Children’s Occupational Therapy near Retford
Our Independent Occupational Therapy Team
At PT Kids we have a team of occupational therapists who specialise in the assessment as well as treatment of children and young people.
Whatever the age and stage of development, as well as including a wide range of conditions, we could help.
We cover a wide geographical area, so if you have been looking for a private occupational therapist (OT) near you, the chances are we can help.
We travel to you to assess and also treat children in their own environment. This could be at home, school, leisure facility, after-school club or out in the community. We believe this gets the best out of our input as activities are functional, meaningful and easy to carry over into day to day life….which after all, the role of our occupational therapy team is to help make children more independent & better equipped to meet the demands of their daily routines.
Our team offer children’s occupational therapy near Retford and cover many parts of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and into North Nottinghamshire. Including but not exclusive to Leeds, Wakefield, Grantham, Pontefract, Harrogate, Wetherby, Louth, Market Rasen and Lincoln.
What is the role of an Occupational Therapist?
They focus on helping children to overcome barriers that may stop them from participating in activities that are important to them. They help to increase independence, health and wellbeing. For children & young people occupational activities might include;
Self-help skills – Washing, dressing, feeding, toileting
School skills – handwriting, accessing the school environment, concentrating in class
Play skills – fine motor skills, participation in meaningful play, social skills, accessing hobbies
Independent living skills – making a meal, managing finances, travelling in the community, shopping
They will look at the child and what their abilities are, then looking at the task and the environment. They will then work out how best to support the child to carry out the task.
Here’s an example;
A young girl of 5 years old has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy which affects her posture and strength in her trunk and hands (the child) She wants to be able to write her name using a pencil (the task) when at school (the environment) with her friends.
To help the child; the OT might provide therapy exercises to work on hand strength, core stability, shoulder stability and pre-writing skills.
To help with the task; the OT might advise a special pencil or pencil grip, a sloped writing desk and they may recommend the need for extra time in class for the child to practice.
To help with the environment; the OT might advise that the height of the desk is changed, the child might need a special supportive chair or the child’s position in the classroom may need changing to help with concentration. As well as some support and motivation from her friends to help her along!
Comprehensive Assessment
During the assessment, your occupational therapist will want to understand; what your goals are, what you child struggles with as well as what skills you (and they) would like to improve.
They will observe your child, how they move and how they perform tasks.
We are able to utilise standardised assessments such as, the Sensory Profile 2, which helps understand the needs and difficulties of children with sensory issues or sensory processing disorder.
Occupational Therapy Treatment
We can provide treatment in a number of ways including:
Regular 1:1 therapy treatment with our occupational therapist
A programme of exercises & activities to be delivered by parents or school staff
Recommendation of equipment or devices which will make the activity easier
Advising the use of assistive technology (such as Apps for your iPad)
OT led recreation activities
Supported community activities (such as going on the bus or to the supermarket)There are lots of different treatment strategies in our OT’s toolbox and they will come up with a treatment plan that best suits your child’s individual needs.
Report Writing
Our OT’s can complete detailed reports outlining their findings from their assessment, this can include recommendations for your child’s OT needs such as; requirement for future therapy, equipment, adaptions to their environment and so on.
These reports can be used to help support applications to charities for funding, DLA applications as well as accessing additional help in school. We are able to write reports to assist the EHCP application process.
We write detailed reports as treating therapists to case management companies and solicitors.
Who We Help
Our private occupational therapists assess and treat a wide range of childhood conditions, as well as seeing children who may not have a formal diagnosis.
Here are some of the common conditions that we can help with:
Neurological conditions; Cerebral Palsy, Acquired Brain Injury, Spinal Injury
Genetic and chromosome conditions; Down’s Syndrome
Social communication conditions; Autism, Asperger’s, ADHD
Developmental conditions; Dyspraxia, Global Developmental Delay
So, if your child:
Is delayed in achieving their milestones
Struggles with motor skills other children their age have mastered
Has poor fine-motor skills or difficulty with manual dexterity
Struggles with day-to-day activities such as washing, dressing or feeding
Has difficulty with handwriting or struggling to keeping up with school work
Is particularly clumsy, falls over or has difficulty planning tasks
Has sensory difficulties
Needs specialist equipment to access activities
Needs specialist equipment to access activities
Or has a diagnosed condition
Who we work with?
We accept referrals for private occupational therapy near Grantham directly from families as well as working with a number of charities, education authorities, solicitors and case managers. We are treating therapists for a number of case management companies including AKA Case Management, Bush & Co and Harrisons Associates.
Whether you are looking for regular occupational therapy treatment or more of a one-off assessment of your child’s needs we can help.
If you have a concern we are happy to discuss this with you over the phone or via e-mail, so please don’t hesitate to contact us.
For more details on Children’s Occupational Therapy near Retford
Call us on 07980957845 or email us at office@ptkids.co.uk