What is Adoption-Competent Therapy?

Many children adapt well to a new home environment upon adoption, but for some children, this transition can be accompanied by challenges.

• Sensory Processing Concerns: Research indicates that children who have been adopted can have a higher risk of sensory processing difficulties. This can include sensory sensitivity, sensory overload, poor body awareness, excessive movement or touch seeking, and/or clumsiness.
• Regulation of Emotions: Children who have been adopted can have difficulty regulating their emotions or behaviors, difficulty with sleep, and/or hypervigilance.

Occupational Therapy Adoption-Competent Services

• At Occupational Therapy Connections when we evaluate and treat a child we are sensitive to the early life experiences and pre-adoption situations that may influence current behavior.
• We have expertise and extensive experience providing adoption-competent care with an understanding of the adoption-related therapy needs unique to adopted children and their families (and children who have been in foster care) and sensory-based treatment to assist with these symptoms. 
• Occupational therapy provided by a trained and experienced therapist can help improve the processing of sensory information, skill development, overall function, sleep, and regulation of emotions and behavior.
• In addition to improving sensory processing, we work with families to develop adoption-sensitive strategies to support improved self-regulation.We work closely with families to develop a treatment program that fits with family needs and concerns and collaborate with other health care professionals who are involved in treatment.
• An occupational therapy evaluation can help determine if a child has sensory processing challenges or difficulty with self-regulation that may be contributing to functional difficulties.