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What is it REALLY like to be a pediatric occupational therapist? Would it be useful to major in behavioral sciences with a child life focus if I want to become a pediatric occupational therapist?
What is it REALLY like to be a pediatric occupational therapist? Would it be useful to major in behavioral sciences with a child life focus if I want to become a pediatric occupational therapist?
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Tamina Crook
pediatric occupational therapy assistant; student
22
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Tamina’s Answer
Being a pediatric occupational therapist is incredibly rewarding, but it's also a lot more than just playing with kids. Every activity has a purpose, whether you're helping a child develop fine motor skills, improve sensory regulation, build independence with daily activities, or gain confidence to participate at home, school, or in the community. It takes creativity, patience, flexibility, and a lot of problem-solving because every child is different, and what works for one may not work for another. As someone who has spent many years working in the schools as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant and is now finishing my Master's in Occupational Therapy, I can honestly say that watching a child accomplish something they once struggled with is one of the most rewarding parts of the job. As for your major, a Behavioral Sciences degree with a child life focus could absolutely be a good choice because it provides a strong understanding of child development, behavior, and family dynamics. Just be sure you also complete the prerequisite courses required by the OT programs you're interested in. Remember, there's no single "right" major for OT—the best major is one that interests you, prepares you for graduate school, and helps you build a strong foundation for the kind of therapist you want to become.
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Dr Lucas’s Answer
Hi Karina,
Being a pediatric occupational therapist is a rewarding mix of science and creativity, focusing on play to help kids learn essential life skills. Your interest in behavioral sciences with a child life focus is a perfect start for this career.
What a Pediatric OT Does:
Your main goal is to help children engage in activities like play, learning, self-care, and socializing. You'll work on challenges with fine motor skills, sensory processing, and thinking skills.
Daily Tasks: Your day will be busy and varied, from checking a toddler's development to leading a sensory-motor group at a school. You'll use play in sessions, like improving handwriting through games or helping a child with autism handle sensory issues.
Your Role: You act as a coach, detective, and cheerleader. Besides therapy, you'll work with parents, teachers, and other professionals to support the child's growth. This job requires patience, creativity, and empathy, as progress can be slow but rewarding.
Workplaces and Job Outlook: You can work in hospitals, schools, clinics, or early intervention programs. The field is growing, with good job prospects and the satisfaction of helping children gain confidence and independence.
How Your Major Helps:
Your major provides essential knowledge for this field:
- It covers child development, psychology, and learning theories, key for assessing and helping children.
- The behavioral sciences part helps with evidence-based strategies for managing behavior and building skills.
- A child life focus emphasizes therapeutic play and family-centered care, aligning with core OT values.
Graduate School Note: While your major is a great start, you'll need specific science courses like anatomy, physiology, and statistics for a master's or doctoral program in Occupational Therapy. Plan these courses with your major.
Steps Forward:
1. Finish your bachelor's degree.
2. Complete graduate school prerequisites.
3. Get a Master's (MOT) or Doctorate (OTD) in Occupational Therapy.
4. Pass the national board exam (NBCOT) to become a Registered Occupational Therapist (OTR).
5. Get state licensure and consider Board Certification in Pediatrics (BCP) later.
You're on a promising path. The empathy and focus from your major are key for a great pediatric OT. Next, research OT graduate programs to ensure your coursework meets their science requirements.
Being a pediatric occupational therapist is a rewarding mix of science and creativity, focusing on play to help kids learn essential life skills. Your interest in behavioral sciences with a child life focus is a perfect start for this career.
What a Pediatric OT Does:
Your main goal is to help children engage in activities like play, learning, self-care, and socializing. You'll work on challenges with fine motor skills, sensory processing, and thinking skills.
Daily Tasks: Your day will be busy and varied, from checking a toddler's development to leading a sensory-motor group at a school. You'll use play in sessions, like improving handwriting through games or helping a child with autism handle sensory issues.
Your Role: You act as a coach, detective, and cheerleader. Besides therapy, you'll work with parents, teachers, and other professionals to support the child's growth. This job requires patience, creativity, and empathy, as progress can be slow but rewarding.
Workplaces and Job Outlook: You can work in hospitals, schools, clinics, or early intervention programs. The field is growing, with good job prospects and the satisfaction of helping children gain confidence and independence.
How Your Major Helps:
Your major provides essential knowledge for this field:
- It covers child development, psychology, and learning theories, key for assessing and helping children.
- The behavioral sciences part helps with evidence-based strategies for managing behavior and building skills.
- A child life focus emphasizes therapeutic play and family-centered care, aligning with core OT values.
Graduate School Note: While your major is a great start, you'll need specific science courses like anatomy, physiology, and statistics for a master's or doctoral program in Occupational Therapy. Plan these courses with your major.
Steps Forward:
1. Finish your bachelor's degree.
2. Complete graduate school prerequisites.
3. Get a Master's (MOT) or Doctorate (OTD) in Occupational Therapy.
4. Pass the national board exam (NBCOT) to become a Registered Occupational Therapist (OTR).
5. Get state licensure and consider Board Certification in Pediatrics (BCP) later.
You're on a promising path. The empathy and focus from your major are key for a great pediatric OT. Next, research OT graduate programs to ensure your coursework meets their science requirements.
Updated
Jessica’s Answer
Being a pediatric occupational therapist is rewarding but also busy and unpredictable. A typical day might include helping a child improve handwriting, building sensory regulation skills through play, collaborating with teachers and parents, writing documentation, and constantly adapting activities to keep kids engaged and successful. You celebrate small wins, but you also manage behaviors, emotional needs, and paperwork, so flexibility and patience are essential.
Majoring in behavioral sciences with a child life focus can be a strong foundation because it builds knowledge of child development, behavior, family dynamics, and psychosocial support. OT graduate programs care most about prerequisite courses, observation hours, and overall academic performance, so you would still need to complete required sciences like anatomy and physiology. If you pair that major with relevant prerequisites and experience working with children, it can prepare you very well for pediatric occupational therapy.
Majoring in behavioral sciences with a child life focus can be a strong foundation because it builds knowledge of child development, behavior, family dynamics, and psychosocial support. OT graduate programs care most about prerequisite courses, observation hours, and overall academic performance, so you would still need to complete required sciences like anatomy and physiology. If you pair that major with relevant prerequisites and experience working with children, it can prepare you very well for pediatric occupational therapy.