Best of the Flathead: Occupational therapist works to prepare children for the world

As the oldest of six, Rita Haskins always knew she loved children. But when it came time to start college, Haskins wasn’t sure which path to follow.

“I took an interest inventory test and the two categories that came up were occupational therapy, which I had no idea what that was, and proofreading, which sounded really boring,” Haskins said with a laugh.

After more research, Haskins knew that occupational therapy was the right field for her, and went on to earn her degree from the University of Madison in Wisconsin. While occupational therapists can work in various settings from hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and even business, Haskins has a private practice in Kalispell, All About Kids, where she specializes in helping children address deficits.

“I work on fine motor skills, sensory processing, and activities of daily living,” Haskins said. “So fine motor skills could be cutting with scissors or handwriting. Sensory processing is how people take in sights, sounds, movement, and touch from their environment. Some of us can't stand tags. Some of us like it to be dark. And activities of daily living include dressing yourself, feeding yourself, and taking care of yourself.”

For the second year in a row, Haskins has been voted Best Occupational Therapist in the Best of the Flathead. Her practice includes a team of physical therapists and speech therapists and focuses on helping kids with autism, ADHD, muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy.

“If a child has a really hard time sitting still for more than two minutes to focus on an activity, we would do some big motor movement like use the swing or jump on the trampoline,” said Haskins. “Then I would have them sit and wear a weighted lap pad or blanket because that firm pressure input is usually calming and organizing in the nervous system.”

If the child is also in speech and physical therapy, Haskins will implement aspects of those developing skills into her sessions. The plans are then carried out at home and at school or daycare.

“When I first moved here in 1994, nobody really knew what sensory was,” said Haskins. “Everybody knows what sensory is now. There is alternative seating everywhere and there's sensory rooms in the schools. Everybody’s dialed in and [teachers] have figured out that their whole class is better able to learn if their nervous systems are in sync. ”

Haskins said that the most important part of her work is helping struggling children and families and knowing that she helped someone at the end of the day. After 30 years in the field, Haskins has watched some of her clients move from diapers to adulthood.

One young boy was 3 years old when she met him and believed him to be on the autism spectrum.

“His mom didn't know anything about it and so I guided her through some agencies locally and he was eventually diagnosed with autism. He’s 18 now and he contacted me through his speech therapist at the high school and told me he wanted me to come to his high school graduation because I ‘helped him get his autism.’” Haskins said with a smile.

Haskins emphasized that her clinic focuses on functional skills that will ultimately prepare children for the world. When it comes to helping children develop these real life skills, Haskins said that early intervention is key to identifying challenges and seeing a difference.

“Every kid is different, and some move glacially slow, but in general, they all make some level of improvement,” said Haskins.

Finding the right approach to take can vary with each child, and can even change for the same child depending on the day, according to Haskins.

“We'll try things that we think might work and then if it's a total dud, then we'll try something else. So the sensory piece is really like a puzzle to figure out,” she said.

Reporter Summer Zalesky may be reached at szalesky@dailyinterlake.com.