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What is infant occupational therapy

Infant occupational therapy is often prescribed for infants that are born with some kind of physical disability or who are not developing as well as they should. Infant occupational therapy has many different aspects, each one of them designed to address specific problem areas.

For example, infant massage can increase infant awareness, promote relaxation, develop responsiveness, and assist both parents and the infant with bonding. Other types of infant occupational therapy include sensory stimulation and exercises for deformities or weaknesses.

Sensory stimulation for infants can include stimulation that is tactile, auditory, visual and vestibular (rocking) sensations. This type of infant occupational therapy is usually prescribed for infants that have suffered some type of brain injury. Often the sensory stimulants are done simultaneously, i.e. rocking while speaking to the infant, etc. Research has shown that infants who receive multiple stimulation learn how to respond to their environment more quickly than those who do not experience the same level of sensory stimulation.

Infant occupational therapy can also take the form of exercises for particularly affected body parts. These exercises range from simple manual movement of the affected body part to playing with complex toys. However, all the activities are are designed to restore movement and functionality to muscles and joints.

Premature infants are sometimes affected by developmental delays. Meaning that they develop a little more slowly than their full-term counterparts. For these types of infants infant occupational therapy can be especially worthwhile. If you are the parent of a premature infant and are concerned about his/her development, talk to your physician and see if infant occupational therapy might work for you.

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