We all use different types of strategies in our daily lives to help us achieve certain tasks. For instance, agendas to keep us organized, sticky notes to write down reminders, or timers to keep us on track. These are called “Compensatory Strategies” and they are simple ways to use our strengths in order to compensate for our weaknesses.
If your child is experiencing persistent impairment in attention, memory, and/or other cognitive skills, our pediatric occupational therapists can work with your family to design compensatory strategies for your child. These compensatory strategies are environmental modifications that are implemented with the goal of helping your child achieve desired rehabilitation goals.
Your child may benefit from compensatory strategies if they are experiencing any of the following:
- Recovery from a brain injury (traumatic brain injury or acquired brain injury)
- Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Difficulty with visual spatial relations
- Difficulty with visual memory
- Dyslexia
- Difficulty with test taking
- Confusion with non-verbal cues (misreads body language, etc.)
- Frequent messiness or sloppiness
- Poorly developed study skills
- And more
These issues, and more, can challenge the quality of education for your child or adolescent. Our occupational therapists will work with your family and teachers to provide the most pro-active learning environment for your child. A pediatric occupational therapist will assess your child’s specific needs to create a set of classroom interventions designed to meet those needs. For instance, an occupational therapist might recommend to decrease the course load, or to provide additional time for completing assignments in order to optimize your child’s success. Alternatively, assistive devices can be applied to help your child compensate for organization, memory, and motor deficits. No matter what your child’s unique needs may be, we are here to help!
To learn more about occupational therapy for compensatory strategies, simply call Karp Rehabilitation at 604-420-7800!