What does an OT do, and when to make a referral?

The first question that people often ask is “What does an Occupational Therapist do?” The answer to this question is that Occupational Therapists (OT’s) work with people across their lifespan by promoting health and wellbeing using everyday activities that are meaningful to the individual. OT’s can work in a variety of different settings.

At OTSM we focus on working with children, adolescents and young adults.

What does this actually mean?

OT’s work collaboratively with clients and their families where appropriate to form holistic client centred goals to identify areas for therapy.

For a child this may mean that they do not have the social skills to make friends and play with their peers or perhaps they are having trouble with writing and grasping a pen leading to tired hands and messy writing. OT’s will work with clients to help develop and consolidate these skills.

Adolescents and young adults are often faced with emotional, cognitive, physical and social challenges that may impact on their wellbeing and mental health. In this instance OT’s may focus on working with the individual to increase their communication and social skills to increase self-esteem. OT’s may also work on other areas such as self-care and school/work or even home modifications such as ramps or adaptive equipment for instance adaptive shoelaces, where appropriate.

When should someone be referred to an OT and who refers them?

Children and Adolescents may be referred to an OT by their GP, Paediatrician or Teacher. Some may also be self-referred.

Some reasons for referral include:

-          When a child does not reach developmental milestones

-          Difficulties with age appropriate social skills including play skills and interpersonal skills.

-          When a child struggles with skills such as cutting, drawing and writing

-          If a child has poor balance and coordination skills and may appear clumsy. An example of this is when a child displays poor ball skills.

-          Visual processing challenges such as visual tracking or recognition of letters.

-          Oversensitivity to touch/sound/textures. This is often associated with heightened reactivity when exposed to these.

-          If a child is easy distracted

-          Learning challenges.

At OTSM we help children, adolescents and young adults overcome challenges and achieve their goals, whether it’s social skills, fine motor/gross motor skills at school or in the community, sensory challenges or concentration. We aim to promote greater independence, resilience and self-esteem!

Thank you for visiting this blog! And remember to stay tuned for next week.

If you have any questions or would like to book a consultation, please do not hesitate to contact me