Occupational Therapy Occupational Therapy (OT) supports children / young people to participate in the “occupations” of childhood by helping the child gain the functional skills required for the task.

Childhood occupations include:

• Play

• Self – care skills such as dressing, bathing, toileting and sleeping

• Learning activities and being a pupil / student

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What areas do occupational therapists focus on in school?

• School work – including following instructions, working with others, keeping on task, writing, drawing, cutting and pasting, using the computer or playing sport.

• Life skills – for example, putting on and taking off coats or shoes, changing for sport, using the toilet, eating lunch, managing belongings and having a good nights sleep

• Break time and play – such as joining in games, talking with others and making friends, or using break times to recharge for the rest of the day.

• Transitions – such as stopping one task and starting another, moving between classes, or changing settings from primary to secondary school, or transitioning to further and higher education or work.

All of these occupations require many skills and abilities to successfully complete the task Examples of skills required:

• Fine motor skills

• Gross motor skills

• Core stability Self – regulation

• Sensory processing skills

Here at St John's school we have a Children’s Occupational Therapist (Mrs. Clarke) who works directly with the children and school staff to identify need and to build up these important skills, with a focus on the early school years.