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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:

Assessment includes comprehensive interview with parents and/or education professionals working closely with the child, observation and individualised assessment. This enables the therapist to gain a broad insight to the individual child’s strengths and differences to evaluate what strategies can be further developed or implemented to support them. It may include:

  • parent/carer/teacher interview
  • caregiver questionnaires
  • standardised and non-standardised tests: observing how a child carries out set activities
  • play based-observations.

On completion of the assessment a report will be produced. Proposed outcomes will be written based on the child’s needs, and in consultation  with the parent/professional documenting the changes you want to see following Occupational Therapy intervention.

Therapy is carried out in collaboration with key people working around the child.  Therapy aims to empower them to implement strategies or interventions.  Approaches are dependent on the child’s individual needs; they include:

  • Supporting sensory differences and needs – Personalised supports to enable the child to advocate for their own sensory differences and needs
  • Supporting emotional well-being – Emotional regulation support plans to enable the child and supporting adults to recognise where a child might need adjustments and accommodation to be made in order for them to thrive.
  • Developing sensory motor performance – Strategies and/or programmes to support sensory motor development in line with the child and families individual preferences.
  • Supporting participation in everyday activities, including play, self-care and learning – Programmes of support to promote increased participation in line with the child and families individual preferences.

 

As well as providing direct support for an individual child, we offer consultancy into educational, health or other settings.  We are able to advise on principles, approaches and strategies that can enhance children’s engagement and development through Occupational Therapy, and that can equip practitioners in their own setting.

‘The Parent’s Portal is a new, interactive platform of resources, guidance and peer support.

Our team of creators include experienced specialist therapists, teachers and our parent support coordinator.  Our team have worked and listened to autistic children and their families for over 25 years. 

 The Portal has been designed to offer you:

  • clear, consistent information and guidance to help you support your child to navigate school, home and social life
  • trusted support from practitioners with extensive experience of working with autistic children and young people
  • practical tools, strategies and accommodations for home and in school
  • help to understand your child’s differences, their strengths and their needs
  • a peer network of parents to exchange ideas, feel listened to and affirmed
  • signposting to current UK-wide support, advice and guidance.

Contact Us

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