Occupational Therapy (OT)

WHAT IS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY?

Occupational Therapy (OT) is a treatment used to address a child’s ability to perform activities of daily living such as walking, eating, drinking, dressing, toileting and bathing. The primary aim of OT is to maximise the child’s potential to participate in activities of everyday life by minimising the impact of their disability through the use of purposeful activity or modifying the environment to better support participation.

Occupational therapy is practiced in a wide range of settings, including hospitals, health centres, homes, and schools. It can offer children with various needs positive, fun activities to improve their cognitive, physical and motor skills and enhance their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.

WHAT DOES AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST DO?

The occupational therapist (OT) is trained both in physical and mental health and can help with adaptations to changes in everyday life in order to overcome practical problems. The OT will assess the child’s abilities and potential within the context of their family and physical environment, enable the child to maintain a balance and maximise their participation in daily activities including self-care, school related tasks and leisure time. They do this by providing advice, looking at ways in how everyday tasks can be done differently, recommending adaptations to the environment to maximise the child’s ability to engage in activities and referring you on to other services that can help, for example speech and language therapy.

Therapists instruct those with permanent physical disabilities such as spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, or muscular dystrophy, in the use of adaptive equipment, including wheelchairs, orthotics and aids for eating and dressing. They also design or make special equipment needed at home or at work. Therapists develop computer-aided adaptive equipment and teach those with severe limitations how to use that equipment in order to communicate better. Also, physical exercises may be used to increase strength and dexterity, while other activities may be chosen to improve visual acuity and the ability to discern patterns. Occupational therapists often give children a series of daily activities to do at home, at school or both.

When dealing with children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), OTs also work on fine motor skills. This can help children to learn to grasp and release toys and other objects. Therapists also work on hand-eye coordination to improve skills such as hitting a ball, or copying from a blackboard. In addition they can help children with developmental delay learn basic tasks, such as bathing, getting dressed, brushing their teeth and feeding themselves; help children with behavioural disorders learn anger-management techniques; teach children with physical disabilities the coordination skills required to feed themselves or use a computer; and help children who have sensory and attention issues to improve focus and social skills.

WHERE DO OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS WORK?

Occupational therapists work in community centres, GP practices, hospitals, client’s homes, residential and nursing homes, social services and council departments, schools, charities and voluntary agencies. In schools, for example, they evaluate children’s abilities, recommend and provide therapy, modify classroom equipment, and help children participate as fully as possible in school programmes and activities. A therapist may work with children individually, lead small groups in the classroom or consult with a teacher.

WHO DOES OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSIST?

Occupational therapists help children, teenagers and adults. For example an occupational therapist can evaluate a child’s skills for play activities, school performance, and activities of daily living and compare them with what is developmentally appropriate for that age group. More specifically, occupational therapy can help those with:

• Autism
• Birth injuries
• Brain injuries
• Cerebral Palsy
• Developmental Delay
• Learning Diabilities
• Mental health or behavioural problems
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Spina Bifida
• Spinal Cord injuries

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Please note that every care is taken to ensure that the information included on this webpage is accurate. However, should you discover any information which you believe to be inaccurate please Contact Us as soon as possible.

Although the information we have provided here is meant to be helpful to you, Douglas Silas Solicitors cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss caused by any inaccuracy or reliance placed upon it. If you have any concerns about your child, you should seek professional educational or healthcare advice as soon as possible.