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Pediatric Occupational Therapists are basically "professionally trained parents", people who spent a few years studying child develpoment. You can quibble with
by gohrt 11y ago
Pediatric Occupational Therapists are basically "professionally trained parents", people who spent a few years studying child develpoment. You can quibble with the price and the necessity, and in some regions the practitioners might not be qualified, but in general an hour or whatever per week with an Occupational Therapist is going to yield insights into a child's development, and training for parents to be better in their roles.
Modern developed countries have a "no child left behind" attitude. 30 years ago, a kid who couldn't keep up and fit in would be left to waste away in the corner (if they were nonviolent) or pent up in an asylum environment (if they acted out)
- buyx 11y agoI don't have a problem with occupational therapists. Indeed, I went for occupational therapy myself, in the 1980's when it was far less common. I had genuine problems that needed addressing (when I was 5 I couldn't do buttons or zips and I couldn't use my hands to save myself when I fell down). This was about 30 years ago, and I was helped, and definitely not left to waste away in a corner. South African occupational therapists are certainly skilled and qualified by world standards. The problem arises when "no child left behind" becomes "every child has a problem", especially when there is a clear financial motive for overdiagnosis. And, in my opinion, the idea that parents need "training to be better in their roles" from "professionally trained parents" is another step towards breeding neuroticism in parents.