Pediatric Occupational Therapy
Pediatric Occupational Therapy helps children with various types of developmental delays including coordination disorders, sensory integration disorder, autism, attention deficit disorder, dysgraphia, dyslexia, visual impairments and learning difficulties. Our goal is to assist the child, family, and school in maximizing the child’s developmental potential and day-to-day success. A child’s role in life is to play and interact with other children.
Our pediatric occupational therapists evaluate a child’s current skills related to play, school performance, and daily activities and compare them with what is developmentally appropriate for that age group. OTs help children perform daily activities they may find challenging by addressing sensory, social, behavioral, motor, and environmental issues. Pediatric occupational therapy helps children gain independence while also strengthening the development of fine motor skills, sensory motor skills, and visual motor skills that children need to function and socialize.
Learn More & Get Started
Our experts are eager to cater to your requirements and are available to address your inquiries through phone, email, or face-to-face meetings, should that be your preference. Rest assured, you will always be in the capable hands of one of our professionals.
When occupational therapy helps
- Covering ears, melting down in loud or busy places, or seeking constant movement
- Refusing most foods, or reacting strongly to textures, tags and clothing
- Difficulty with buttons, zippers, scissors, crayons or handwriting
- Trouble learning to dress, brush teeth, use the toilet or eat independently
- Clumsiness, poor balance or avoiding playground equipment
- Difficulty staying seated and focused for school tasks
- Trouble calming down after getting upset
What our occupational therapists work on
- Sensory processing — helping your child tolerate and organize what he sees, hears and feels
- Fine motor skills — grasp, hand strength, coordination, pre-writing and handwriting
- Self-care and daily living — dressing, grooming, toileting, mealtimes
- Feeding — expanding a limited diet at a pace your child can handle
- Visual-motor and visual-perceptual skills needed for school
- Self-regulation — strategies your child can use when he is overwhelmed
- Play skills and participation with other children
Occupational therapy and autism
Many autistic children experience the everyday world at a different volume: a fluorescent light hums, a shirt seam burns, a cafeteria is unbearable. Occupational therapy does not try to talk a child out of that — it builds tolerance, gives the body ways to regulate, and adapts the environment so your child can join in. Families often notice the results first at home: an easier bath, a longer meal, a morning that does not end in tears.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between occupational therapy and physical therapy?
Broadly, physical therapy focuses on large movements — walking, running, strength and balance. Occupational therapy focuses on the skills of daily life: hands, senses, self-care and participation. Many children benefit from both.
Is therapy just playing?
It looks like play, and that is deliberate — play is how children learn. Behind every activity there is a goal and a measurement.
What should we do at home?
The therapist will give you a short, realistic home program. It works best when it fits into routines you already have rather than adding a new hour to your day.
Do I need a doctor’s referral?
Often yes, depending on your plan. Call (813) 655-8159 and we will check for you.
Occupational therapy in Brandon, Lakeland and Winter Haven
Our occupational therapists see children at our clinics in Brandon, Lakeland and Winter Haven, serving Hillsborough and Polk counties.
Related therapies
- Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
- Speech & Language Therapy
- Pediatric Physical Therapy
- All therapies we offer
Get started
Call (813) 655-8159 or request a consultation. También disponible en español.
Coverage, hours and starting without a waitlist
We accept Simply Healthcare, TriCare, Humana, Sunshine Health, Sunshine Health CMS, Florida KidCare, Step Up For Students, Ambetter and Molina Healthcare for occupational therapy, plus private pay. Children’s Medical Services members move from Sunshine Health to Molina Healthcare on October 1, 2026; we accept both, so treatment continues without a gap. The full list is on our insurance we accept page, and we run the benefits check for you before you commit to anything.
All three clinics — Brandon, Lakeland and Winter Haven — are open Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and there is no waitlist. Call (813) 655-8159 during business hours and a real person will answer; we are a family working for families, and this October we complete five years of doing it.
Do I have to wait months to start occupational therapy?
No. Hopeful Therapies does not keep a waitlist. Once benefits are verified and the plan authorizes the assessment, we schedule you — typically within days.
Can my child receive more than one therapy at the same time?
Yes, and it is usually the better choice. ABA, speech-language, occupational and physical therapy are delivered by one coordinated team sharing a single treatment plan, which is the fastest path to reaching therapeutic goals.
