The occupational therapy team help children and young people age 0 – 19 participate and manage in their everyday tasks and activities to support development, health and wellbeing.
About the service
Children’s occupational therapists work in partnership with children and young people, their families, carers and supporting professionals. The main focus of occupational therapy is to empower and support children and young people to live their lives as independently as possible within the context of their family unit and community.
Difficulties with life skills may arise due to environmental barriers, developmental delay, disability, or illness. We explore strengths and work towards reducing barriers to quality of life and being able to take part and achieve in the activities children and young people want and need to do. Life skills include self-care, play, leisure, and education. Occupational therapists call these ‘occupations’ and these can include:
- Self-Care – sleep, washing, brushing teeth, eating and drinking, going to the toilet, getting dressed.
- Play – learning and practicing new play skills and exploring different ways to play in different settings. This may include toys, play equipment, the natural environment, and other people.
- Leisure – joining in with hobbies and activities with family or friends at home and in the wider community.
- Education – there are many skills involved, which may include getting there, getting around, paying attention, joining in with sensory differences, organising self and equipment, positions for learning in class, taking part in PE and being able to take part in activities which need writing, cutting, art and science equipment, IT and more.
Referrals to the team are triaged and appointments arranged with parents and carers to discuss areas of strength and difficulty. Assessment may include a home visit, nursery or school visit, or clinic appointment, depending on need and the type of challenges identified. The occupational therapist will discuss strategies, programmes, and equipment specific to the child or young person and their supporting adults. Intervention may include a variety of settings such as home, respite, nursery, and school.
The team includes:
- Occupational therapists
- Occupational therapy technical instructors
- Admin staff
The service sees children and young people who are registered with a Gateshead GP. Referrals are accepted from GPs, Social Workers, Health, and Education professionals.
Occupational Therapy Resources
The team are currently developing a range of resources, which will be uploaded to the resources section of the website.
If you do not find what you are looking for, please re-visit in the future as new resources will be added once developed.
