Occupational Therapy
What is OT?
Occupational Therapists work with children to support them to build the skills they need to do and thrive in the activities that they engage in every day. For our children this can be any task they need to do from getting to ready for school, playing, writing their names, self-care activities including toileting, dressing and grooming.
Occupational Therapists work alongside the child’s family, teachers and caregivers to build and develop skills for life, to allow children to be children, participating in these everyday activities meaningfully. This can include working on a child’s fine and gross motor sills, attention and concentration, self -regulation skills and more.
Occupational Therapy at Spear & Arrow
Our Occupational Therapists focus on you and your family using a family centred approach, ensuring that therapy is engaging and fun for your child whilst meeting the needs of your family to empower your child to be themselves and learn skills for life.
Our OT’s provide individualised assessments, 1:1 intervention, parent coaching and family meetings, group interventions and more.
At Spear & Arrow every child is supported with an individualised assessment and family goal setting meeting to ensure that we are working towards your child and family goals and priorities.
Every child’s journey is different, and this varies to meet their unique needs. At Spear & Arrow our OT’s support our families through our participant journey, recognising the importance of each child’s therapy journey being tailored to where they are at.
Does my child and family need an Occupational Therapist?
If your child and family are having difficulties with any of these areas, an OT might be able to help and support you. Please note that these are examples, OT’s tailor intervention to meet your child and use evidence based, family centred and strength-based approaches to build skills for life.
At home:
- Difficulty with self-care tasks, getting dressed, toileting, brushing their hair or teeth.
- Following routines
- Remaining calm and regulated during routines.
- difficulty with their level of arousal and energy that may not match the task or the environment.
- Sustaining their attention and remaining on task
- Regulating their emotions and remaining calm during routines
- Clumsy or falling over when playing or moving around
- Difficulty with posture and coordinating their body
- Avoidance or disklike over sensory experiences that causes them to become avoidant of activities.
- Seeking movement and sensory experiences that impact their ability to remain on task and attentive.
- Difficulty with fine motor tasks
In the learning environment:
- Difficulties with cutting, colouring, puzzles, or construction.
- Difficulty learning letter formations.
- Difficulties in pre-writing, drawing, and writing skills, avoidance of fine motor tasks
- Inconsistent use of their dominant hand, poor strength, hand control, and coordination challenges using both hands.
- Reduced efficiency and fluency in movements, poor postural control
- Missing important information relevant to tasks, inability to focus, easy distractibility, or trouble following instructions.
- Struggling with handwriting, reading, math, or overall academic performance.
- Difficulty with planning and organisation
With their peers:
- Trouble making friends, difficulty with social cues.
- Difficulty developing their pretend play skills and ability to play with others.
- Difficulty negotiating with others and being stuck on their play idea
