PT versus OT

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The difference between PT and OT is a question I get asked frequently! While OT and PT have many similarities and often work closely together, we do have distinctions that make our therapy practice unique.

What OT and PT have in common: 

  • Pediatric OTs and PTs both help children gain greater independence in various skills and activities that are essential in their daily lives. Both work to improve motor skills and utilize creative solutions to help children grow and thrive.

What is specific to OT: 

  • Occupational therapy focuses on helping children participate successfully and independently in their daily life activities (occupations) such as playing, learning, eating, and dressing. Occupational therapists are experts in coming up with creative and adaptive solutions to help with such tasks. For example, occupational therapists may work on the fine motor skills necessary for handwriting or help come up with adaptive solutions to help someone with a spinal cord injury get dressed independently.

What is specific to PT: 

  • Physical therapy focuses more on helping children improve their physical abilities so that they can move around their environment safely. We work on gross motor skills, which are larger, whole body movements such as walking, running, and jumping. Physical therapy targets strengthening, stretching, endurance, and balance control through exercises to improve a child’s independence in daily activities. Physical therapists can also help children recover from injuries and return to sports.

How we can work together:

  • Pediatric OTs and PTs both work towards improving a child’s independence and participation in activities that matter to them. OTs and PTs working together can provide more well-rounded care as our goals often go hand in hand. For example, if a child wants to learn to dress themself, PT might work on their standing balance needed to put their foot through the pants, while OT might work on buttoning and zipping. 

I have learned so much from my OT friends, and many of my favorite treatment sessions involve some form of collaboration with them! To learn more about how PT and/or OT could benefit your child, contact us! While First Step Pediatric Therapy only has PT services, we have plenty of OT friends in the area to connect you with :)


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Differences between treating children and adults

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When to see a pediatric PT