How to Explain OT Eval to 4 Year Old

She is going to go see some nice people and play some games with them.

It is going to be fun and mommy will be there with you.

No need for big heavy explanations.

We're going to go to a different kind of doc. They're going to play with you. You'll get to do lots of fun things.

I just would say we're meeting with so and so, a kind lady/man who's going to do some games (ours did games for our evaluation) or crafts/activities.

Our OT Therapist was great and she explained it to my child why she was visiting. My kid was already more interested in the things she pulled out of her bag - it was fun for her.

She gets to go play with someone. Most evals for kids that age, that is what it looks like. Sure they are playing very specific things but to a kid, to an observer, it looks like play

I don't think you need to approach this as an explanation of what the appointment is for. She is 4 years old. Instead, you tell her that she is going to meet a nice lady who is going to do some fun things with her.

My son had OT when he was 4 years old. In the evaluation, there were all kinds of "fun" equipment that were there to assess his dexterity, fine motor skills, AND his sensory issues.

I also took him to a pediatric neurologist who diagnosed him with a weakness in his right hand in addition to his sensory problems.

I will tell you that my son's OT didn't really see what all he needed during the initial evaluation. She realized much more during his first real OT session. He was in speech therapy already and the speech therapist urged her to figure out his issues even though the evaluation didn't uncover very much. I think that she amended her evaluations after my son when she realized how off the mark her initial eval was with him. He had OT with her for 6 months, and it made a huge difference for him.

I also found a class that taught handwriting to children. It was run by an OT who chose this avenue to use her profession. She used the Handwriting Without Tears by Jan Olsen method. Her classes were fun, and there was "peer interaction" since everyone was doing the same thing. During her breaks, she had them work with OT balls and doing OT type of games that helped with sensory integration, which I think a lot of her kids had trouble with.

It was a win-win situation for him. It helped him learn his letters, which he had trouble with at the time, helped him learn to write his letters, AND worked on the problem of his hand weakness. We did this for 1 1/2 years. By the time he was in first grade, he could keep up with the rest of the class because I had gotten him this early intervention.

His handwriting was never beautiful, but he could do it without breaking pencils anymore and without wearing his hand out. That was a big problem for a while.

Make sure you ask the OT to assess along with the dexterity and weakness issue, larger motion issues that are still within the OT perview. It will really help her.

We have done so many of these evals with different specialists. (The really fun one was the EEG, with the electrodes glued to his head!)

Just keep cool, mom. "You are going to meet a nice person and play some games with them." (if 'why' comes up "they like to see how different kids play different games. Isn't that cool?" ) and have something nice to do afterward. My son was often tired/hungry after this, so going for a treat or fun, unstructured activity is a good follow-up.

(I must respectfully disagree with the assertion of going through the school system. School evals ONLY look for the areas/realms in which they do offer therapies/special ed options. They really weren't helpful-- so glad we went to a private provider; this provided us with much better information and more well-rounded info. SPED teacher was suggesting Kiddo was ASD, when, in fact, that had been ruled out already ; he has ADHD-inattentive and a handful of quirks. The SPED teacher was not trained in ADHD, nor, do I believe, was the school psychologist. I'm glad we went to a well-reputed diagnostic clinic which had clinicians trained in both of those areas.)

No explanation is the best.
Unless she has a history of being anxious with the doctor?
Just treat it like any other doctor or dental appointment, just a check up. If she asks why she's going to a new or different doctor just tell her this is a muscle doctor who checks kids muscles and coordination.
Then change the subject.
If you treat it like any other appointment she won't have any reason to worry, you set the tone.

Keep it simple. It's a special doctor (or a special person who is helping her doctor check her muscles). And it's not going to hurt - no shots. She's already been getting PT so I don't know why this is so different. Try to stay relaxed yourself and she will be okay.

You don't really have to explain it in detail. My son had evaluations when he was 6-7 and it was basically, "Let's see what you can do!" in a positive way. He had fun with the OT people.

Does she know she has difficulty doing some things. If so, tell her you are going to see someone who may be able to help her. If she doesn't know, and I can't think of a reason she shouldn't just tell her you're going.to see someone that will test her fine motor skills. Use words that she'll understand

Geez, there is nothing wrong with her. Her muscles are having difficulty. Whether or not she feels "less than" is if you tell her something is wrong with her. You say, your muscles seem weak and Dr. So an so wants you to see an occupational therapist

It's very important to be honest with children. It's very important parents believe their child is OK and use appropriate words to express that. At 4 it's likely that kids haven't noticed that she is different. Soon they will. She needs to know that she is a wonderful little girl with challenges. Was she not present when the doctor tested her muscles and talked about how they responded? She knows something is up. If you aren't open with her, her imagination and or insecurity will cause anxiety. She is more likely to think something is wrong with her because she doesn't know what is going on.

BTW: There is nothing wrong with her. She is not her body. Her body is having some difficulty. This is an important distinction to make.

You are over thinking this.
Your daughter is not interested in explanations.
I doubt very much she notices many (if any) differences between herself and her peers.
As far as she's concerned - this is a play date and she's going to have fun.

You're thinking like an adult, which is totally normal. Your daughter is thinking like a kid. There isn't really anything to explain. Just tell her you're going to meet someone who's going to ask her a few questions and play a few games with her. Chances are, that will be good enough. If she asks you why, just say you want her to show you guys all the cool stuff she can do.

My 7 year old has had many of these appointments, so the questions he asks have gotten a little more complex. Also, he has an older brother that doesn't have to go to any evals, and he has really begun to notice that. I've told him that some things are harder for him than they are for his brother, and the doctors want to see if there is anything we can do to make things a little easier. I won't ignore his questions, but I really do try to answer them simply. If the answer I give is too simplistic or his wants to know more, he'll ask another question. But I do believe it's important not to make too big a deal out of anything. For us, there are some things that our son struggles with, and these evaluations help a therapist determine whether or not there are things we can do to make some of these struggles a little easier.

My son is 4 and goes to clinic twice a year. He knows they are doctors. One is a physical therapist and she checks the range of movement to make sure there are no problems with his joints. At this age, they make it fun. Just tell her she has an appointment and that 's it. They don't really analyze at this age. For my son, it was "show me if you can...". And if he refused, then it was kind of.."I guess you can't do... or "ha, I can do it and you can't" kind of egging on. It usually works.

Why would you explain it? Just tell her she's going to the OT doc. Those appointments are usually a lot more kid friendly and fun than going to the regular doc, where she probably/usually gets shots.
Do you try to explain all her doctor and dentist appointments ahead of time? It seems like that would make a kid MORE nervous. Just treat it like a regular thing, which of course, it is.

I don't think a 4 year old will think anything. Just tell her this is another doctor that kids go to. You don't have to make her feel singled out.

I'm all for keeping it simple, as others have said below.

I don't know from your post if this is a private OT or one thought the school system. If it is private, please also schedule an appointment through the school system for a no-cost preschool screening and when you get one, share the OT report.

As a mom with a curious child, I understand why you feel an explanation is necessary.

I'd just say that she is going to a new doctor. They want to check how string you are. And you might have some exercises to do. It's no big deal. We'll go together.

I've had open dialogue with my daughter forever. We just talk a lot. I thin kit's fabulous.