Occupational Therapy
The role of occupational therapy is to equip children with the foundations to be successful in living skills.
Consultation, assessment and intervention is directed to enhance a child's ability to be an independent and productive individual in the areas of self care, social/play and school.
Occupational therapy (OT) treatment focuses on helping individuals with a physical, sensory, or cognitive difficulties be as independent as possible in all areas of their lives.
OT can help children and adolescents with various needs improve their cognitive, physical, sensory, and motor skills and, enhance their independent daily living skills, social and play skills, self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.
At the British School of Outdoor Education, we provide both clinic and mobile evidence based and family centered OT services. Based on your child’s profile and needs, therapy may be delivered in individual sessions or in group sessions and can take place in the comforts of your home, school or at our well-resourced sensory motor gym.
Firmly rooted in our therapeutic goals, is ensuring the transference of skills learned in therapy into everyday tasks.
We aim to help children and adolescents reach their fullest potential, through an integrative, holistic, play based and multisensory approach. Our therapists firmly believe that engaging in meaningful activities, especially when rooted in a child’s own routines, enhances therapeutic outcomes.
We offer services for the following areas:
- Encouraging participation and independence in activities of daily living
- Assessing and prescribing specialized equipment and, environmental modifications to enhance participation
- Evaluating and developing gross motor, fine motor, visual perceptual and cognitive skills
- Analysing and providing multisensory interventions to manage sensory processing difficulties
With our Occupational Therapy intervention, we aim to inspire every child to overcome their learning challenges and become the best that he/she can be.
Through a customised therapy plan, we will work together with you to help your child in crucial areas of development according to both your needs and lifestyle.
Our Occupational therapist utilises various engaging and purposeful activities designed to achieve functional outcomes and maximise your child’s learning and potential.
OT Assessment
We provide Occupational Therapy screening and assessment in a sensory integration framework.
The assessment process includes an interview and questionnaire for the parents, and an observation session with the child. In the session, various standardized tests are used to measure the strengths and weaknesses of the child. The assessment is then summarized in an optional written report, which is used as a baseline for an intervention process.
In the assessment the Occupational Therapist assessing at these areas:
- Visual Motor Integration and Visual Perception Skills
- Fine and Gross Motor Skills
- Sensory Processing
- Motor Planning and Motor Coordination
- Handwriting Skills
- Finding it hard in P.E
- Having difficulty running/hopping/jumping/skipping etc
- Unable to balance effectively
- Struggling to throw or catch
- Having difficulty moving in space (proprioception)
- Having difficulty completing complex movements
- Unable to stand and complete tasks successfully
- Clumsy and un-coordinated
SIPT
SIPT stands for Sensory Integration and Praxis Test. This test evaluates sensory processing deficits related to learning and behavior problems. The SIPT measures visual, tactile, and kinesthetic perception as well as motor performance. It is composed of 17 subtests.
The SIPT test is a comprehensive and standardized test and it can specifically delineate processing challenges which may be contributing to difficulties in learning or behavior.
Furthermore, in some cases it is useful to prove to insurance companies the need to provide occupational therapy services.
We provide SIPT testing with a SIPT-certified occupational therapist.
How Occupational Therapy can help?
An occupational therapist would firstly assess how your child functions in activities and analyse their gross motor skills, before suggesting treatment options. During this analysis of gross motor skills, the occupational therapist would use their knowledge to unpick the components of gross motor skills and determine which aspects the child is struggling with most. Treatment would aim at improving these areas.
Its Purpose
The main purpose of Occupational Therapy is to develop and maintain a person’s capacity throughout their life and empower them with the ability to perform day-to-day tasks and roles.
For children, this includes areas such as:
- self-care,
- social interactions,
- learning and participation in school
Targeting Success starts with:
- Identifying the child's needs
- Assessing underlying learning difficulties
- Targeting specific skills to remediate
- Giving recommendations for home and school
With a holistic approach to student's difficulties which takes full account of the history, profile and needs, your child will receive the attention he or she needs in a warm and positive environment which enables effective learning.
We understand that children learn best when they are motivated and so use a wide range of strategies including computer technology to make education fun but with the emphasis on getting maximum benefit from the opportunities available in the one to one situation.
Each of us thrives on success, so it is an essential aspect of our teaching that we identify the baseline for each student and structure the programmes specifically for the individual, something that is not often possible within larger groups.
Not all students will require standardised assessment. It depends on the student's history and needs.
Some children need extra support to help them focus and consolidate their daily learning. Others need to improve Literacy and Maths skills by filling in gaps in their previous learning so that they can make the most of their current and future educational opportunities. When a standardised Education Assessment with a full written report would be of benefit, it can be carried out by a senior teacher who is fully qualified and experienced in this area.