Occupational Therapy Assessments

Occupational Therapy

Our Occupational Therapists are CORU registered, fully vetted and have more than 3 years post qualifying experience. OT Appointments are available in our Clinics in Dublin and Cork.

Our paediatric OT services are also available online. DOT is our telehealth solution – more info here.

At Key Assets Consulting our team works with children affected by a diverse array of difficulties including:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorders/Conditions
  • Dyspraxia
  • Developmental Co-ordination Disorder
  • Motor Skills /Physical development
  • Attention and regulation difficulties (ADD / ADHD)
  • Sensory Processing and Sensory Integration Difficulties
  • Handwriting (Dysgraphia)
  • Dyslexia
  • Co-ordination / balance issues
  • Impact of trauma and attachment difficulties on energy regulation, attention and sensory processing.

 

Fees

Occupational Therapy Assessments Key Assets ConsultingDid you know that if you have private health insurance you may be able to claim back some professional fees paid for Speech and Language Therapy? Each policy can differ but we provide appropriate receipts to enable you claim back where fees are covered. You can also keep your receipts and at the end of the year submit them with your Tax return More info.

Each quotation for Occupational Therapy is bespoke to the needs of you and your child. For more information or to obtain a full quote, please contact our referrals team on 01-4171944.

What is Occupational Therapy?

To understand what occupational therapy is – first think about what occupations does a child have? So these are play, learning, and developing relationships or learning to socialise. Of course these occupations look very different depending on the child’s age and their unique strengths and needs. Occupational Therapy is designed to help children develop their everyday abilities and overcome challenges around their play skills, schoolwork and social skills. Occupational Therapists work with parents, caregivers, teachers and the child so that they can maximise their independence and reach their full potential.

 

How does Occupational Therapy help children?

OT helps parents and caregivers develop practical approaches that can be built into your child's daily routines at home, school or when they are out and about. With OT, a child who has physical, social, learning or sensory difficulties can be helped to become more independent. This also boosts self-esteem.

The therapy consists of exercises, tools and activities to build specific skills that are weak.

  • For example, if a child is struggling with their pencil grip and their handwriting is taking ages or is very hard to read the therapy may include multisensory techniques to help with handwriting.
  • If a child struggles with attention and concentration and this is affecting their learning – then the therapist might have that child do full-body exercises, before sitting down to do homework. A movement break schedule for school might also be developed.

OT can also be a real help for children who have trouble with sensory processing. When children struggle to process sensory information, they may over-react or under-react to everyday things they hear, see, taste, touch, or smell. That imbalance in their processing can lead to bouts of hyperactivity or meltdowns where the child is too overwhelmed to manage even basic tasks.

When this happens, your OT might design a sensory diet.

This is a plan involving physical activities, sensory aids and accommodations that are designed to give children the right balance of sensory input. OTs may also for example recommend heavy work to help kids who seek or avoid specific kinds of sensory input.

Occupational therapy may also help kids with other challenges like dyslexia, visual processing, planning and organising skills and dysgraphia.

Whatever the goal - The earlier a child starts OT, the more effective it tends to be.

 

Here are some more examples of how OT can help children become more independent in their daily life. So with OT, children can:

  • Develop what are known as ‘fine motor skills’ so they can grasp and release toys and develop good handwriting or computer skills.
  • Improve hand-eye coordination so they can play more easily with other children ( for example ball games) and find school a bit easier (by getting better at copying information from screen or whiteboard to their copybooks)
  • Become confident in basic life skills such as bathing, getting dressed, brushing teeth, brushing hair and self-feeding.
  • Learn positive behaviours and social skills by practicing how they manage frustration and anger.
  • Get special equipment to help increase their independence. These may include wheelchairs, bathing equipment, dressing devices, communication supports and soothing sensory aids
  • Learn to manage sensory difficulties through following a sensory diet that is a good fit for the child’s sensory processing needs.

 

INFORMATION FOR CHILDREN

 

WHAT IS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY?

If you are here welcome - you are probably getting ready to meet an OT or occupational therapist.

 

So what Is Occupational Therapy?

Everyone has an occupation or job. A child's occupation is to grow up, learn lots, do schoolwork, and play. But sometimes that isn’t easy and children may need special kinds of help.

Occupational therapy (or OT) helps children carry out their everyday life so that learning, playing and being out and about in your community becomes easier. Some children might need help with learning to write, or perhaps with their concentration.

Your OT will work with you, your family and school to find tools and exercises to help you struggle less and achieve more in your everyday life. Your OT programme will be specially designed for you. The therapy will be about making the things that you find hard easier to manage – so that you can get on with being you and enjoying your life.

 

Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy