The overall aim of the Children's Occupational Therapy service in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent is to help children who have either a physical disability or a motor coordination difficulty to do the things they want and need to do in life.
This helps them to:
- participate in their home life, school life, and in wider society
- become as independent as possible in childhood and adulthood
- reach their full potential
- achieve a good quality of life
How we work
In order to do an activity well there are three factors:
- the child
- the task
- the environment
An occupational therapist will analyse which factor needs to be addressed to enable a child to participate.
Child directed intervention
Advice or treatment which changes something about the way a child functions (e.g. better grip of a pen, better understanding of how to plan their movements, better ability to organise their workspace and body)
Environmental modification
Changing something about the people and the place where the child does the activity. Helping adults understand how best to help, altering seating or lighting or noise levels. (e.g. seating the child differently at mealtimes so they can cut up their food more easily)
Task adaptation
Making the task easier so the child can succeed, for example breaking the task into small steps, using different tools, or different materials. (e.g. special scissors, broader lines to cut along)
Referral Criteria
The service accepts appropriate referrals for children from 0 to 19 years of age who have either a physical disability or movement difficulty. This is a service which focusses on the physical skills of a child. Therefore we only see children who have mental health conditions such as Autism, Asperger's or ADHD if there is a clear physical difficulty occurring as well.