Occupational Therapy at ICS

When I tell people I am an Occupational Therapist (OT), I am usually met with one of two very different responses. Either people have experience with OTs personally and know what we do, or they have no idea!

In Occupational Therapy, we focus on activities of daily living and help people do the activities they want to, need to, or are expected to do! 

As a school-based OT, my role is to support students to participate in school-related activities to the best of their ability and to feel comfortable at school. School-related activities and skills include: 

• Play skills
• Developing and maintaining friendships
• Paying attention in class and sitting comfortably
• Self-regulation and sensory regulation
• Handwriting and other fine motor skills
• Organisation and executive functioning
• Participating in physical activity (gross motor skills)
• Self-care activities such as eating their lunch, toileting, putting on and tolerating clothing and shoes.
• Sleep (which is very important to be able to focus at school)

How do we figure out what’s going on?

I often begin by chatting to teachers and/or parents and students before observing the skills needed to complete the activity that the child is having difficulty with.

For example, completing a handwriting task requires:

• Core strength and postural control to sit comfortably
• Processing instructions
• Fine motor skills
• Hand-eye coordination
• The ability to regulate and stay focused on the activity.

Occasionally I will complete a formal assessment or questionnaire with carers and/or teachers. 

What happens once challenges have been identified?

I will problem solve with input from carers, teachers and the student to determine which skills a child is finding difficult, and then support them by adjusting their environment, the task or by developing the skills needed to complete the activity.

Interventions may include:

• The implication of sensory strategies such as a weighted toy or elastic kicking band.
• Providing the teacher with strategies to assist the child
• Environmental changes (E.g. where the child sits in the classroom)
• Sensory activities to complete at home
• Some OT sessions with myself
• Collaborating with external OT’s
• Recommendation of an external OT when multiple skills can be developed to assist a child

How can my child access school OT?

Teachers will often make a referral with your permission to the school OT if needed. If you believe your child needs OT input, you can chat to your child’s teacher and discuss if a referral is appropriate.

It is important to remember that every child has individual strengths and weaknesses, and an OT referral is only necessary if a child’s challenges are significantly impacting their ability to participate in school. I currently work Tuesdays and Wednesdays so I need to be strategic in ensuring that kids who really need help can access this. 

Mrs Elyssa Smith

Occupational Therapist