All About Occupational Therapy (OT) in Schools
OTs are health professionals, trained in behavioural and
neurological sciences.
OTs in schools focus on activities that children engage in
at school. They assist children to develop the skills to gain and maintain
independence.
They facilitate children’s independent engagement in school
roles, activities and routines. These
include children as students, players and self-carers.
The role of being a student requires such things as the
ability to: stay seated, attend, wait,
turn take, transition between activities and self-regulate
The domains
targeted by OTs are:
·
Learning to learn (engagement and attention)
·
Activities of daily living
·
Play
·
Gross motor
·
Fine motor
·
Handwriting
If we look at the Pyramid of Learning, we see that all areas
of the pyramid need to be covered before reaching the top where academic
learning takes place. OT’s assist with
helping underpin most of this pyramid if strengthening is required.
Darine Groch
