The Purpose of Intervention
- Occupational therapy enhances engagement and participation in school life. For occupational therapists, occupation is the lens through which experiences are viewed and their motto is ‘No child can do everything but every child can do something.’
- They work in partnership with the child/young person, teaching staff, and parent/carers to promote, maintain and develop the skills needed by the children/students to be functional within the school setting and beyond.
- Occupational therapists are trained to understand the whole person, including physical, mental health, emotional, sensory and behavioural needs and their impact on school life.
Typical Activities
- Whole class or whole school (Universal approach) – collaborating with the teaching staff by providing relevant training and consultation. Occupational therapists can advise on reasonable adjustments/adaptations to the school environment, remove barriers to learning and provide guidelines/programmes that enhance and maintain the child’s or young person’s independence.
- Targeted approach – working with individual children or young people – for example, in developing/improving their life skills (e.g. putting on/taking off their coats or shoes, using the toilet), School work, (e.g. Enhancing fine/gross motor skills, following instructions, focussing on task, improving social interaction and managing transitions). The assessment for, and provision of, adaptive equipment (e.g. pencil grips, sloping boards, wobble cushions, alternative cutlery and plates etc.)
- Group work – weekly Sensory ‘Jabadao’ dance and movement therapy sessions take place, within a small group setting and, are co-facilitated by an occupational therapist and physiotherapist. These sessions aim to address the children’s or young person’s sensory processing needs.
- Specialist Approach: – weekly 2:1 sensory music in therapy sessions co-facilitated by an occupational therapist and musician, in using music as a therapeutic tool to enhance the participant’s skills.
- Specialist Approach – occupational therapists can provide specialist seating and school furniture assessments to ensure good sitting posture, thereby enabling the child or young person to access the curriculum or develop skills to play with peers effectively and safely.
Key Benefits to the Children and Young People – being actively engaged in purposeful activities promotes:
- Learning
- Self-esteem/self confidence
- Health and well-being,
- Skill development
- Independence
- Fun, laughter and enjoyment
- Social interaction
- Self-regulation
- Creativity
