What is pediatric occupational therapy?

Pediatric occupational therapy (OT) helps children develop the skills they need to participate in the everyday activities or "occupations" of childhood. Depending on your child's needs, OT may support fine and visual-motor skills, sensory processing and regulation, motor planning and coordination, attention and participation, self-care, feeding, play, school participation, and daily routines.

Our goal is not simply to improve isolated skills during therapy. We want those skills to make a meaningful difference in your child's life at home, school, daycare, and in the community.

How do I know if my child may benefit from occupational therapy?

Children may benefit from OT when challenges with motor skills, sensory processing, regulation, attention, self-care, feeding, play, or other developmental skills are making everyday activities more difficult.

You may notice that your child struggles with activities such as handwriting, using scissors, dressing, toileting, eating, completing daily routines, participating in school, transitioning between activities, regulating their body or emotions, or learning new motor tasks.

An occupational therapy evaluation can help determine whether skilled OT services are appropriate.

What ages do you work with?

We work with children from infancy to 18 years of age. Please contact us if you are unsure whether your child's age or needs are appropriate for our practice.

Does my child need a diagnosis or a referral to receive occupational therapy?

No to both. You do not need a referral to book an evaluation with us, and your child does not need a diagnosis. Many of the children we see have no diagnosis at all. An occupational therapy evaluation assesses function, not diagnosis, and a child can benefit from OT without any label. If you plan to seek out-of-network reimbursement from your insurer, they may require a physician referral. It is worth asking them before the evaluation.

What happens during an occupational therapy evaluation?

Your child's evaluation is designed to develop a comprehensive understanding of their strengths, challenges, daily routines, and functional needs.

The evaluation may include a caregiver interview, clinical observations, standardized assessments when appropriate, play and movement activities, fine and visual-motor tasks, sensory processing information, and assessment of relevant daily living skills.

Just as importantly, we want to understand what matters to your family. Parent concerns and priorities are an important part of developing meaningful recommendations and goals.

What should I bring to my child's evaluation?

Please bring any information that may help us better understand your child. This may include previous evaluations, relevant medical or developmental information, school reports or IEP documents, and information from other providers.

You are also encouraged to come prepared to discuss your child's strengths, challenges, routines, interests, and the activities that are most important to your family.

What happens after the evaluation?

Following the evaluation, you will receive a written report. We will discuss the findings and recommendations with you. If OT is recommended, we will develop individualized goals and recommend an appropriate session length and frequency.

If OT is not indicated, or if another service would better address your child's needs, we will discuss those recommendations as well.

How are therapy goals developed?

Goals are based on evaluation findings, clinical observations, your family's priorities, and the ways your child's skills are affecting participation in everyday life.

We strive to develop functional, meaningful goals rather than working on skills simply because they are expected for a certain age. Goals will be reviewed as your child progresses and may be modified as needs and priorities change.

How often will my child need occupational therapy?

Following your child's evaluation, recommendations will be made regarding the frequency of therapy based on their individual needs, goals, and areas of participation.

We also understand that every family is different. Scheduling, finances, school commitments, travel, and other family needs may influence what therapy looks like. We will work with you to develop a plan that is both clinically appropriate and realistic for your family.

How long are therapy sessions?

Lakeside Occupational Therapy offers 30- and 60-minute treatment sessions. The recommended session length will depend on your child's needs, goals, age, ability to participate, and other individual factors.

Recommendations may change over time based on progress and your family’s needs.

How long will my child need OT?

Every child is different, so there is no predetermined amount of time that a child will remain in occupational therapy. The length of services depends on your child's needs, goals, progress, participation, and carryover into everyday routines.

We believe therapy should be purposeful and goal-directed rather than something a child automatically continues indefinitely. As your child progresses, therapy may continue at the same frequency, decrease in frequency, transition toward caregiver coaching and home programming, include a therapeutic break, or move toward discharge.

Successful OT is not measured by how long a child remains in therapy, but by the meaningful progress and participation they achieve along the way.

What does a typical therapy session look like?

There isn't one "typical" session because therapy is individualized to each child.

Sessions may incorporate movement, play, fine-motor activities, visual-motor tasks, sensory experiences, self-care activities, games, crafts, or practice with functional routines. Activities are intentionally selected or adapted to address your child's goals while supporting engagement and participation.

Therapy may look like play and we believe it should! There is clinical reasoning behind the activities and supports used during the session.

At Lakeside Occupational Therapy, our mission is to help children build the skills, confidence, and independence they need to participate meaningfully in everyday life. We provide individualized, strengths-based, and neurodiversity-affirming occupational therapy that respects each child for who they are while supporting the areas that make daily activities challenging.

We believe meaningful progress happens through connection, collaboration, and carryover beyond the therapy room. By partnering with parents and caregivers, we strive to give families practical tools and a deeper understanding of their child so they feel confident supporting continued growth at home, at school, and in the community.

Our goal is not to change who a child is—it is to help each child feel understood, supported, and capable while developing skills that make everyday life more successful.

Do you work with autistic children?

Yes. Lakeside Occupational Therapy welcomes autistic children and uses a strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming approach.

We recognize autism as a natural variation in the way a person experiences, processes, communicates, and interacts with the world. Our goal is not to make a child appear "less autistic." Instead, we focus on helping children feel safe, understood, capable, and supported while developing skills that improve participation and independence.

What does neurodiversity-affirming therapy mean?

Neurodiversity-affirming therapy recognizes and respects differences in how children communicate, learn, regulate, play, move, and experience sensory information.

We respect each child's communication style, sensory needs, interests, preferences, and autonomy. Rather than focusing on compliance or eliminating a behavior simply because it looks different, we seek to understand what the child may be communicating and what support they may need.

Therapy focuses on meaningful participation, self-advocacy, regulation, independence, and quality of life, not making children appear more "typical."

What if my child doesn't want to participate in an activity?

We don't expect children to demonstrate perfect participation or compliance. Difficulty participating gives us valuable information.

When a child avoids or refuses an activity, we consider why. The task may be too difficult, overwhelming, unfamiliar, uninteresting, or placing demands on skills the child has not yet developed.

We may modify the activity, offer choices, adjust the environment, provide additional support, or approach the skill in another way. At the same time, therapy sometimes involves practicing activities that are challenging. Our goal is to help children develop strategies for approaching challenges without disregarding their communication, autonomy, or need for support.

Will I be involved in my child's therapy?

Yes. We believe parents and caregivers are essential members of their child's therapy team.

Caregiver involvement may look different depending on your child's needs. You may participate in sessions, observe portions of treatment, receive education and coaching, discuss challenges occurring at home, or practice strategies with your child.

We strive to make sure families understand not only what we are working on, but also why we are working on it and how those skills can be supported outside of therapy.

Why is caregiver participation important?

Your child spends a small amount of their week in OT compared with the time they spend with their family, at school, and participating in everyday routines.

Meaningful change happens when strategies and skills can carry over beyond the therapy room. Parents and caregivers also know their child in ways that a therapist cannot, making your perspective an important part of the treatment process.

We value families who view therapy as a collaborative partnership and are willing to communicate, participate, ask questions, and support their child's progress between visits.

Will we have activities to work on at home?

When appropriate, yes. However, our goal isn't to give families another overwhelming list of homework.

We strive to provide practical strategies and activities that can be incorporated into your existing routines. Sometimes this may be a specific activity to practice, while other times it may involve changing how an everyday routine is approached.

We will work with you to identify recommendations that are realistic for your family and support carryover of your child's skills.

Do you provide sensory-based therapy?

Sensory processing is considered as part of the whole child when it is relevant to participation in daily activities.

Therapy may incorporate sensory and movement experiences when clinically appropriate, but sensory activities are not provided simply for the sake of providing sensory input. We consider how a child's individual sensory preferences and needs affect regulation, participation, play, self-care, learning, and daily routines.

Caregiver education is also important so that helpful strategies can be incorporated into the child's natural environments.

Can you help with handwriting and fine-motor skills?

Yes. OT can address underlying skills that contribute to handwriting and other fine-motor activities, including hand strength and coordination, grasp, bilateral coordination, visual-motor integration, motor planning, and postural stability.

Intervention is individualized based on what is contributing to the child's difficulty rather than using the same handwriting approach for every child.

Can OT help with dressing, toileting, feeding, and other self-care skills?

Yes. Activities of daily living are an important part of OT

Depending on your child's individual needs, OT may address dressing, fasteners, grooming, toothbrushing, toileting routines, utensil use, feeding participation, and other daily living skills.

We consider the motor, sensory, environmental, behavioral, developmental, and routine-based factors that may be affecting participation.

Do you collaborate with other professionals?

Absolutely. With appropriate caregiver permission, collaboration may include teachers, speech-language pathologists, physical therapists, behavioral providers, psychologists, physicians, daycare providers, and other professionals involved in your child's care.

Children benefit when the important adults on their team can communicate and work toward complementary goals.

Do you provide services at schools or daycares?

Services outside of the clinic may be available depending on location, scheduling, your child's needs, and therapist availability. Please contact us to discuss whether school- or daycare-based services may be an option for your family.

Do you accept insurance?

Lakeside Occupational Therapy is a private-pay practice and does not bill traditional health insurance directly.

This allows treatment recommendations to be based on your child's individual needs and goals rather than insurance authorization or visit limitations.

Please contact us if you need documentation regarding services or payment.

What are your prices?

Lakeside Occupational Therapy is a private-pay pediatric occupational therapy practice. We believe in being transparent about the cost of services so families can make informed decisions about their child's care.

Comprehensive Occupational Therapy Evaluation — $250

Includes caregiver interview, assessment of relevant areas of function, standardized testing when appropriate, clinical observations, interpretation of findings, recommendations, and development of an individualized plan of care when occupational therapy is recommended.

30-Minute Occupational Therapy Session — $60

60-Minute Occupational Therapy Session — $120

Following your child's evaluation, we will recommend the session length and frequency that we believe will best support their individual needs and goals. We also recognize that every family's circumstances are different and will work with you to develop a therapy plan that is both clinically appropriate and realistic for your family.

Do you accept the Step Up For Students Unique Abilities Scholarship?

Yes! Lakeside Occupational Therapy may provide eligible occupational therapy services for families utilizing the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA).

Because scholarship requirements and reimbursement policies may change, families are encouraged to discuss current requirements and documentation with us before beginning services.

What is your cancellation policy?

Your appointment time is reserved specifically for your child. We ask families to provide at least 24 hours' notice when an appointment needs to be canceled or rescheduled.

Appointments canceled with less than 24 hours' notice may be charged the full session fee in accordance with our cancellation policy.

We understand that unexpected situations and illnesses occur and encourage families to communicate with us as soon as possible.

What happens if we are late?

We understand that occasionally families run late. However, appointments are scheduled back-to-back and generally cannot be extended beyond the scheduled end time.

Arriving late may therefore result in a shorter therapy session. Please contact us if you know you are running behind.

What if my child is sick?

Please contact us if your child is ill so we can determine whether the appointment should be rescheduled. Children who are contagious, have a fever, are vomiting, or are otherwise too unwell to meaningfully participate in therapy should remain home.

Can siblings attend therapy appointments?

Yes! Siblings are welcome to attend therapy sessions. We understand that childcare is not always available and want therapy to be accessible and realistic for families.

We simply ask that siblings are able to remain safely in the therapy space without significantly interfering with your child's ability to participate or with caregiver education and coaching. If a sibling becomes a consistent distraction or makes it difficult for your child to benefit from therapy, we will work together to develop a different plan for future sessions.

Our goal is to create an environment that works for your family while making sure your child is able to receive the full benefit of their occupational therapy session.

How will I know whether my child is making progress?

Progress is monitored throughout therapy through clinical observation, goal performance, caregiver feedback, and changes in your child's participation in everyday activities.

Progress isn't always a straight line. Skills may develop gradually, and children may demonstrate different abilities across environments or during different stages of development.

We will communicate with you about your child's progress and adjust treatment as needed.

Will my child be reassessed?

Yes. Your child's needs and progress will be reviewed throughout treatment. Formal reassessment may also be recommended when appropriate.

Reassessment helps determine whether goals should be continued, modified, or discontinued and whether the current frequency of skilled OT remains appropriate.

When is a child ready to graduate from occupational therapy?

Discharge may be appropriate when your child has met their goals, has made sufficient progress to continue developing skills through everyday experiences and caregiver support, no longer requires skilled OT, or therapy is no longer resulting in meaningful benefit.

As progress occurs, we may also recommend decreasing treatment frequency, transitioning toward caregiver consultation and home programming, or taking a therapeutic break before completely discontinuing services.

Graduating from OT is something to celebrate! Our goal is to help children become more successful in their everyday lives—not to keep them in therapy indefinitely.

Can my child return to OT after being discharged?

Absolutely. Discharge does not mean your child can never receive OT again.

Children grow, environments change, and new expectations arise. A child who no longer needs skilled OT today may develop a new functional concern in the future. If that happens, a new evaluation can help determine whether another period of OT would be beneficial.

What if occupational therapy is no longer the right service for my child?

Part of providing ethical care is recognizing when a child needs something different.

If your child is no longer benefiting from skilled OT, another professional would be better suited to address the primary concern, or a different level of support is needed, we will discuss this with you.

When appropriate, we may recommend another provider, additional evaluation, caregiver consultation, a therapeutic break, or discharge.

How do I schedule an evaluation?

Contact Lakeside Occupational Therapy to discuss your concerns and determine whether an occupational therapy evaluation may be appropriate for your child.

We want families to feel comfortable asking questions before beginning services. Finding the right therapist—and the right therapeutic approach—is important.

Is Lakeside Occupational Therapy the right fit for our family?

We believe the strongest outcomes occur when therapists and families work together.

Lakeside Occupational Therapy may be a great fit for your family if you are looking for individualized, strengths-based care; value collaboration and caregiver education; are willing to participate in your child's therapy process; and want practical strategies that carry over into everyday life.

We don't expect families to be perfect or complete therapy "homework" every day. We do ask families to be active members of their child's team, communicate openly with us, and work alongside us toward meaningful goals.

We believe therapy works best when the child, family, and therapist are all part of the same team.