Occupational Therapy
Paediatric Occupational Therapy helps children with different needs develop skills to perform the purposeful activities that make up everyday life. Occupational Therapy aims to help children be as independent as possible in their everyday lives. The Paediatric Occupational Therapist is trained to assess the component areas involved in the performance of daily activities: Sensory: The child’s ability to interpret and organize information from the senses about their body and environment. Motor: The child’s tone and strength, patterns of movement, posture, gross and fine motor function, and hand-eye coordination. Cognitive: The child’s arousal level and attention skills, initiation and planning of activity, problem-solving, and safety awareness. Psychosocial: The child’s self-esteem, motivation, and social interaction.
What does Occupational Therapy involve?
The occupational therapist will carry out screening and/or assessment. This may take place over one or two sessions and it often includes parent and child interviews, parent and teacher questionnaires, standardized and non-standardised assessments, and play-based clinical observations.
A brief occupational therapy report will be provided to the parents and referrer.
The therapist will then work with the child, their parents, and their school to develop meaningful goals for occupational therapy intervention.
Occupational Therapy can help:
- Promote independence in activities of daily living.
- Improve visual motor skills and eye-hand coordination.
- Develop balance, movement and coordination.
- Improve handwriting
- Support sensory processing and regulation for attention and concentration.
- Improve planning and organisation skills.
- Recommend adaptations or specialised equipment for home and/or school to improve participation.
- Provide specialised seating or wheelchair
- Neck and Lower Back pain
- Headaches, vertigo (BPPV) and dizziness
- Upper and lower limbs referred pain
- Shoulder pain
- Elbow and wrist pain
- Knee pain
- Hip pain
- Foot and ankle pain
- Pre and post-surgical care
- Chronic pain
- Tendon related pain e.g. tendinitis or tendinopathies
- Sport related injuries
- Sport load management
- Arthritis
- Fibromyalgia
- Hypermobility Syndrome
- Complex chronic musculoskeletal conditions