At a glance
- Our institution's team includes an occupational therapist; following evaluations, a holistic approach is adopted together with our different specialists when needed.
- Our process begins with a comprehensive expert consultation, where we listen to the family and take a detailed developmental history of the child.
- After the evaluation, our team prepares a personalized program that will directly impact the child's daily life, rather than just a single developmental area.
- Occupational therapy does not provide a medical diagnosis or promise a definitive outcome; its goal is to support the child's adaptation to their environment, independence, and ability to cope with difficulties.
- In play-based sessions, attention, fine-gross motor skills, and sensory differences are worked on in a safe environment.
- At our center located in Bornova, Izmir, we follow a path that respects the child's own pace, supported by home programs and parent counseling.
Prepared by: Deniz Yıldızı Special Education content team · Scientific review: Psychologist (MSc) Burcu Cebeci Gürel · Last updated: 15 September 2026
What is occupational therapy, and why might my child need it?
Occupational therapy is a health and education field that supports a child in fulfilling their roles in daily life independently, safely, and happily. For a child, the most fundamental roles in life are playing, learning new information, taking care of themselves, and socializing with peers. However, some children may struggle in these seemingly natural areas much more than expected for their age.
For example, holding a pencil correctly, tying shoelaces, playing with toys according to their purpose, or staying calm in a noisy, crowded environment may require great effort for them. These difficulties can lead to the child becoming irritable, experiencing a drop in self-confidence, or completely avoiding certain activities.
An occupational therapist tries to understand the underlying reasons behind these visible difficulties. Our goal is never to forcefully change the child or fit them into molds. On the contrary, it is to facilitate their adaptation to their environment, maximize their skills within their own potential, and make life more manageable for them.
What does sensory integration mean, and how can sensory sensitivity be recognized?
Sensory integration is the process by which our brain perceives, processes, and forms an appropriate, meaningful response to countless sensory inputs (touch, sight, hearing, taste, smell, movement, and balance) from our environment and our own body. We adults often go through this complex process without even noticing. For instance, we know we won't fall while sitting in a chair, we forget the touch of our clothes on our skin, or we can tune out the sound of a clock in the background.
However, for a child experiencing differences in the sensory integration process, the world can be a very complicated, overly loud, or highly uncertain place. Children with sensory sensitivity may be severely bothered by clothing tags, struggle to get their hair or nails cut, or cover their ears in crowded environments. Conversely, they may also feel the need to constantly move, jump, climb, or bump into objects or people.
The most important point to know is that these behaviors are not a conscious choice or spoiling by the child; they are a natural result of how their brain processes sensory information. Occupational therapy supports this process by providing the child with appropriate experiences that will help them better organize these sensory inputs.
What are the signs that you should consult an occupational therapist?
Some persistent behaviors your child exhibits in daily life may not just be a habit but a sign of a sensory or motor difficulty. If you frequently observe any of the following situations, an evaluation would be beneficial:
- Appearing more clumsy than peers, frequently falling or bumping into surrounding objects
- Falling behind peers in fine motor skills such as holding a pencil, using scissors, zipping, or buttoning
- Avoiding gross motor skills that require balance, such as jumping, running, riding a bike, or playing on park equipment
- Overreacting by crying to daily care activities like bathing, cutting nails, brushing teeth, or getting a haircut
- Constantly refusing foods with certain textures or only consuming a very limited variety of foods
- Being restless in noisy, crowded, or brightly lit environments, covering their ears or eyes with their hands
- Needing to be constantly in motion, unable to stay still, constantly spinning, or climbing to dangerously high places
- Getting exhausted very quickly when trying to focus on a specific game, story, or desk task
- Struggling to set up a game, use new toys according to their purpose, or interact with peers
Is my child doing it on purpose, or are they experiencing a sensory difficulty?
One of the most challenging issues parents face is distinguishing whether the resistance the child shows is a boundary or rule problem, or a genuine sensory need. A child not wanting to do something they can do, and a child wanting to do something but being sensorially unable to, may look similar from the outside, but they are very different in their inner world.
Situations indicating a sensory difficulty
- The reaction shown when faced with an uncomfortable situation (e.g., the sound of a vacuum cleaner) is sudden and very intense
- Even when offered their favorite or most desired reward, the child cannot perform the action or escapes the environment
- When the stimulus is removed (e.g., when the noise stops or the clothing is taken off), relief is seen in the child within seconds
- The child does not look like they are faking it while these situations are happening; they look genuinely anxious, scared, or panicked
- Maintaining consistent and very long-lasting identical reactions to specific environments or textures
Clues suggesting a behavioral crisis
- The unwanted behavior, crisis, or stubbornness is exhibited only towards a specific person (e.g., only the mother or only the father)
- When the desired object or situation is obtained, the crying or reaction stops instantly, like a knife cut
- The child repeatedly using similar situations to draw attention or escape a task they find difficult
- Carefully watching the consequences of the behavior and the environment's reaction, and adjusting the intensity of crying accordingly
What is the difference between occupational therapy and physiotherapy or special education?
Developmental areas can sometimes justifiably be confused by families. Each specialty looks at the child's development from a different perspective and often complements one another to reach the same goal.
| Field | Main Focus | An Example from Daily Life |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational Therapy | Independence in daily living skills, sensory integration, motor planning, and regulation. | The child being able to dress themselves independently or maintain their calmness (regulation) in a crowded environment. |
| Special Education | Cognitive development, academic skills, concept teaching, and learning processes. | The child matching colors, recognizing numbers, or understanding and applying social rules. |
| Physiotherapy | Muscle strength, joint range of motion, physical endurance, posture, and motor function. | The child being able to take steps safely with or without support, holding their torso upright. |
| Speech and Language | Receptive and expressive language, production of speech sounds, swallowing, and communication skills. | The child being able to express their desires with words or initiate and maintain a mutual conversation. |
Which skills are supported in occupational therapy sessions?
Occupational therapy addresses the child's development holistically, without fragmenting it. Based on the evaluation, one or more of the following areas are focused on according to your child's needs.
Fine Motor Skills
Correct use of hand, finger, and wrist muscles. Supporting delicate skills requiring hand-eye coordination such as holding a pencil, cutting paper with scissors, stringing beads, and using a spoon or fork.
Gross Motor and Planning
Balance, body awareness, catching a ball, playing hopscotch, jumping, and the ability to plan and move the body purposefully in response to a new situation.
Sensory Integration
The brain properly processing incoming sensory stimuli. Regulating conditions of over or under-sensitivity to touch, sound, or movement, ensuring the child perceives the world safely.
Daily Living Skills
Also known as self-care; the child becoming independent in life-sustaining tasks such as eating, dressing independently, achieving toilet habits, and washing hands.
Attention and Regulation
The child focusing on a specific game, increasing attention span, finishing the task they started, and developing the ability to stay calm (regulate) by managing emotional ups and downs.
Social and Play Skills
Setting up a game by using objects according to their purpose, interacting healthily with peers, waiting for their turn, accepting defeat, and flexibility to adapt to rules.
How does the process work at your institution, how is the evaluation done?
We follow a transparent roadmap based on cooperation with the family to understand your child's needs in the most accurate way and draw the most efficient and safe program for them.
Comprehensive Expert Consultation
In this initial meeting scheduled by our assistant when you contact us, we listen to your child's developmental history in detail and understand your concerns and expectations.
Detailed evaluation
If deemed necessary, the occupational therapist on our team meets with your child and conducts a detailed preliminary evaluation based on clinical observation and structured play.
Sharing with the family and setting goals
As a result of the evaluation, we transparently share your child's strengths and areas needing support with you, and together we set realistic and achievable goals.
Preparing the program as a team
The individualized program prepared specifically for each child at our institution is created with a holistic perspective through the collaborative work of our occupational therapist and, when necessary, our special education experts.
Starting education and home program
While the sessions begin with respect for the child's own pace, the family is also informed on how to support the process within daily routines at home.
Tracking progress and updating
At specific intervals, the extent to which educational goals have been met is re-evaluated by the team, and the education program is updated according to the child's developmental pace.
Why is teamwork important, do you work with other specialists?
Child development is never a one-dimensional, disconnected process. When a child's sensory needs are not met and their body is not regulated, it becomes difficult for them to focus their attention on learning and sit at a desk. Conversely, if a child struggles with fine motor skills while learning new concepts in special education, they strongly need occupational therapy support. That is why we always advocate a holistic approach at our center in Bornova, Izmir.
The occupational therapist, psychologist, speech and language therapist, and special education teachers working at our institution are in continuous and strong communication with each other. Depending on your child's situation, our different specialists come together to conduct a joint evaluation and determine goals collaboratively when needed.
In this way, a skill the child learns through motor planning in an occupational therapy session is safely carried over to a special education session and from there into home life. Our goal is not to have the child memorize independent skills, but to ensure they apply these skills to their entire life.
What do the commonly used terms in the field of occupational therapy mean?
- Sensory Integration
- The process by which the brain organizes all sensory information coming from the body and the external environment, turning it into a meaningful and appropriate response.
- Fine Motor Skills
- The use of small muscle groups in the hands, fingers, and wrists; for example, holding a pencil, using scissors, stringing beads on a thread.
- Gross Motor Skills
- The use of large muscle groups in the arms, legs, and torso; for example, walking, jumping, climbing, kicking a ball.
- Proprioception (Deep Sense)
- The vital sense coming to our brain from our muscles and joints, allowing us to know where our body is in space and how much force we apply to objects.
- Vestibular System (Sense of Balance)
- The system located in the inner ear that perceives head movement, gravity, and balance, adjusting the body accordingly.
- Regulation
- The child's ability to calm themselves and stay balanced when they are sensorially, emotionally, or physically overstimulated or distressed.
- Motor Planning (Praxis)
- The ability to conceptualize, sequence, and fluently execute a new or unfamiliar bodily movement by giving the correct command to the muscles.
- Tactile Sensitivity
- A condition where the brain overreacts or responds incorrectly to the sense of touch; for example, being extremely bothered by a clothing tag, mud, sticky things, or being touched.
Frequently asked questions
Will occupational therapy completely cure my child's problems?
Occupational therapy is not a medical treatment and does not promise a definitive cure or the complete elimination of everything. Our primary goal is to increase your child's coping skills with the developmental difficulties they face in daily life and to make them as independent as possible.
How many occupational therapists are on your institution's team?
There is one occupational therapist working in the expert team of our institution. This specialist works holistically in constant cooperation with the psychologists and special education teachers in our institution during evaluation and education processes.
Do we pay a fee for the initial evaluation meeting?
No, our detailed preliminary meeting, which is the first step at our institution, is completely free of charge. In this preliminary meeting, we listen carefully to your child's developmental history from you and plan together which steps should be taken.
Is occupational therapy support only necessary for children with autism?
No, occupational therapy is not a field aimed at a single diagnosis group. Children with attention deficit, learning disabilities, developmental delays, or children who have not received any diagnosis but struggle in daily living skills and sensory issues can also benefit from this support.
Who prepares my child's education program?
Your child's special education program is prepared collaboratively by our team. Depending on your child's needs, our occupational therapist, psychologist, and special education experts conduct a joint evaluation and map out the most efficient path.
Do you give the family a guide or a home program to do at home?
Yes, we prepare home programs that involve the family in the process so that the skills learned in the sessions become permanent and are carried over into life. We constantly guide you on how you can support your child within your daily routines without exhausting them.
Can I stand by my child as a parent during the evaluation or sessions?
This is planned together according to your child's age and adaptation status. We discuss how we will proceed with you in detail during the comprehensive expert consultation.
How are skills developed just by playing games?
Play is a child's most natural and lasting method of learning. Behind a game that looks simple from the outside during the sessions, there are actually very clear, scientific goals such as strengthening muscles, motor planning, extending attention span, and properly processing sensory inputs.
Is my child given any medical diagnosis at your institution?
No, our institution or our team does not make medical diagnoses. If we see a need for a medical condition as a result of our preliminary evaluation, we refer you to the relevant child and adolescent psychiatrist or child neurologist.
In which part of Izmir is the center located?
Our center is located in the Bornova district of Izmir, close to Forum Bornova. You can check our Contact page for directions.
How long will it take for my child's fine motor skills or attention to improve?
Every child's learning and developmental pace is completely unique to them, like a fingerprint. Regular session attendance, repetitions at home, and the individual characteristics of the child are the main factors that determine how fast the process will progress.
Why is it important for different specialists to work together and conduct a joint evaluation?
Child development is a whole, and a difficulty in one area always directly affects the other. When necessary, the different specialists in our institution conducting a joint evaluation allows us to look at your child's needs from different angles.
