Children’s occupational therapy
Waltham Forest Children’s Occupational Therapy Service
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy enables children and young (CYP) people to take part in daily life to improve their health and well-being. Daily life is made up of many activities (or occupations).
For children or young people, this may include:
• self-care (getting ready to go out, eating a meal, using the toilet)
• being productive (going to nursery or school, playing, volunteering, doing chores)
• leisure (socialising, playing, or doing hobbies)
Occupational therapists assess and advise on how environments, relationships, and parts of a task (e.g. throwing a big or a small ball) influence the child or young person’s ability to participate in daily life activities. Occupational therapy aims to promote the child or young person’s ability to do the activities that are important to them and their families. This promotes health and well-being. It also helps the child or young person feel like a valued member of their community, regardless of physical, learning, and mental health needs.
For example: Billy finds it difficult to dress himself.
Short Term goal: for Billy to pull up his trousers by himself.
Long Term goal: for Billy to dress by himself.
Strategies: showing him how to do it, telling him how to do it and practicing part of the task.
Our service
Our therapy team works with children between the ages of 0-19.
After a referral has been made and accepted by the team, your child will be invited for an assessment, virtually or face to face, in a clinic or school setting. During this time, the therapist will observe and gather information from you and your child using standardised or non-standardised assessments to identify current skills and concerns.
The therapist will discuss and decide the most appropriate approach for your child’s needs. This may include any of the following:
• Advice and activity program
• 1:1 therapy block with OT/ OT assistant
• Group therapy block
• Parent and/or teacher coaching
• Adaptations in nursery/school and if necessary, equipment provisions
• Joint working with other professionals
• Signposting to other services
If no further input is needed, then your child will be discharged from our service and the relevant professional(s) will be informed.
Equipment provision
Equipment and Adaptations
Our Occupational Therapy service may provide equipment on an assessed and needs led basis to children at school, nursery and certain aspects at home. The equipment provided is to enable occupations and participation in daily life. It’s main purpose is to increase or maintain functional independence, facilitate safe moving and handling, minimise risks, and postural management.
Some of the areas we may assess for equipment provisions include:
• Seating
• Transfers (hoists and slings)
• Toileting
• Access in nursery/school
• Advice on adaptive tools for self-care and school productivity
• Specialist Beds
Adaptations will vary depending on the need of the child.
If specialist equipment is assessed for and deemed appropriate for the child’s needs, we will work closely with equipment advisors to ensure the equipment supplied is suitable for your child and fits the purpose for which it has been provided. Equipment will be monitored and reviewed with your child’s/young person’s changing needs.
If you have any concerns regarding the equipment that has been provided you must contact the Children’s Occupational Therapy Team for advice.