104 | Oh BABY! Occupational, Speech, and Physical Therapies – A Recipe for Success Parents are the experts on their own children. A parent will detect or suspect that something is amiss by spending time with their child and noting a delay or behavior that isn’t consistent with de- velopmental milestones. If you have a sense that something might be cause for concern in your child’s development, you should speak to your child’s pediatrician. And while no two children are alike, kids do develop along a predictable path. Once you’ve spoken to your pediatrician and your thoughts are confirmed, you’ll want to find a therapist that can handle oc- cupational, speech, and physical therapies. Studies show that a 3-pronged approach, utilizing all three disciplines can be impor- tant to your child’s success. With occupational therapy, a therapist works with your child to help them learn functional skills that are important to everyday life. With speech therapy, a therapist can work with your child to help them learn language and speech skills that are important for communication in their everyday life. And with physical therapy, a therapist will work with your child by guiding the achievement of successful movement skills while creating a fun experience. Occupational therapy helps promote the cognitive, visual, sensory, and motor skills to grasp and manipulate objects. Occupational therapy can help develop concepts such as size and shape dis- crimination (so that kids can fit smaller objects inside larger ones), hand-eye coordination to use a spoon, and sensory skills. Speech and language therapy helps promote receptive and expressive communication and the oral motor skills to speak and swallow. Speech therapy may include using speech, pictures, gestures, and electronic devises. Physical therapy helps promote stability during sitting or stand- ing and mobility to crawl and walk. Physical therapy also helps address kids’ needs for any adaptive devices such as walkers and wheelchairs. By combining the 3 disciplines, your therapist is focused on the ‘big picture’ of your child’s overall development. An early inter- vention with a therapist will enhance a child’s ability to interact with others and the environment; these everyday experiences and interactions are essential for optimal child development. Photo by Edith Saldana Photography