Occupational Therapy That Supports Real Life Participation
For many families, occupational therapy is often associated with handwriting worksheets or sitting at a table practicing fine motor tasks. While those skills can have their place, our approach goes much deeper. We focus first on helping children participate meaningfully in their daily lives in ways that feel safe, empowering, and developmentally supportive.
Occupational Therapy Is About Everyday Life
Occupational therapy helps children develop the skills they need to engage in daily activities with greater independence and confidence.
For some children, this may look like:
Learning how to dress themselves
Neurodivergent play
Emotional regulation
Tolerating tooth brushing
Wiping after using the bathroom
Self-feeding
Navigating sensory experiences
Participating in family routines
Feeling safer and more regulated in their body
Building awareness of their sensory needs
Advocating for accommodations and support
Understanding behavior and meltdown triggers
At Rooted & Rising, we believe these foundational life skills matter deeply. A child feeling comfortable enough to brush their teeth, tolerate socks, communicate their needs, or participate in mealtime can have a profound impact on their quality of life and family relationships.
Supporting Sensory Processing & Sensory Awareness
Many children we work with experience differences in sensory processing. Some children may seek movement constantly, while others may feel overwhelmed by noise, clothing textures, hygiene tasks, or busy environments.
Our goal is not to “fix” sensory differences or force children to tolerate discomfort without support. Instead, we help children:
Understand their sensory preferences
Recognize how their body feels
Develop self-awareness
Build regulation strategies
Learn self-advocacy skills to meet their sensory needs
Feel empowered to communicate their sensory preferences
We want children to understand themselves — not mask themselves.
Neurodiversity-Affirming Support for Autism, ADHD & PDA
Our occupational therapy services are grounded in neurodiversity-affirming care. We support autistic children, ADHD, and children with pathological demand avoidance (PDA) through connection, collaboration, flexibility, and felt safety.
Children with PDA or significant nervous system activation often cannot access learning when they feel controlled, pressured, or misunderstood. Instead of compliance-based approaches, we focus on:
Building trust
Reducing nervous system overwhelm
Supporting autonomy
Creating collaborative interactions
Following the child’s interests and motivation
Understanding behavior through a sensory and nervous system lens
We recognize that regulation and connection come before participation and skill development.
Why Ms. Mikayla’s Approach Is Different
Our occupational therapist, Ms. Mikayla, is deeply passionate about helping children grow in their participation in everyday life.
She believes children deserve support that feels meaningful, respectful, and individualized. Rather than beginning therapy by placing heavy demands on handwriting or table work, Mikayla prioritizes foundational skills that help children function more comfortably and confidently in their daily routines.
Her therapy sessions may focus on:
Building felt-safety
Connecting with the child and their play
Achieving sensory regulation
Dressing skills
Hygiene routines
Toileting independence
Feeding participation
Body awareness
Emotional regulation
Play
Motor planning
Building confidence and autonomy
Most importantly, Mikayla strives to help children feel successful in their own bodies and environments. This is all done through play using your child’s current strengths and interests. She has developed a therapeutic approach to covertly integrate the skills they need into their play and ideas. Ms. Mikayla is attuned to each child’s sensory cues to identify when they are safe and regulated and ready to learn something new or when they need more regulation and support.
A Unique Understanding of Gestalt Language Processors
One of the things that sets Ms. Mikayla apart is her understanding of Gestalt Language Processing (GLP).
Mikayla is trained in Gestalt Language Processing and has co-treated alongside GLP-trained speech therapists for the past four years. This experience has given her a unique ability to connect with children in ways many occupational therapists may not fully understand.
She recognizes:
Gestalts and scripting as meaningful communication
The importance of play schemes and shared interests
How regulation impacts language and participation
The strengths and learning style of the GLP brain
Because of this, Mikayla can access connection through a child’s interests, scripts, movement patterns, humor, and play in ways that feel authentic and engaging to the child.
For many GLP children, this creates a level of trust, regulation, and participation that is difficult to achieve when providers are unfamiliar with this communication style.
Therapy Through Connection
At Rooted & Rising Therapies, we believe children learn best when they feel safe, connected, respected, and understood.
Occupational therapy is not about forcing children to fit into a mold. It is about helping children participate more fully in the activities that matter to them and their families while honoring who they are.
We are passionate about supporting children in ways that build confidence, autonomy, regulation, and authentic participation in everyday life.
If you are looking for occupational therapy that values connection, sensory understanding, neurodiversity-affirming care, and meaningful life skills, we would love to support your family. If you would like to learn more about OT, please complete the form below.