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The best time to seek an occupational therapy evaluation is as soon as any concerning delays or difficulties are noticed. Early intervention is key for helping a child develop the skills they need. Parents should discuss expected developmental milestones and any concerns with their pediatrician. Here are some reasons to consider seeking occupational therapy for an evaluation, treatment or consultation.  

• If your child seems significantly behind in reaching important developmental milestones like crawling, walking, feeding themselves, dressing, etc.
• Difficulty with fine motor skills holding or manipulating small objects such as using utensils, crayons, scissors, stringing beads, or placing puzzle pieces.
• Your child seems weak or frequently loses his/her balance, is often leaning on others, and generally seems to have poor physical endurance.
• Your child has constant difficulty with feeding, dressing or other daily needs. Their frustration may show up as being very fussy or upset during clothing or diaper changes or very picky about what they eat. 
• Sensory processing issues: if your child is less responsive or over      responsive to certain sensations, they may have difficulty taking in and noticing certain sensations, organizing and/or modulating their actions.  Some behaviors seen may be not liking hugs,  haircuts, their face wiped, or wet or messy items, suddenly running from loud or sudden noises or covering their ears, being fearful on playground equipment or having no sense of danger, in constant motion or unusual reluctance to engage in active play, or handling objects with greater force than needed for the task. 
• Visual spatial challenges, such as always bumping into things, tripping or walking over objects that  are easy to navigate, and drawing or writing is not as expected.
• When your child’s attention span seems less than or overly focused than peers  and he/she jumps from one activity to another or maybe the opposite and is  overfocused on one activity and has difficulty changing activities.
• Behaviors or  social interactions seem markedly different than peers such as frequent or intense outbursts, is very clingy, seems unaware of others, has difficulty transitioning from one activity to another, seems more stubborn and uncooperative, or interacts or participates less or in unusual ways in group activities than same aged children. 
• Coordination and motor planning issues when your toddler,  preschooler or school age child seems clumsy, has difficulty planning and sequencing physical movements, wanders or plays with toys the same way over and over without varying the play routine. 

It’s more than just a place with colorful toys and soft mats. It’s a carefully designed environment with specialized equipment where every aspect serves a purpose. The sensory gym equipment and activities engage a child’s five senses (sight, sound, touch, taste and smell), vestibular (balance) and proprioceptive (muscle and joint) senses. These sensory experiences play a crucial role in helping children develop strength, coordination, body awareness, visual spatial and motor planning skills, feel secure in their environment, regulate emotions, and build essential motor skills. 

Keen observation of small changes overtime. It’s easier to measure physical accomplishments such as holding the crayon properly, putting on shoes or riding a bicycle. Measuring behavioral changes comes with noticing that the unwanted behavior is less intense and/or less often and the desired behavior more frequent. My work includes providing on- going suggestions for home/school. The brain/body does what it does most, thus home and school are places to practice and help the child gain desired skills. 

I do not participate with or accept payment from any insurance. All fees are expected at the time of service. I provide a monthly statement for your use to submit to your insurance company.  

As per the NY State Education Department, occupational therapists can perform occupational therapy evaluations without a referral or prescription. 

To implement a treatment plan, under certain conditions a referral or prescription from a licensed health care provider acting within his or her scope of practice is needed. 

Susan M Schwartz, OT currently is approved to provide OT evaluations and therapy through agencies who directly contract with the DOH and school district.  If choosing evaluations or therapy through a private agency contracted with public programs of the Westchester DOH or NY State school district’s CPSE or CSE that means there are no out of pocket costs to the family.  

For further information, please see answers to FAQ: What is the Westchester Department of Health's Early Intervention program (EIP) and What are the school districts’ Committee for Preschool Special Education (CPSE) and Committee for Special Education (CSE) programs? 

This is a public program for children aged from birth up to 3 years old. A public program means there are no out of pocket costs to the family. Evaluations are conducted to determine a child's needs and delays and if your child meets the eligibility criteria, he/she may receive therapy services. Certain conditions such as autism, are automatically eligible for services. To refer your child to the EIP, call Westchester County Department of Health Early Intervention Program (914) 813-5094.

This is a public program for children 29 months through 21 years old, provided by the New York public school district in which the child resides. A public program means there is no out of pocket costs to the family. Your child can be evaluated through the CPSE  and CSE programs to determine strengths and needs and if your child meets eligibility criteria through the CPSE  or CSE he/she may receive therapy services. To refer your child to the CPSE or CSE, the parent or guardian calls the school district to register their child, providing proof of address and other documents and contacts the CPSE  or CSE office to request an evaluation. For more information, go to the New York State Education Department website, www.//nysed.gov, and go to “Special Education” section.