The Children’s Occupational therapy team sits within the wider Children’s Integrated Community Health Services and is and is based at Callaghan House in Heywood.
A child's life is made up of occupations (daily activities) these occupations include playing, learning and self-care.
We aim to support children to participate more successfully in daily life.
We work with children and their families to success in these activities and to reach their full potential.
We help a child to minimise the impact of their difficulties and improve their ability to participate in their daily occupations by finding ways to overcome any problems they experience.
We see children and young people aged 0 to 18 years, who are experiencing functional difficulties.
These may be as a result of one or more of the following:
- Physical disabilities
- Complex multiple disabilities
- An operation or accident
- Co-ordination difficulties impacting on their ability to function
- Sensory difficulties impacting on their function and occupational performance
Occupational therapy is about helping children reach their full potential. It’s important to bear in mind that all children are different and develop various skills at their own pace. However some children may find tasks such as getting ready, playing, writing or eating trickier than other children their age. This can affect their ability to play, learn and grow.
Sometimes a referral for occupational therapy is needed.
An occupational therapist will assess your child using play based activities to see what they are finding difficult. They will determine whether they need strategies delivered by an Occupational Therapist. They will agree goals to work on together. Most children just need the people around them to know ways to help them develop. The Occupational Therapist may need to give advice or strategies to school/nursery settings and/or parents that will support the child.
Occupational Therapists may also advise and arrange for families to have equipment to enable bathing, seating, toileting etc.
Sensory Processing
This is making sense of information received through senses such as touch, sound or smell. Your child may have difficulties with this, and be distracted by sound, the way things feel etc. They may overly seek (e.g. moving, bumping, crashing, jumping, touching) or excessively avoid sensory information.
Fine Motor Skills
This refers to movements of the wrists, hands and fingers. We need these movements to be able to pick up a spoon, hold a pen and fasten buttons. If your child is struggling with fine motor skills, they may have problems with tasks such as drawing, colouring, using scissors, dressing, eating.
Gross Motor Skills
These skills help us to move and coordinate various body parts such as the arms and legs. A child who has difficulties with gross motor skills may appear uncoordinated or clumsy. They may also have difficulties with balance, coordinating both sides of the body and poor ball skills.
Equipment
Equipment can range from small items like pen grips, alternative scissors, cutlery to larger items such as seating, bath seats. These all promote independence
Children’s Integrated Community Health Service
Request for help (referral) accepted via letter or through the getting help portal: https://hmrchildrenshealthportal.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk/
Referrals accepted from:
- GP
- Health professional
- Social care professional
- Self referral