Childhood trauma — whether caused by medical events, neglect, abuse, accidents, loss, instability, or chronic stress – can impact nearly every area of a child’s development. Trauma doesn’t just affect emotions; it transforms how the brain processes information, how the body responds to stress, how the child engages with the world, and how they function day to day.
Many families are surprised to learn that Occupational Therapy (OT) plays a powerful and essential role in trauma recovery. While mental health therapy focuses on emotional healing, OT helps children rebuild the body-based, sensory, and functional foundations that trauma often disrupts.
At Crawl Walk Jump Run Therapy Clinic, our highly trained pediatric and neurological occupational therapists work with children who have experienced trauma to help them regain safety, confidence, regulation, and independence.
Here’s how OT supports healing in a truly holistic way.
Understanding Trauma Through the Lens of the Nervous System
Trauma isn’t just “something bad that happened.” It is a body and brain response to overwhelming stress. When a child experiences trauma, their nervous system may become:
● Hyper-aroused (fight-or-flight mode)
● Hypo-aroused (shutdown or freeze mode)
● Dysregulated (fluctuating between extremes)
● Over-sensitive or under-sensitive to sensory input
● Easily overwhelmed by daily routines
This neurological disruption impacts:
● Motor development
● Emotional regulation
● Executive function
● Attention
● Social engagement
● Sleep
● Feeding
● Play skills
Occupational therapy is uniquely positioned to address these areas because OT’s core mission is to help children participate fully in the “occupations” of childhood—play, learning, self-care, social interaction, and emotional regulation.
How Occupational Therapy Helps Children Recover From Trauma
1. Building a Foundation of Safety Through Sensory Regulation
Trauma profoundly affects how a child processes sensory input. Many children who have experienced trauma may be:
● Over-responsive to noise, touch, or movement
● Under-responsive and difficult to engage
● Startled easily
● Constantly seeking sensory input to feel grounded
● Avoidant, fearful, or rigid in their play
Occupational therapists help children heal by using trauma-informed sensory integration techniques, which may include:
● Deep pressure and proprioceptive activities to calm the nervous system ● Vestibular input (swinging, rocking) to support regulation
● Sensory-safe environments to reduce overwhelm
● Mind-body awareness activities
● Breathing and grounding strategies
● Weighted tools, fidgets, or sensory diets
When children feel physically safe, their brains can finally begin emotional healing.
2. Rebuilding Trust, Connection, and Co-Regulation
Trauma often disrupts a child’s ability to trust others and feel secure in relationships. OT helps by:
● Creating predictable routines
● Using play-based interactions
● Supporting attachment-style interventions
● Engaging caregivers in co-regulation strategies
● Teaching families how to read a child’s nervous system signals
Children learn that connection is safe, and their bodies begin to respond more calmly to everyday stressors.
3. Supporting Emotional Regulation and Executive Function
Trauma affects the prefrontal cortex—the area responsible for:
● Impulse control
● Planning and sequencing
● Emotional regulation
● Problem-solving
● Attention and engagement
OT provides developmentally appropriate activities that build these skills through:
● Structured play
● Sequencing tasks
● Visual supports
● Cognitive-motor training
● Games that challenge impulse control
● Routines that reinforce predictability
Children begin to develop the self-regulation and thinking skills necessary for school success, social participation, and independent living.
4. Addressing Motor Delays and Body Awareness Challenges
Trauma can disconnect children from their bodies. They may have:
● Poor coordination
● Low muscle tone
● Weak posture
● Difficulty with fine motor skills
● Challenges with handwriting
● Trouble with body awareness (proprioception)
● Clumsiness or poor safety awareness
OT helps by strengthening:
● Core stability
● Reflex integration
● Fine motor and handwriting skills
● Bilateral coordination
● Balance and movement confidence
● Motor planning and sequencing
● Body awareness and spatial understanding
Healing the body supports healing the brain—and vice versa.
5. Supporting Sensory-Based and Emotional Feeding Challenges
Children with trauma often struggle with eating due to:
● Hyper-sensitive gag responses
● Food avoidance
● Rigid eating patterns
● Anxiety around mealtime
● Medical trauma from feeding tubes or procedures
OT feeding therapists use a gentle, relationship-centered approach to rebuild trust around food, promote sensory tolerance, and develop safe oral-motor skills.
6. Helping Children Function in Daily Life (The Occupations of Childhood)
Occupational therapists support children in building confidence and independence in:
● Dressing
● Grooming
● Toileting
● Sleep routines
● Play and social interaction
● School participation
● Age-appropriate chores
Trauma often creates barriers in these areas due to fear, avoidance, or overwhelm. OT breaks tasks down, builds skills step-by-step, and helps children feel successful again.
7. Trauma-Informed, Hands-On Treatment That Works With the Brain—Not Against It
Crawl Walk Jump Run therapists use a trauma-sensitive approach that avoids:
✘ Forcing participation
✘ Overwhelming the child with demands
✘ Ignoring sensory or emotional cues
Behavior-based strategies that reward compliance over true regulation Instead, OT supports:
✔ Connection before correction
✔ Safety before skill-building
✔ Nervous system regulation before task expectations
✔ Relationship-centered intervention
✔ Play as the medium for healing
Children heal when they feel seen, safe, and understood.
Why Occupational Therapy at Crawl Walk Jump Run Makes a Difference
At CWJR, our therapists are trained in:
● Trauma-informed sensory integration
● Attachment-based therapy approaches
● Emotional regulation frameworks
● Reflex integration
● Craniosacral therapy
● DIR/Floortime principles
● Sensory processing interventions
● Neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT)
● Feeding and oral-motor therapy
● Whole-body movement and regulation techniques
This combination equips us to treat trauma at the neurological, sensory, motor, and functional levels—creating meaningful and lasting change.
A Holistic Path Toward Healing
Childhood trauma is complex, but recovery is absolutely possible.
Occupational therapy offers children:
● A safe place to rebuild trust
● A regulated nervous system
● Confidence in their abilities
● Functional skills for daily life
● A stronger mind-body connection
● More successful participation at home, school, and in the community
Most importantly, OT empowers children to reclaim the joy, confidence, and freedom of childhood. Call us now to schedule your child a free consultation with one of our highly trained occupational therapists today!
