Occupational Therapy FAQs

The Family Advisory Council at Children’s Specialized Hospital is dedicated to collaborating with Hospital leadership and staff — empowering families to provide valuable input toward improving organizational policies and practices. The Council has created the information below to assist in preparing for your visit.

Occupational Therapy: Questions Often Asked by Our Families

What is an OT evaluation all about?

Q: Why is my child seeing an Occupational Therapist?
A: Your pediatrician or another health care professional may have referred you to a pediatric occupational therapist to evaluate your child’s ability to perform activities of daily living (brushing hair and teeth, getting dressed, eating, etc.), play (interacting with other children and toys) and fine motor skills (coloring, cutting and handwriting). The occupational therapist will work closely with you and your family to understand your concerns for your child, develop goals and a treatment plan to achieve those goals.

What can I expect during my visit?

Q: What will happen during the evaluation?
A: The occupational therapist will obtain information regarding your child’s medical history and
developmental milestones (rolling, sitting, walking, etc.) and use a computer to add this information to your medical record to generate a report. You might be asked answer questions on how your child responds to sensory information. The therapist will evaluate your child’s motor skills including, mobility in your child’s joints, posture, muscle strength, gross and fine motor skills. The therapists will also review the relationship between your child’s skill level, limitations if any, and functional abilities. The therapists will generate the eval through the use of standardized assessments, clinical observations, clinical questionnaires and your observations and reports.

Q: How long will the evaluation take?
A: The evaluation may take up to two hours.

Q: Will there be time to discuss the findings? If therapy is recommended how long will my child need services?
A: The occupational therapist will discuss the preliminary evaluation findings with you at the end of the evaluation and will discuss areas for improvement, a plan of care, duration, frequency and suggestions for occupational therapy treatment.

Q: What is my role during the evaluation?
A: The therapist will ask you questions regarding your child’s medical history, development and areas of concern. The therapist will let you know if they need any help during the eval. You may be asked to fill out some standardized parent questionnaires regarding your child during the evaluation.

Q: When will I get a report?
A: You should receive a written report within 3 weeks.

What can I do to best prepare for my visit?

Q: What do I need to bring?
A: Please bring:

• A current photo ID (license)
• Insurance card
• Referral if needed
• Prescription
• School reports
• Prior evaluations
• Name/addresses of individuals you might want the report sent to
• Current list of medications
• Bring any equipment that your child regularly uses such as eyeglasses, braces and splints, etc.
• Many parents also find it helpful to bring a list of questions to ask the therapist

Q: What should my child wear?
A: Please have your child wear loose comfortable clothing and a pair of socks.

Q: Can I bring my other children?
A: If possible, it is recommended that siblings stay home so that the parent can give their undivided attention during the evaluation. Understanding that childcare is sometimes difficult, when bringing siblings, it may be helpful to bring another adult and activities to occupy the siblings during the evaluation.

Will insurance pay for my visits?

Q: What if therapy is recommended, will my insurance pay for it?
A: Medical coverage will vary, but many health insurance plans cover our services. Please contact your insurance company to verify if your plan offers a benefit for occupational therapy services. If therapy is recommended, our Patient Access Service will obtain authorization for treatment. Once the treatment is approved, you will receive a phone call from our scheduling department to schedule an appointment for treatment. There may typically be a waitlist for therapy times which need to be scheduled in the late afternoon, after school times.