Occupational Therapy Foundation: Regulation Comes Before Skill
One of the most important (and often misunderstood) principles in occupational therapy is this:
A child cannot learn effectively if they are not regulated.
Regulation refers to a child’s ability to:
manage sensory input
maintain an optimal level of alertness
feel safe and organized in their body
If a child is:
overwhelmed → they may shut down or meltdown
under-stimulated → they may seek constant movement
anxious → they may resist participation
In all these cases, teaching a skill directly will not be effective.
So the first layer of an OT session is often not visible as “learning”—it is preparing the nervous system to be ready for learning.
If you’d like to get in touch with Saamarthya Foundation, you can call us on - +919049860477
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Saamarthya Foundation
Family Resource Centre Pune
Row House 1, Next to Meghmalhar Bungalow, Pancard Club Road, Baner
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