Role of Occupational Therapist in Down Syndrome

Occupational therapist plays most important role as therapist in medical regime of down syndrome child.Therapist helps in the training and overall development of child.Therapist focuses on developing fine and gross motor skills,minor and major day to day chore activities.OT helps child to achieve  early milestones near to time.Social skills are groomed to the level he establishes in society,he is able to perform his day to day activities more independently.Down syndrome infants are hypo tonic due to which they have delayed neck stability,sitting,crawling or even walking.OT starts with playful exercises that increase tone as well ligament laxity among joints.They work over the movements of joints,hand and fist movements,neck,spine,knee and ankle joint.Hand, eye coordination and muscle toning and ligament strengthening is also taken care.As the child grows these exercises are converted into small playful acts.These acts are then converted in to day to day activities child is expected to do.Like how to feed,dress,undress,play,take care of there things.Slowly with parents and therapists support child is able to perform most self help things like bathing,brushing,going to school,playing,socializing. OT usually use blocks,stacks,knobs in various shapes,sizes and colors to start with as tools.Then pictures,images and symbolic products.Which are later converted in to real time objects treated as educational tools to the kids.