Why Did My Child’s Speech Therapist Recommend Occupational Therapy?
It’s not uncommon for a speech therapist to also recommend that a child receive other therapies in conjunction with speech therapy, such as neuropsychology, physical therapy, counseling, social group therapy, and occupational therapy. Although your speech therapist is working on your child’s communication, they are also concerned with the “big picture” of your child’s overall development and how other aspects of development may impact speech and language. Occupational therapy is a commonly made referral.
What is speech-language therapy?
Speech-language therapy is a specialized field that addresses a very specific aspect of development: communication. This includes how we understand and use words to communicate. However, the human brain is a highly complex system, with many different sub-systems working together to help us function efficiently. For example, our speech and language system also depends on our attention system, our memory system, our visual system, and our auditory system (to name a few!). Weaknesses in one system are likely to impact other systems, much like a domino effect. Therefore, a “team approach” to therapy is often warranted to help children achieve their greatest potential. Read more
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