Occupational Therapy

At CliniKids, the aim of Occupational Therapy is to assist each individual to become as independent as possible with everyday skills.

A child may benefit from Occupational Therapy if they have challenges in any of these areas:

• Self-care skills e.g. dressing, undressing, toileting, eating meals, showering, sleep, brushing teeth
• Fine motor skills e.g. handwriting, cutting, using fork and knife, threading beads, tying shoelaces, doing up buttons
• Gross motor skills e.g. walking, running, skipping, kicking a ball, throwing and catching, sitting in a chair, riding a bike
• Play and social skills
• Visual motor skills required for reading and writing
• Sensory processing e.g. being sensitive (avoiding) or being under responsive (seeking) to noise, smell, light, taste, touch and/ or movement
• Emotional regulation and behaviour
• Skills required for school participation e.g. attention, concentration, homework

Occupational Therapists work closely with the child and parents/ carers during the process which involves the use of standardised and non-standardised assessments, goal setting, intervention and ongoing review of progress.

Occupational Therapists also work in close collaboration with teachers and other health professionals. Occupational Therapists will often work directly with the child, individually or in a small group, to develop specific skills e.g. to improve handwriting. Occupational Therapists may also work closely with the parents to assist with skills at home e.g. around mealtimes or areas of self-care by upskilling the parents/ carers. Occupational Therapists may also make recommendations around changes in the environment e.g. adapt cutlery or seating to promote independence.

Autistic children can benefit from Occupational Therapy in many ways. For example, an Occupational Therapist can help understand the sensory challenges a child may experience and adapt the environment accordingly or an Occupational Therapist may work with a child to find calming activities to help with their self-regulation.

Our Occupational Therapists also deliver:

• Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP). The CO-OP approach guides children to independently discover and develop cognitive strategies to perform the necessary tasks of everyday living. CO-OP is suitable for children over the age of 5 years who experience motor difficulties. WATCH this video to find out more.
• Early Start Denver Model (ESDM). The ESDM is an evidence-based early support approach that aims to promote a child’s development across all domains. The ESDM has been developed to support children diagnosed with or showing early signs of autism from 12 months of age up until age 5.

If you're interested in hearing more about Psychology services at CliniKids, please submit an online enquiry to us via the below link.

 Submit an online enquiry