Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy is one of the Allied Health Professions that includes Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech & Language Therapy and Psychology. As with all Allied Health Professions, it involves the use of assessment and intervention to reach goals. In the case of Occupational Therapy, we aim to develop, recover or maintain participation in meaningful activities for individuals, groups or communities.
6 Facts About Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy focuses on a person’s occupation – which for children is play!
Occupational Therapists use the term Occupation to describe all the things we do including taking care of ourselves (and others), playing and having fun, working and volunteering, resting and sleeping.
Occupational Therapists have a deep understanding of how illness, injury, disability or life events can make it hard to do everyday things.
Occupational Therapists work with children and people to make everyday participation easier.
Occupational Therapists focus on strengths and abilities and are led by the person’s preferences (or the family’s in the case of children).
By working with the person and their needs and situations, OT’s help people to do what is important to them.
The main goal of Paediatric Occupational Therapy is to help your child participate, as fully as possible, in their everyday activities and support their development. Paediatric Occupational Therapists work with children only. We look at the child’s strengths and challenges in completing every day occupations such as feeding, sleeping, playing, toileting, washing and dressing, managing emotions, attention, handwriting, organisation etc...
Occupational Therapists assess a child’s developmental level, sensory processing, strengths and needs using standardised and non-standardised assessments. From the outcomes of the assessments, the specific areas of need for support are identified, unique to each child. This information is then used to create a treatment plan and goals for intervention sessions, and activities are planned that will support these goals and specific areas of need.
Paediatric Occupational Therapy in EquiSense is carried out using the Equine Environment rather than a treatment room), and supported by the unique movement of the horse. There is so much information about the unique movement of the horse and how it can support the release of feel good hormones in the body, and support regulation. However, Occupational Therapists, working alongside this unique movement, can adapt, tweak and alter the movement in the moment, depending on what the child needs at that specific time to help make adaptive changes and support maturation of neurological systems.
The benefits of the Equine Environment in Occupational Therapy sessions:
Occupational Therapy treatment sessions are carried out in the yard, working in the stables, mounted on the horse, and all whilst playing games and having fun.
The first step is assessment. This is a vital part of the service, so that therapeutic OT input can be individualised, and targeted at areas of functional development that specifically need support. Assessment will take place through interviews with the parents, observation of the child in play situations using standardised or non standardised assessments, and then assessing them in the sensory rich equine environment. Through this process the specific areas that a child is having difficulty with emerges, and then can be supported through therapeutic input.
Once the goals are identified, the Occupational Therapist designs a program of activities to support specific goal achievement for that child, and carries out treatment sessions with these goals as the focus. Occupational Therapists are experts at activity analysis and activity modification in order to achieve the just right challenge for children, all the while having fun and developing through play. The equine environment provides a unique platform for this work, and the Occupational Therapist works in the moment with the child, managing and adapting the movement of the horse, positioning on the horse, the challenges of the games, and the responses of the child to the input with the overall aim of meeting the physical, sensory and psychological needs of the child and maximise the benefit of the therapeutic input. The equine environment is a truly powerful tool to support the work of the Occupational Therapist due to its naturally sensory rich nature. The movement of the horse is also regulating in and of itself, but with the added support of the Occupational Therapist manipulating and tweaking the movement in response to the child, it is an ideal platform with which to support children to develop and progress functional skills. Support with transferring newly achieved skills to everyday life is provided as needed through family support sessions. Full assessment, treatment planning, intervention and review are integral to this process.
Assessment is the key to successful intervention, so all children who come to Occupational Therapy in EquiSense participate in an Assessment process.
Full Occupational Therapy Assessment
This assessment is for those who have not yet had a diagnosis, or any Occupational Therapy assessment. The process is completed in 3 phases:
1. Parental Interview
The Occupational Therapist meets with the parents via video consultation to discuss the child’s developmental history, strengths and needs, and gives an opportunity to plan goals that they would like to achieve through Occupational Therapy Intervention.
2. Assessment
The Occupational Therapist meets the child either in their own home or in a clinic environment. Depending on the child, this will be done over 1-2 sessions.
3. Report and recommendations provision
After the assessment process a report and recommendations are provided to the parents. Parents will have the opportunity to discuss the report in detail over video consultation and a plan will be made for intervention, review or discharge.
Occupational Therapy Pre Intervention Assessment (Equine OT)
For children who have a previous Occupational Therapy Report and diagnosis, and for whom intervention is sought, a Pre-Intervention Assessment is needed in order to create the most appropriate goals for the intervention. This process is completed in 3 phases:
1. Parental interview
The Occupational Therapist meets with the parents via video consultation to discuss the child’s developmental history, strengths and needs, and gives an opportunity to plan goals that they would like to achieve through Occupational Therapy Intervention.
2. Assessment
The Occupational Therapist meets the child in the Equine setting to consolidate their strengths and needs. This session is generally a half hour and takes place in the EquiSense Yard at A85RD21.
3. Report and recommendations provision
After the assessment process, a brief report is provided to the parents. Parents are offered the opportunity to discuss the report by video consultation. Plans are made for intervention sessions and goals.
Occupational Therapy Intervention sessions
Following assessment, the child starts intervention sessions based on the parents wishes and the outcome of the assessment. These sessions take place in the EquiSense Yard. The sessions vary from 40 minutes to an hour, based on the ability of the child to engage and benefit from the input. The child will be introduced to the horse, and the intervention takes place in the arena and field. The activities may be carried out on the ground (ie not mounted) and include games, play activities, stable activities on behalf of the horse etc. Mounted activities are also part of the intervention where the child will be placed in different positions on the horse. All activities are tailored to the age, stage of development and needs of the individual so that their goals can be addressed.
In general a child will attend for a series of sessions (agreed with the parents at the assessment stage). At the end of this period, options regarding progression will be discussed. Options include continuing intervention with adapted goals, discharge with a plan for future intervention, discharge to a step down service within EquiSense, or discharge.
Occupational Therapy Parent support session
During your child’s time with us there may be a need to review their goals depending on their progress, or to support parents and families with everyday situations and routines. Parents may also benefit from support with integrating specific activities into their childs routines to support their ongoing progression towards goal achievement. These sessions are available on request with the Occupational Therapist and are focused educational and planning sessions in relation to the unique needs of your child.
Equine Assisted Occupational Therapy (EAOT)
This service leverages the unique movement of horses and the equine environment to help children develop functional skills in a natural and engaging setting. Being in nature, the equine environment is a truly regulating environment in which to support children to develop and progress functional skills. Occupational therapy sessions are tailored to individual needs and incorporate games and activities that not only develop play skills, but also incorporate the horse’s movement and the equine environment to promote sensory, physical, and emotional regulation, along with the development of the child’s functional independence that will support their daily routines. A full Occupational Therapy Service is provided, including assessment, intervention, home programs, and parent education. Family support sessions are also available to assist parents in integrating therapeutic activities into daily routines, and support integration of new skills into everyday activities.