Occupational Therapy
The occupational therapy (OT) team at Pen-y-Cwm School consists of three OTs; two from health and one from social services. The health OTs are based at Nevill Hall Children’s centre in Abergavenny and the social services OT is based at Blaenau Gwent Social Services in Ebbw Vale. An OT technical instructor employed by health will also carry out aspects of OT within the school.
Occupational therapists are interested in children/young people’s occupations. These are the things that children/young people need to be able to do to live their lives and fulfil their occupational roles:
- Self care i.e. dressing, toileting, eating, washing
- Productivity i.e. handwriting, scissor skills, switch skills to access IT or communication aids
- Leisure i.e. play, riding a bike, accessing sports clubs/facilities
The occupational therapists primary goal is to help children/young people to develop, restore and maintain those skills, behaviours and relationships necessary for independent living.
The OTs will work closely with the child or young person, parents and teachers to develop practical approaches and find solutions to help them get the most out of life, whether at school or in the community.
OTs help by finding out which occupations the child/young person is having difficulty with and then:
- Helps the child/young person develop the skills they need to carry out those
- occupations as independently as possible
- Teaches the child/young person, parents/carers a new way or different way to
- carry out those occupations to make them easier and safer
- Recommends equipment to help make the occupation safer or easier to carry out
- Alters environments to help the child access and function within that environment more effectively
If you would like more information about the referral criteria for OT please discuss with your child’s class teacher.