Occupational Therapy (OT) at Queensbury School
Occupational Therapy (OT) at Queensbury School
The OT service at Queensbury school is delivered by WMSLT, and works in collaboration with staff, parents and other external agencies to support students with physical and / or sensory processing needs. We are working closely with school staff to ensure the classroom environment supports engagement of all students depending on their level of need, this includes providing a suite of training for staff’s Continued Professional Development (CPD).
What is Occupational Therapy?
OTs work with children and young people to support the development of independence skills in everyday ‘occupations’, including participation in activities that an individual wants to do, needs to do or is expected to do. Daily occupations can include washing and dressing, toileting and engagement in learning within the school environment.
How can your child be supported by occupational therapy at Queensbury?
The OT service will seek parental consent when working with students individually. Following assessment, students may receive direct 1:1 or group therapy to work towards set targets, following a therapy plan developed by the school therapist. Occupational therapy targets can be focused around the following areas:
Self-care
- Personal hygiene
- Dressing
- Feeding
- Toileting
All of these self-care tasks require an individual to be able to tolerate sensory experiences, have the motor skills, motivation and sequencing ability to complete the activity. Occupational therapy can support the development of underlying skills as well as providing alternative strategies, techniques to support with sensory differences and visual supports for sequencing.
School based occupations
- Focus and self-regulation within the classroom.
- Sitting balance and posture.
- Use of class-based equipment.
- Handwriting.
- Participation in PE lessons.
- Motor coordination.
As well as looking at the foundational motor skills and sensory processing needs, the occupational therapy team will also take into the consideration the environment and any medications and additional equipment that may be needed to support independence and participation.
Sensory Circuits
Some individuals, depending on sensory processing needs, can benefit from engaging in sensory motor activities to support self-regulation and readiness for learning within the classroom. The OT team at Queensbury School are currently working on developing this provision as part of the school targeted and specialist provision.
