Occupational Therapy :: Nationwide Children's Hospital

Contact Info

To schedule an evaluation, please call (614) 722.2200.
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Occupational Therapy: Meet Our Leadership

Director of Clinical Therapies: James Marrie, PT

Inpatient Occupational, Physical, Recreation and Massage Therapy Program Manager: Teresa Hite Gueth, MS, OTR/L

Outpatient Occupational and Physical Therapy Program Manager: Michelle Byars, PT

Sports and Orthopedic Physical Therapy Program Manager: David Wessells, PT

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Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy is a skilled treatment that focuses on facilitating development, enhancing function and maximizing independence in all daily life activities. For children, the word "occupation" refers to play, self-care, school work and other activities that occupy a child's time. The focus of Occupational Therapy is to provide services to children with varying deficits or delays, which may include fine motor, sensory motor, self-care, cognitive and oral motor/feeding skills.

Learn more about our Occupational Therapy Clinics »

Programs

  • Constraint Induced Movement Therapy
  • Treadmill Training Program
  • Aquatic Therapy
  • Handwriting Programs

Services

One key to an effective Occupational Therapy program is a complete evaluation. We consider the child’s age and diagnosis when we decide which abilities to test. Skill areas may include:

  • Motor, mental, social and behavioral skills
  • Muscle tone, strength and reflexes
  • Hand Therapy
  • Feeding, swallowing or speaking skills
  • Thinking, feeling, hearing and learning disabilities
  • Self-care and independent living skills

Who Do We Serve?

We provide services to children of all ages, from newborn through the teen years. Some of the diagnoses and problems we help with are:

  • Delayed development of mental, motor and social skills
  • Nervous system problems
    • cerebral palsy
    • spina bifida
    • Guillian-Barre syndrome
    • brain and spinal cord injury
  • Babies born too early
  • Problems brought on by long-term conditions such as BPD (bronchopulmonary dysplasia)
  • Burns
  • Arthritis
  • Feeding problems
  • Problems with learning and coordination (handwriting, cutting with scissors, daily self-care)
  • Decreased strength, or limited movement in the shoulder, arm or hand
  • Conditions that involve the use of certain bones or muscles (including hand injuries)
  • Childhood cancer
Nationwide Children's Hospital
700 Children's Drive Columbus, Ohio 43205 614.722.2000