Occupational therapy offers children practical interventions, activities, and support to enhance their independence and achieve good physical and mental wellbeing in all aspects of their lives.
At Unlocking Potential, our OT Schools Programme aims to:
-Build children’s confidence in trying new activities
-Support children to develop their skills for school, independence, and play
-Help children to become aware of their sensory needs and how environments may impact their health and well-being
-Encourage children to develop insights into habits and activities to promote health and well-being
In schools, OT works to improve children and young people’s skills and performance of the tasks and activities that are important for self-care, school and leisure which all promote health and wellbeing such as:
-Handwriting
-Self efficacy (Confidence and belief in one’s ability to achieve what they set out to do)
-Attention and focus
-Fine Motor Skills (holding a pencil, tying shoe laces, playing games)
-Gross Motor Skills (Brushing your teeth, playing sports)
-Sensory strategies and self-awareness of their sensory needs
-Memory
-Organisation
By helping to remove these barriers to learning, OT helps children feel more confident and able to engage in academic and extracurricular activities in and outside of school.
If you want to learn more about OT, the OT Programme at Unlocking Potential, or how your child might benefit from OT input, please contact Elle Souden, our OT lead at (elle.souden@up.orguk)
“He went from being very reluctant to speak/selective mutism to engaging spontaneously in conversation. Started putting his hand up in class and asking questions.”
Teacher of child accessing OT
of children meet their occupational therapy goals and show a clinically significant improvement.
