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Children's Occupational Therapy Service

Occupational Therapists believe that joining in (participating in) everyday activities (occupations) improves wellbeing.  Taking part in occupations helps you to live a safe, healthy and happy life. 

We understand that there is a connection between 'the person', 'the occupation' and 'the environment' and that by making changes to any of these areas you can improve participation and wellbeing.  That is how we as a profession think and talk about occupational therapy.

Based on diagram from Law et al 1996

The role of Community Occupational Therapy is to provide intervention, support and/or advice to children and young people and their families, where there is disability or impairment which impacts on their performance and participation in everyday activities of life.

Treatment and intervention approaches are developed with the aim of enabling children and their carers to maximise independence and support effective self-management. This is done in a variety of ways;

  • One-to-one sessions are offered in clinics, at home, in schools and nurseries.
  • Group sessions are held in the Child Centres or in other community venues; these give children the opportunity to mix with others who have similar difficulties.
  • Advice and strategies are offered to children/young people, families, education staff and other professionals working closely with the child/young person; this provides them with the information they need to improve the child/young person's wellbeing.

Occupational Therapy is offered to children/young people who are having difficulty joining in with the activities they need and want to do every day e.g. dressing, using cutlery, completing jigsaws, or writing.  These difficulties may be due to poor gross and fine motor co-ordination, poor core stability, poor motor planning skills, visual perceptual difficulties or sensory difficulties.

 

Who is able to access this service?

The Children’s (Paediatric) Occupational Therapy Service is a community based service for children between 0 - 18 years, up to 19 years if still in full-time education. The service provides for people who have a physical disability or significant physical impairment or confirmed diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to enable them to manage activities which are essential to daily living.

How can I start using this service?

The Children’s Occupational Therapy service currently accepts referrals (including re-referrals) via our referral form from GPs, Paediatricians, other health or social care professionals, Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs) and parents/carers. The referral form can be found on the link below.

Referral form

For more information on the Children's Occupational Therapy Service please see the following link below or contact us at:

Child Health Therapy Service, Occupational Therapy, South Block, St Mary’s Hospital, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 5TG

Phone number: 01983 534520 and then press option 1

Further information about this service

Resources

In the pages below you may find some advice that may be helpful to yourself or your child on developing their skills or improving their participation in activities before, during or after input from our team.

Handwriting and

Fine motor skills

Sensory processing

Posture & Seating

Activities of daily living

Visual perceptual skills

Autism

If parents/carers have any concerns regarding their child or the service they have received, they are encouraged to talk to the professional that is providing the care or treatment and share their concerns with them directly. They may also wish to speak to the Clinical Team Leader.

The Patient Experience Officers (PEO) may also be able to facilitate discussion between parties as they are available for advice, support and assistance. You can contact the Quality Team to be put in touch with a Patient Experience Officer. For more information and contact details please click here.

 

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