At OT to GO we focus on building the necessary foundation skills in order to increase the successful participation of children at school, home and in the community. Children can experience challenges in a variety of areas, and a thorough assessment will identify specifically which issues are impacting on a child’s performance. Common areas we assist include:
Fine motor skills are involved in any activities requiring small, controlled hand and finger movements such as pencil/crayon and scissor use, craft activities, threading, manipulating puzzle pieces, and self care activities like fastening buttons, zips and shoelaces.
Some children are able to manipulate items without difficulty but can only do so for a short time due to hand strength issues. Tactile defensiveness can be seen among younger children, which often impacts on fine motor skill development.
Handwriting is a very complex task requiring many skills. Children are often referred to OT for difficulties with neatness, legibility, speed and endurance, as well as pencil grasp. We often see reluctance to write and slow progression of handwriting skills.
Difficulties in these areas are often first noticed when a child begins school. Children need to be able to filter out irrelevant stimulation such as background noise in a busy classroom, and focus on cues that are necessary.
Some children have difficulty sitting still on the mat, listening and following instructions, and may be unintentionally disruptive. Problems in this area can significantly impact on learning and behaviour.
This refers to the ability to see and interpret visual information. It is important for many tasks including reading, handwriting, spelling, copying from the board, finding one’s place on a page or an object in a pencil case/drawer, completing puzzles and maths activities.
Children with gross motor difficulties may struggle with ball skills and bike-riding, have difficulty using playground equipment, appear clumsy, be reluctant to participate in sports or hesitate to join in with group games in the playground.
Self-care involves activities necessary for childhood independence such as dressing, eating and toileting. Some children have difficulty fastening buttons and zips, tying shoelaces, opening food wrappers, taking off/putting on socks and shoes, washing hands and going to the toilet independently.
A child needs to be able to organise both their body and the environment for successful completion of tasks. This requires many skills simultaneously such as planning, sequencing, body and spatial awareness, concentration and ability to follow instructions. Teachers may report that a child is slow to get ready, requires instructions to be repeated several times, loses items or bumps into others/furniture when moving around.
