Babies and children with a range of conditions, including the following, are treated and supported:
Developmental Delay / Learning Difficulties
All children develop at different rates. Some children have delays in development but remain within normal limits for child development. Developmental delay is any significant lag in a child's physical, cognitive, behavioural, emotional, or social development, in comparison with their peer group.
Children with genetic conditions / syndromes
Some children are diagnosed at birth or soon after with a genetic condition/syndrome. They can often be helped to mitigate the effects.
Developmental Co-ordination Disorder / Dyspraxia
Developmental Co-ordination Disorder l dyspraxia is an impairment or immaturity of the organisation of movement. It is an immaturity in the way that the brain processes information, which results in messages not being properly or fully transmitted. The term dyspraxia comes from the word praxis, which means doing. Dyspraxia affects the planning of what to do and how to do it. It is associated with problems of perception, organisation, language and thought.
DCD can also overlap with other conditions such as dyslexia, attention deficit disorders and social communication disorders such as children on the Autistic Sepctrum.
Sensory Processing Disorder
Sensory integration (SI) is the neurological process that organises sensation from one's own body and the environment. For most people, sensory integration develops in the course of ordinary childhood activities.
For some people, sensory integration does not develop as efficiently as it should. This is known as sensory processing disorder (SPD) It encompasses the difficulty some people's nervous systems have with taking in, integrating and making use of sensory information. This changes how a person responds to changes in their own body, the environment and how they interact with it and others around them.
Whether or not children have received a formal diagnosis, therapists treat those who have some/any of the following difficulties with:
- Fine motor skills or hand strength
- Personal care
- Handwriting skills
- Organisational Skills
- Attention and concentration
- Coping with nursery or school life
- Sensory Processing
- Visual perception
Good therapists do not treat a medical condition, they treat what they see and feel. Experience tells us that children may demonstrate any of the following difficulties:
Use these examples as a check list to think about your child and the concerns you may have.
Fine Motor Difficulties:
- Poor manual dexterity
- Difficulty with two-handed tasks such as tying shoe laces, using cutlery, cutting with scissors
- Poor manipulative skills e.g. handwriting difficulties, including development of grip and formation of letters
- Lack of independence with functional skills such as dressing and other self care activities
- Have taken a long time to decide whether to be right or left handed
Gross Motor Difficulties:
- Poor sitting posture and always holding their head when writing.
- Tires easily due to the effort required to complete everyday activities
- Difficulty with ball skills.
Visual Perceptual Difficulties:
- Have they never enjoyed jigsaw puzzles?
- Do they find it hard to copy from the board at school?
- Do you regularly ask them to find something and they cannot see it even if it is really obvious?
Social Skills:
- Does your child find eye contact difficult?
- Is turn taking an issue?
- Do they not really cope socially with playtime at school?
- Does your child have difficulty understanding other people's feelings, reactions, and nonverbal cues?
If in doubt call to discuss your child's needs.
"Occupational Therapists work with people of all ages, helping them to carry out the activities that they need or want to do in order to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.'
- The Royal College of Occupational Therapists.
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Call now on 0775 9669 885 for free telephone consultation or meet up in person to discuss your child's needs and to establish the best way forward to address their difficulties.