What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy is a health profession concerned with improving a person’s performance in their daily roles, or ‘occupations’, through the use of purposeful and meaningful activities. Occupational therapists that specialize in pediatrics are trained to create opportunities for children to master developmental tasks and achieve independence in their home, school, and community.
Is occupational therapy similar to physical therapy?
Occupational and Physical therapists are health care professionals that treat children with developmental disabilities and adults/children with injury or diseases. While often times, the goals and objectives of the physical and occupational therapists will overlap, their primary functions are slightly different.
The PT assessment may include joint motion, muscle strength and endurance, work hardening skills, function of heart and lungs, and/or performance of activities required in daily living. Physical therapy is focused more on treating a person’s injury or disability.
The OT assessment will assess daily living skills, upper extremity strength/range of motion, developmental delays, cognitive functioning, visual perception, sensory integration and/or adaptive behavior. Occupational therapy helps a person optimize their independence and ability to accomplish their daily activities following an injury or in situations of physical impairment.
Do I need a
referral from the doctor for my child to received occupational therapy?
While you do not need a referral to receive an occupational therapy evaluation and treatment, a physician’s referral may be required for insurance coverage. You are responsible to determining whether or not your insurance company requires a referral.
What is involved in an occupational therapy
evaluation?
A comprehensive occupational therapy evaluation will be completed after parental consent. The specifics of the evaluation will vary depending on the individualized needs of the child or the presenting problems. All evaluations will include a developmental history via parent report, standardized testing (as appropriate), and clinical observation. The evaluation takes one to three hours to complete, depending on the age and severity of the child’s issues. All information collected is kept strictly confidential. A detailed report is provided to the parents and a follow-up phone consultation will be made available. As appropriate, a therapy plan, including goals and objectives, will be formulated and discussed.
Does Just Kids OT accept insurance?
No, Just
Kids OT does not accept insurance.
We are considered an out-of-network provider and you will need to
contact your insurance company to determine whether or not you have coverage
for services.
Just Kids OT can provide you will the proper billing codes to help you determine eligibility with your insurance provider. You will be provided an invoice for each visit to submit to your insurance for reimbursement.
How does Just Kids OT accept payment for services?