Working in educational settings, my focus is to support the child’s access to learning and the curriculum, according to their unique abilities and to their full POTENTIAL.

This may be through acquiring new skills or compensating for difficulties.

Functional difficulties that Occupational Therapy can help within an education setting include, but is not limited to:

  • Pre-writing development (the pre-requisite for letter formation)

  • Handwriting

  • Fine motor skills (for example, to support tool use, such as scissors, play skills and self-care)

  • Assessment of and recommendations for assistive equipment (for example, specialist seating, adaptive cutlery/scissors, sloped boards and move ‘n’ sit cushions)

  • Attention and concentration (for example, supporting a child’s sensory processing to achieve a ‘just right’ level for learning)

  • Visual perceptual skills (for example, tracking and copying from the board)

  • Organizational skills (for example, organization of work, resources and belongings)

  • Self-care (for example, changing for P.E/swimming; cutlery skills for school dinners; and supporting toileting)

  • Coordination difficulties (for example, resulting from reduced body awareness)

  • Play skills (for example, providing advice on developmentally appropriate play and alternative positions for floor-based play)

  • Differentiation of the curriculum (for example, grading school-based activities for the child to find the balance between fostering their success and encouraging them to reach their potential)