Occupational therapy addresses the three main areas of a child's life:

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• Self help skills

• Participation in education

• Participation in leisure activities

 

These three areas incorporate aspects such as functional seating, eating and drinking, using wheelchairs, access to the physical environment, self-esteem, fine motor skills and sensory perception.

 

Occupational therapists work closely with physiotherapists, teachers, teaching and mealtime assistants, speech and language therapists and other specialists (particularly parents!) to assess a child's needs and abilities. Our occupational therapy service covers both working within the school and with outpatients.

 

Occupational therapists working within Vranch House School support school staff and the wider therapy team to enable children to access the curriculum and to reach their full potential. This might include areas such as postural management, independent feeding skills, devising toileting programmes, play, fine motor skills, dressing and advising on their sensory needs.

 

Occupational therapists working with outpatients from mainstream settings may assess handwriting, use of cutlery, personal care, fine motor co-ordination and visual perception. Following assessment a child might be referred on to one of the following groups: handwriting group, dressing skills group, cutlery skills group.