Resources

Before a child can start learning to write letters and understand what they mean, a number of other skills must be learned. Pre-Writing Shapes Being able to interpret, imitate and copy a design is important for learning writing skills. The pre-writing shapes below can help children to learn this. The shapes are arranged in developmental […]

The pincer grip is the ability to pick up very small items using the thumb and index finger in opposition.  The development of this grip can follow a developmental sequence and should end up looking like this: This grip is essential to develop as it is the basis for many functional tasks such as fastenings […]

Cutting skills take time for children to develop. Being able to use scissors to cut well is important for many preschool and school activities including art and craft. Children may have the skills to use small scissors by three to four years of age, but scissor skills are not fully developed until 6 years of […]

Sensory circuits have three elements: alerting activities, organising activities and calming activities. They should always be done in this order. Alerting section: These activities prepare the brain for learning. They activate the vestibular system and provide proprioceptive stimulation. The vestibular system is our sense of balance and proprioception is our sense of where our body […]

Sleep Information In terms of sleep, if your child has Autism this could frequently have an impact on their sleep routine due to heightened sensory input and difficulties with self-regulation. The excitability before bed may be linked to sensory overload or an inability to effectively calm down after a stimulating day. It is important to […]

Therapeutic Putty Exercises for Strengthening Muscles of the Fingers, Hand and Forearm In order to carry out these activities playdoh can be used; however Therapeutic Putty is also useful as it is firmer and can bought in different strengths. A number of companies sell therapeutic putty. ‘Thinking putty’ is also available from some online stores […]

Therapy Putty can be used to improve grip strength, dexterity, and hand strengthening through finger, hand, and wrist resistive exercises. Medium strength putty is recommended for the below exercises however your child’s therapist can advise if a softer or firmer putty is required. Advice and Precautions Wash your hands before and after using the putty […]

Welcome to Children’s Occupational Therapy. Occupational Therapy helps children develop the skills they need for daily activities, such as writing, dressing and playing. Our goal is to support your child in areas such as fine and gross motor skills, sensory regulation, and social development. As Occupational Therapists we work together, with families to ensure, we […]

Self-Care Learning to look after yourself is the first step to developing independence. Self-Care includes washing, dressing, going to the toilet and eating and drinking. Dressing Learning to dress independently is an important life skill. It gives your child a sense of achievement to master a new skill. Going to the toilet Toilet training is […]

About The Children’s Speech and Language Service The Children’s Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) service aims to maximise the communication potential of children and young people aged 0-19 years with speech, language, and communication needs.  The service also provides assessment and support to families to ensure their child can maintain safe and effective eating, drinking […]