Sensory Processing
We are all sensory beings that rely on our ability to process, integrate and organise sensory information from our bodies and the environment, from when we are in the womb, to when we take our last breath to survive and thrive. Sensory integration is how we experience, interpret and react to information coming in from our eight senses (vision, auditory, tactile, gustatory, olfactory, proprioception, vestibular and interoception).
Effective sensory integration is an automatic neurological process that is vital to all the things we do daily such as getting dressed, eating, moving around, socialising, learning, relaxing, playing and working. We can help you develop a deeper understanding of your child’s sensory profile.
We are experts in Sensory Integration Therapy which improves sensory perceptual abilities, self-regulation, motor skills, and praxis. Often the focus is on behaviour and academic learning, but without fundamental key skills (bottom of the pyramid) mastered children will struggle with the higher level skills.
Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor skills involve the larger muscle groups and total body movements required for locomotor activities including walking, running, jumping and object control skills including throwing and catching. These muscles control posture, balance, agility, strength and coordination.
Smooth, fluid and accurate movement is needed to do sports, move though space safely, navigate new layouts and engage in playground activities. Gross motor skills form the basis for more complex skill development such as fine motor skills and handwriting.
We will assess your child’s sensory systems which are vital for the brain to decide how the body should move. We will then analyse and unpick your child’s gross motor skills to understand which components of those skills your child is struggling with the most.
Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills involve the coordination of small muscles, usually in the hand, fingers and thumb which develop most rapidly in early childhood. They are needed to manipulate, control and use tools such as a pencil, cutlery, buttons, zips, laces, scissors, colouring pencils, rulers, keyboards and some toys.
The complex levels of manual dexterity that humans exhibit can be related to the nervous system. Fine motor skills aid in the growth of intelligence and develop continuously throughout the stages of human development.
We can identify exactly which component of fine motor skills your child is struggling with the most and provide effective treatment to improve those skills.
Visual Motor Integration & Visual Perceptual Skills
Visual motor integration is a complex skills set which encompasses visual perception, motor control and hand-eye coordination. It is the ability to visually see something, understand it and attach meaning to it, for example to catch a ball, visual perception is needed to judge the speed of a ball, its distance, its direction in space and how this relates to the position of the child's hands and the applied force needed to move arms and hands through space to successfully catch.
Simply put it relates to the ability to understand a visual image (transmitted by the eyes to the brain) and translate that into an accurate motor action. These skills are vital for learning and doing things with accuracy.
Visual perception can be distorted in children who are not receiving accurate information through their sensory or physical system. We are experts at assessing the different types of visual processing skills and how they impact on numerous every day activities including writing, completing puzzles, cutting, drawing, dressing, finding your sock on the bedroom floor, as well as many other skills.
Handwriting
Handwriting is both an ancient art (from drawing on a rock) and a modern-day tool (to jot down a shopping list, write a birthday card or phone message, complete a bank form or write an essay). Some people focus on neatness and presentation while for others it’s just a tool to put ideas to paper, effortlessly and fast.
For all of us handwriting is a complex skill that is dependent on the maturation, integration and coordination of several linguistic, cognitive, perceptual and motor components. It is learnt through instruction and time in early years. If left under-developed it can become a major problem later in academic life. Difficulty mastering it can cause frustration and distress. Not all difficulties are caused by the same factors.
We have the expertise to explore your child’s underlying problems with handwriting challenges and we can address them with tailored, motivational, fun, sensory, play-based therapy. The earlier we can support your child with this, the better.
Occupation
Occupational Therapy enables people to participate in daily life and so improve their health and wellbeing. Daily life is made up of many activities (or occupations). We help children and young people that need support and advice to do occupations well independently. Examples of occupations we can help with include:
Self-Care: Dressing
Self-Care: Eating
Self-Care: Toileting
Self-care: Others such as sleeping, helping with the chores or looking after themselves by brushing their teeth or hair, or cutting their nails.
Education: School related skills including scissors, cutting and pasting, handwriting or drawing
Leisure: Play, making friends, developing interests, socialising and taking part in hobbies