Práticas e desafios para a terapia ocupacional no contexto da intervenção precoce

Objectives: to analyze the practices implemented by occupational therapists working in Early Childhood Intervention services for children between zero and five years old and to point out the challenges faced by these professionals during the structuring of their actions. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, and exploratory study, with a qualitative approach. Four occupational therapists associated with services participated in cities in the interior and coast of the state of Sao Paulo. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews and data analysis was carried out from the perspective of Content Analysis, in the thematic analysis modality. Results: The results of the study were classified into four thematic groups: Practices in the context of Early Childhood Intervention, The object of the intervention, Rationale for action and Challenges for Occupational Therapy in Early Childhood Intervention. Conclusion: it is concluded that developed practices have been structured under predominantly rehabilitative references and based on the needs of the children served, which impacts de identity of the actions. Thus, the main ones are related to the characteristics of the services, professional training, and the design of a model of practice.