Fauquier Health hosts Pediatric Social Skills Camp

Thank you to everyone who participated in our week-long Pediatric Social Skills Camp! There were 21 participants in two groups, each participating one hour daily, Monday through Friday. The program was planned and supervised by Fauquier Health Rehabilitation Services personnel:

• Heather Smith, Speech Language Pathologist
• Alicia Lutman, Occupational Therapist
• Sherrie Beres, Occupational Therapist
• Kristine Trimble, Physical Therapist
  

Activities included:

• Introductions
• Taking turns
• Asking for what you need
• Sharing
• Measuring your feelings
• Following instructions and schedules
• Working together as a team
• Show and Tell
• Recognizing others for their accomplishments
  

The children had a great time and made new friends while learning appropriate social interaction skills. Information was shared with parents on the last day of camp to assist children in carryover of these skills at home and in the community.
Thanks again to all our participants. We hope you had fun while learning some useful new skills!

April is Occupational Therapy Month

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY HELPS INDIVIDUALS
LIVE LIFE TO ITS FULLEST

Occupational therapy enables people of all ages live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, prevent—or live better with—injury, illness, or disability. It is a practice deeply rooted in science and is evidence-based, meaning that the plan designed for each individual is supported by data, experience, and “best practices” that have been developed and proven over time.

Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants focus on “doing” whatever occupations or activities are meaningful to the individual. It is occupational therapy’s purpose to get beyond problems to the solutions that assure living life to its fullest. These solutions may be adaptations for how to do a task, changes to the surroundings, or helping individuals to alter their own behaviors.

When working with an occupational therapy practitioner, strategies and modifications are customized for each individual to resolve problems, improve function, and support everyday living activities. The goal is to maximize potential. Through these therapeutic approaches, occupational therapy helps individuals design their lives, develop needed skills, adjust their environments (e,g., home, school, or work) and build health-promoting habits and routines that will allow them to thrive.

By taking the full picture into account—a person’s psychological, physical, emotional, and social makeup as well as their environment—occupational therapy assists clients to do the following:

· Achieve goals
· Function at the highest possible level
· Concentrate on what matters most to them
· Maintain or rebuild their independence
· Participate in daily activities that they need or want to do.

Founded in 1917, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) represents the interests and concerns of more than 140,000 occupational therapists, assistants and students nationwide. The Association educates the public and advances the profession of occupational therapy by providing resources, setting standards including accreditations and serving as an advocate to improve health care. Based in Bethesda, Md., AOTA’s major programs and activities are directed toward promoting the professional development of its members and assuring consumer access to quality services so patients can maximize their individual potential. For more information, go to http://www.aota.org/.


If you feel you or someone you know may benefit from occupational therapy services please call us at (540) 316-2680 to learn more. Or click on the button below to ask a question.