Occupational Therapy
Making day to day living that much easier
Occupational Therapy (OT) is available to all our students. This kind of therapy is about looking at all aspects of life to ensure students are as mobile and independent as possible, and ensuring they can carry out everyday tasks. So we look at things like wheelchairs, seating and mobility, classroom access, personal care and hygiene, dining room equipment and feeding, and hand function and handwriting.
Every student has their own therapist, overseeing their needs in the boarding house, classroom, dining room and wider community. Other therapists often get involved too, to help students with everyday functions, for example:
- Rehab engineers, physios and occupational therapists work together to assess a student's mobility, wheelchair and seating requirements.
- Speech and language therapists help with communication equipment.
- Care staff help assess a student’s ability to get in and out of the bath, get in and out of bed, get dressed and go to the toilet.
- The OT team is continually assessing students' abilities and liaising with parents, teachers, house staff and outside agencies to ensure progress is made.
Students usually work in small groups or one-to-one with their therapist. We make arrangements according to daily needs, and if a specific issue arises, we can arrange a block of six or 12 weekly sessions to resolve it.