Occupational Therapy

Inpatient Services 725 Welch Road, 3rd Floor Palo Alto, CA  94304   Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-5:00 pm    Appointments: (650) 497-8218 Fax (referrals): (650) 497-8491

Outpatient Services 321 Middlefield Rd. Menlo Park, CA 94025   Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-5:00 pm   Appointments: (650) 736-2000 Fax (referrals): (650) 736-3406

 

Learn more about our exciting hospital expansion by visiting growing.lpch.org Note that during this expansion, routes to 725 Welch have changed.

 
Occupational therapists at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital work with children and their families to promote active participation in activities or occupations that are meaningful to children. We work with children of all ages and abilities.
 

What Is a Child’s Occupation?

Occupation refers to activities that may support the health, well-being and development of an individual (AOTA, 2008). For children, occupations are activities that enable them to:

• Learn and develop life skills (e.g., school activities)
• Be creative and/or have fun (e.g., play)
• Thrive (e.g., care for themselves and others)

 

Occupational Therapy Services

When a child has a serious illness or injury, medically-based or rehabilitative occupational therapy services may be provided. Our developmentally appropriate services improve your child’s functional abilities and independence by emphasizing:

• Physical skills to increase movement, strength, and/or coordination
• Adaptive skills – Age-appropriate skills necessary to live independently and to function safely and appropriately in daily life
• Cognitive abilities
• Sensorimotor skills – How the child processes information received from the environment
• Visual motor and perceptual skills
• Social and interpersonal skills

Our occupational therapists will create a treatment plan that addresses your child’s unique needs by:

1. Collaborating with other health care professionals to identify your child’s needs
2. Identifying and changing or overcoming barriers that interfere with, restrict or inhibit your child’s functional performance
3. Teaching your child and family modeling skills and strategies to extend therapeutic intervention
4. Adapting activities, materials and environmental conditions so your child can participate in activities

We work with children who are staying in the hospital (inpatients) and with children who are not hospitalized (outpatients).
 

Patient Stories

Alexandre Acra After Alexandre Acra cut his forearm on a broken window, the Pediatric Emergency Department, Hand and Upper Limb, and Occupational Therapy teams all contributed to a successful surgery and recovery.

 

Pictures and Video

View a Packard Children’s Hospital occupational therapist’s tips and video on how to choose the right backpack and minimize the wear and tear on a child’s body.
 

Learn More

• Inpatient Services
• Outpatient Services
• Our Team