National Occupational Therapy Week

We all want our children to reach their full potential in life. This is however not always possible as developmental delays in children is a condition that will affect them throughout their lives.

A developmental delay is a condition of a child who is less developed mentally or physically than is normal for his/her age.

The first week of October (3-7 October 2016) is National Occupational Therapy Week.
Khayelitsha will be highlighting the importance of receiving professional therapy and how to help the children with a developmental delay, in getting much needed help.
Children who have a developmental delay usually have problems with growing and doing normal kids’ activities such as, learning, doing schoolwork, and playing.

An occupational therapist assists children with developmental delays to catch up developmentally with children within their own age group.  They also help people of all ages to perform their activities of daily living as independently as possible.

Some children with developmental delays are being referred for occupational therapy too late, which causes more problems in the child’s life as they grow older.

The following are things to look out for that might indicate a developmental delay in a child:
-           the child is not sitting or rolling when other children his age are
-           the child is not crawling when other children his age are
-           the child is not walking when other children his age are
-           the child is not using his hands like other children his age are
-           the child is not talking like other children his age are

If parents or guardians feel that their child might have a developmental delay, they can visit their facility on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Friday from 07h30 to 16h00. An appointment will be made with the occupational therapist for the professional screening clinic where they will determine who will be best to assist from a team of Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, Physiotherapists, Audiologists and/ or  Dieticians. The children must be between the ages of 0-6 years old. This special clinic has a mulita-disciplinary team working together to be able to help children to reach their potential.
Professional screening clinics will provide earlier intervention, which could benefit the child in the long run.

Facilities that provide Occupational Therapy in the Khayelitsha area are:
-           Michael Mapongwana CHC
-           Nolungile/Site C CDC
-           Site B CHC