Paediatric OT
There are a variety of services that the occupational therapists at Manchester OT can provide for children. Manchester OT commonly provide assessment and treatment for:
- Hand Skills
- Sensory Integration
- Activities of Daily Living
- Equipment and Adaptations for Independent Living
- Handwriting and Organisation of Work
- Paediatric Rehabilitation
Many children have difficulties at school and at home, this makes it harder for them to achieve as much as they could. Some children have a formal diagnosis of a condition made by a doctor, or other health or educational professional, whereas, many more children do not have a formal diagnosis. Manchester OT can help children who have a diagnosis and those children that have not been diagnosed realise their potential. In Manchester waiting lists for occupational therapy assessments are often long and treatment may not always be provided following an assessment. Manchester OT provide immediate access to the appropriate occupational therapy services to benefit your child and allow them to achieve as much as possible.
The occupational therapists at Manchester OT are able to provide services to children with a large range of difficulties, conditions and health needs including:
Children who have difficulty with:
- Classroom skills
- Co-ordination difficulties
- Fine motor skills
- Gross motor skills
- Handwriting
- Low self confidence
- Perception
- Self care
- Sensory integration and processing
- Spasticity
Children with the conditions:
- Acquired brain injury / head injury
- Asperger's Syndrome
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Autism
- Cancer
- Cerebral Palsy
- Developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) / Dyspraxia
- Developmental delay
- Juvenile arthritis
- Learning difficulties
- Stroke
- Other neurological disorders
Children with health difficulties:
- Complex needs
- Orthopaedic problems
- Oncology issues
- Medical problems
- Mental health issues
- Neurological conditions
- Rehabilitation needs (e.g. recovering from surgery, trauma)
Paediatric Assessment
Some children have significant difficulties to overcome and require extra support in some or all aspects of their daily life. At times, in order to optimise the child's success, schools and other professionals may benefit from direct contact and advice from our occupational therapists. Manchester OT provide immediate assessments and can follow up with reports to the relevant individuals / organisations.
Hand Skills
Occupational therapists can assess any difficulties that children are experiencing with hand skills. These difficulties can affect many aspects of the child's life e.g. play, everyday activities of daily living, and participation in school and educational activities. These difficulties can be assessed using various screening tools which will lead onto personalised interventions and treatment plans appropriate to each child. Splints can also be used as part of the treatment, if needed.
Sensory Integration
Every day children receive a lot of information from their senses. The senses provide children with the information they need about their body and their environment. When all this sensory information flows in a well-organised manner, and the brain interprets it efficiently, it can be processed to form perception, behaviours, and learning. Children with sensory processing problems may have difficulties with; sleeping patterns, eating patterns, arousal, attention, skills acquisition, social interaction, play skills.
If a child is experiencing a deficit with an aspect of their sensory integration, i.e. it is not functioning efficiently; they may experience difficulties with simple tasks e.g. maintaining sitting balance when sitting in a chair, getting dressed or playing simple games. They are likely to be aware of these difficulties and become frustrated when they see other children being able to perform these tasks easily. Occupational therapists use standardised tests to evaluate sensory integration and appropriate interventions and treatment plans can be carried out. These aim to improve the quality of the life of the child and improve their sensory integration functions. They should also improve their gross and fine motor skills, increase their self-confidence and self-esteem and improve their cognition, language and academic performance.
Activities of Daily Living
The occupational therapists at Manchester OT assess children who are experiencing difficulties with activities of daily living, for example bathing, dressing, feeding, toileting etc. Treatment plans can be devised to help children become more independent in these activities as appropriate to their age.
Equipment and Adaptations for Independent Living
The occupational therapists at Manchester OT assess children in their own home and prescribe and fit any pieces of equipment which will help them to perform everyday activities of daily living and improve their quality of life. Assessment and advice can also be given regarding any home adaptations that may be needed.
Handwriting and Organisation of Work
The occupational therapists at Manchester OT evaluate children experiencing difficulties with handwriting. This is usually done by evaluating written work samples, discussing the child's performance with their teacher and parents, reviewing the child's educational records as well as observing them directly whilst considering any other aspects that could be affecting the child's handwriting. Interventions and treatment plans will then be devised and carried out.
Paediatric Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation can be provided for children who have either spent long periods in hospital or are having difficulty due to a disability or injury. Conditions could include spina bifida, cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, cystic fibrosis, brain injury, spinal injury etc. Treatment plans are devised to increase the child's independence and improve their quality of life.
To make discuss how Manchester OT can help you please contact us or call 0161 883 0088