There are many different things that teachers or other adults can do to make sure children feel comfortable in the classroom. If a child doesn't like to be touched, place them in the front or end of the line where they are less likely to be bumped into to. If the child avoids group activities, don't force them to play; give options and let the child choose what they want to do. Some children may just need sensory stimulus throughout the day so the teacher could have a blanket for them to curl up in or do other activities like asking the child to help move a desk or carry a pile of books. If the child is having a hard time focusing, it could be helpful to do some gross motor activity before sitting down to work. These types of interventions are important for continuing therapy practices in schools, or even at home, which will help the child improve faster.

Some children rock their bodies a lot when they are sitting down because it may help them feel calm or relaxed. The rocking could occur because the child did not get enough movement as a baby or they may just like the feeling of constant motion. Putting the child on a swing and mimicking this motion will make them feel relaxed in the therapy setting. Some children in OT or PT may need orthotics for their feet which help them to keep their body aligned while they are working on strengthening their core muscles.

OT clients can fall into two groups - public and private. Private clients are those who seek out the therapy by themselves and public clients are those who are referred to therapy by their school; I am currently observing children who were sent by school. When teachers notice that a child is having problems in the classroom like sitting still, focusing, writing, or doing other activities, that is when they can refer them to the OT. The school then sends a list of goals that the child needs to be able to accomplish. Some sample goals are 1) being able to follow directions in a timely fashion, 2) being able to hold a pencil or crayon correctly, 3) being able to sit where you are told and listen to directions and 4) being able to cut paper. Cutting paper may seem like a trivial goal, but children do a lot of cutting and pasting in school and if they don't have the coordination or hand strength to do it, they will have problems. It is also important for children to learn how to plan the steps they need to accomplish a task which can be worked on by asking the child to build something. 

During an OT session, the child needs to do many different activities so that the brain can experience different things and become accostomed to them. For example, if you make a game where a child climbs a ladder to get something, then their brain and body get used to that activity and the child will start to do it naturally, like on the playground. Doing many different activites can also work on sensitivity issues the child might have. Incorporting climbing, jumping, swinging and rolling means the child is using all parts of their body. Also if a child is scared of something, like climbing a ladder or going on a swing, it's very helpful to tell them a story while they are doing it because it keeps them distracted and eventually they aren't scared anymore.

If a child didn't crawl when they were a baby, they could lack the appropriate sensory feelings in their hands; their hands might feel like "cotton hands" which makes it hard to do fine motor activities. They might also have weak arm muscles since they weren't used much. To help improve this, the OT does activities to incorporate being on the hands and knees such as rolling over logs, crawling through tunnels or climbing up ladders. This can help strenghten the muscles. Playing in a bucket of rice or playing with putty is also a good way to build the sensory feeling in the hands. Upper body strenghth is very important for children playing at the playground because they can climb things or do the monkey bars, so it's important that children be able to do these things on their own.