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Occupational Therapy

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How we use Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy is used to explore the strengths and differences of each child we support. We use the practise to help understand the barriers that can impact a child’s participation. We provide guidance on accommodations and personalised supports that can provide practical solutions for both child and family.

Our goal is to work with each child’s parent/carer to support every child to thrive at home, at school and in their community.

Through Occupational Therapy we look at the child’s main activities for daily living:

  • Play – playing with friends, exploring and manipulating toys and objects, engaging in leisure activities.
  • Learning – participating in nursery or school-based activities.
  • Personal Care – eating, drinking, sleeping, toileting, going out.

 

“The difference having these therapies involved with my son has been huge! He is happier, communicating better, less frustrated and overall extremely happy. Helping us understand his needs more is making family life much calmer and happier for the whole family.” AES Parent

Occupational Therapy

We also look at the components that enable children to participate in everyday activities.  This includes:

  • Emotional Regulation – how our emotional well-being and energy levels impact and are impacted by our performance in everyday activities and what we can do to adjust our energy levels to match demand of activities and our environment
  • Sensory integration – how we process information from our bodies and the environment, that we receive through our senses, make sense of it and use it to attend and engage in everyday activities
  • Gross Motor Functions – balance, coordination, planning and executing motor actions needed to engage in play, learning and personal care
  • Fine Motor Functions – bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination, manipulation and dexterity that enables children to participate in everyday activities
  • Visual Skills – ocular motor skills how we use our eyes to function in child based activities
  • Cognitive – attention, initiating and planning activities, problem solving.

Who we can help

We support children (aged 2 to 12 years), their parents/carers, and also practitioners working with them in educational settings.

You may require our Occupational Therapy support if you have a child who:

  • Presents with sensory differences which is affecting their:

    • Emotional state
    • Attention and listening
    • Engagement in play and developing relationship
    • Participation in self-care activities such as toileting, eating and drinking, dressing

  • Experiences difficulties with nursery/school based activities:

    • Attention and listening
    • Play: relationships, physical skills, initiation and execution of play ideas
    • Mark-making, handwriting, using and manipulating tools
    • Games and PE
    • Planning and organising themselves and equipment

  • Has difficulties at home with:

    • Regulating Emotions
    • Dressing
    • Eating and Drinking
    • Sleep
    • Toileting
    • Planning and organising self and equipment
    • Problem solving

How we can help

Our OT support services will depend on the needs of each child and family and they will begin with a conversation to understand your needs.
Typically, we can offer tailored blocks of 1:1 Occupational Therapy support and/or independent assessments to outline the child’s strengths and needs. The assessments are often used for Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) applications.
See below for more details:

Are you requesting an EHCP needs assessment or in the process of writing an SEN support plan with your child’s school?

The lasting impact of an effective Education Health & Care Plan (EHCP) cannot be overstated: Once granted, if needed, it may provide support for your child until their 25th birthday.

Our practitioners have many years of experience of writing needs assessments and support plans, so we understand the process and we know the detail and information that you will need to evidence.  We are often praised by parents for our understanding and support through the EHCP process and we are praised by fellow practitioners too:

In response to reading an EHCP review written by our OT, a local educational psychologist said:

“This report is the best I have seen in the 14 years I have been doing this job.
I especially loved reading about the child’s strengths”.

This service provides a comprehensive assessment that is produced by our Speech & Language Therapist or an Occupational Therapist.  Our report will provide evidence that includes:

An in depth summary required on both an EHC and SEN plan detailing your child’s occupational therapy or speech and language therapy needs, and how these impact their:

  • Communication and interaction
  • Cognition and learning
  • Social emotional and mental health
  • Sensory and physical
  • Independence and community participation.

 How it works

  • End to end it will take approx. up to 2 to 4 weeks
  • We will undergo a case history review (if available);
  • Assessments will take place at your child’ school or in your home
  • We will make contact with other professionals supporting your child
  • The assessment is followed up by a call to talk through the report with you.

After the assessment you will have:

 An overview of your child’s profile; their strengths, differences and support needs in relation to OT or SLT

  • Suggested goals for your child and the therapy provision and education support they will need to help achieve these
  • As well as having a report you can use for the EHCP/SEN support plan you will also have a detailed summary of your child’s profile of needs that you you can share with others

A screening assessment of  your child exploring your child’s strengths and differences in a specific area e.g. sensory processing, personal care, methods of communication, approach to play, self-advoacy, interaction preferences, executive functioning or social communication.by a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist or a Specialist Paediatric Occupational Therapist.

A follow-up call with you after the session with on of our Specialist Speech and Language Therapist or Paediatric Occupational Therapist.

Are you looking to gain a better understanding of your child’s unique profile of needs and guidance on how best to support them? Then our Screening Assessment is for you.

We use screening questionnaires and/or in-person observations to explore your child’s strengths and differences in a specific area.

Working alongside our specialist practitioners, the session will help you to…

  • Explore a specific area of difference for your child and allow you to understand your child’s profile in more depth and accuracy.
  • Implement more targeted supports that are better tuned to your child’s individual strengths and needs.
  • Delve deeper to recognise your child’s abilities, strengths and interests and develop a plan that helps you use these to support your child.
  • Support others, such as extended family and teachers, to better understand your child and see how their support is needed to help your child to thrive.What’s included…
  • You’ll have focussed time with one of our specialist practitioners.
  • You’ll have a summary profile of your child’s needs and differences in a short, easy to read format that you can share with others
  • You’ll receive recommendations for ways your child can be supported at home and in school.
  • You’ll have a plan for how to put these recommendations and adjustments in place.

A 1 hour session with a specialist Speech and Language Therapist or a specialist Paediatric Occupational Therapist.

Have you reached a cross roads in your journey and you’re feeling overwhelmed how best to support your child now?

From all the advice you have been given, do you feel you now need clear guidance about the best option to take next?
If yes, our Action Plan Session is designed for you.

Working alongside our specialist practitioners, the session will help you to…

  1. Create an action plan that will give you and your family clarity on your next steps
  2. Refine, organise and validate your thoughts and priorities
  3. Choose the support that is right for you and where you are today
  4. Recognise what’s going well and what’s not, we’ll review your main concerns and barriers

Understand how further support and assessment will or will not help.

What’s included…

  • A full review of all of the detail you provide us about your journey so far
  • We’ll map out changes your child and your family want to see
  • Clarity on the options and next steps available to your family

We’ll provide a summary of our recommendations, by email, following the session.

Contact Us

To find out more about how we can help you and support your needs, please contact us.