse practitioner is required to begin private occupational therapy services. We’re happy to help guide families through this process.
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SPOTS does not bill health insurance directly; however, we provide coded invoices (superbills) that families can submit to their insurance for out-of-network reimbursement.
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Therapy frequency is determined based on your child’s individual needs and the recommendations from their evaluation. Our goal is to create a plan that feels supportive, sustainable, and effective for both the child and their family.