Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy is concerned with promoting functional ability, health and well being through occupation. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable students to participate in the activities of everyday life as independently as possible. This may be through improving the child’s skills or it may be through improving the environment in which the child is expected to function eg prescribing special toilet seats or hand rails.
By breaking down a task of everyday living into performance components, the Occupational Therapist can address the underlying function that prevents successful task completion.
Using the Integrated Service model and the Visual Performing Arts Curriculum the Occupational Therapist role is to assist teachers to promote the development and acquisition of skills necessary for occupational performance of life roles. We utilise the vehicles of visual arts (eg painting, paper mache, cutting and pasting visual aids and collages), singing, rhythm, movement and dance to optimise a students’ motivation to engage in learning.
These skills are in 3 main areas:
1.Sensory-Motor skills including use of vision, hearing/ listening, balance, movement through space and gravity, touch, smell, attention, memory and sequencing.
2.Fine Motor development including sensory integration and visual perceptual skills in relation to hand function eg grasping, pointing, drawing, writing, cutting, unscrewing, tying.
3.Independent Living skills development including personal (eg eating, drinking, dressing, toileting, washing hands , blowing noses), domestic (eg preparing a meal ) and community (eg use of public transport).
Through developing these skill components the student enjoys success and increased self esteem in completing activities at school, home and in the community equipping them for their life’s journey.