Movement, posture and regulation
occupational therapy
Your child’s occupation is to play, make friends and learn. Performing everyday activities easily is something that all children need to do. Your child will use these skills throughout their entire life.
If a child has difficulty with everyday activities, then early identification and intervention can make a world of difference to a child.
This is where Occupational Therapy comes into play. The Occupational Therapists at OneOnOne Children’s Therapy bring a wide range of knowledge and experience.
Our goal is to make sure your child is taking part in all activities in all environments.
WHAT DO OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS DO?
Occupational Therapists work on many areas that help your child in their everyday skills:
GROSS MOTOR SKILLS
Gross motor skills help us to be able to do things like walking and jumping, and they involve the large muscles of the body. Gross motor skills are also dependent on muscle tone and strength.
FINE MOTOR SKILLS
Fine motor skills help us to be able to do things like writing, cutting, getting dressed and tying shoelaces. They involve the small muscles of the body and require fine motor control, dexterity and strength.
HANDWRITING
The ability to write quickly and easily without tiring.
VISUAL PERCEPTION
Visual perception refers to we take in information through our eyes and organise it to complete a task.
SELF CARE SKILLS
This includes independently and efficiently being able to do get dressed, clean your teeth, up buttons, tie shoelaces, use cutlery, and get ready for school.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSESSMENTS
Occupational Therapy assessments are carried out in a relaxed, fun-filled environment.
We use tests that are either standardised or norm-referenced. At the end of the assessment we will discuss with you the outcomes of the assessment and make recommendations depending on the strengths and weakness of your child’s development and learning.
Planning for therapy is based on the therapist’s assessment and the parents’ main concerns. We develop achievable goals for your child and set up therapy sessions to fit with the family timetable.
Importantly, we use tests that are either standardised or norm-referenced. At the end of the assessment we discuss with you the outcomes of the assessment and we we make recommendations. Finally, we draw up a list of step-be-step goals and objectives. We use these as our intervention guide.
The final step of the assessment phase is the development of step-be-step goals and objectives. We use these as our intervention guide. Planning for therapy is based on the therapist’s assessment and the parents’ main concerns. We develop achievable goals for your child and set up therapy sessions to fit with the family timetable.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTION
Most importantly, therapy sessions have a strongly focus around fun. However, every activity very specifically targets intervention goals. We know that when children are enjoying the activity they are doing, then they learn better. There is close involvement with family members and awareness of the needs of the child across the home and other environments.
DURATION OF SESSIONS
Individual sessions are usually once a week, but this is dependent on the needs of your child. Individual Occupational Therapy sessions are usually 45 minutes to one hour in length. Your child will have specific goals that intervention will address. We track these goals and can show you your child’s progress after every session. It is ideal if activities are followed through at home, and we will work with each family to achieve this.
WORKING WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS
With your permission we keep in contact with teachers and other professionals who may be working with your child.
For more information about Occupational Therapy, go to our blog.