Occupational Therapy
Evolving Families offers Occupational Therapy assessment and intervention for children, young people and adults where daily life, independence, sensory processing, emotional regulation or functional skills are affected.
Occupational Therapy focuses on how a person manages the everyday activities that matter to them. For children and young people, this may include play, school participation, self-care, dressing, eating, sleep routines, emotional regulation and independence. For adults, it may include daily routines, work-related tasks, planning, organisation, self-care and participation in home or community life.
Our Occupational Therapy service includes support from an Occupational Therapist with specialist postgraduate training in Sensory Integration.
Difficulties we Support
Occupational Therapy may be helpful where there are difficulties with:
- Sensory processing
- Emotional and sensory regulation
- Daily routines
- Dressing, eating or personal care
- Sleep-related routines
- Fine or gross motor skills
- Coordination and motor planning
- Functional independence
- School participation
- Work-related tasks
- Planning, organisation and sequencing
- Initiating and completing tasks
- Behaviour linked to sensory or functional demands
- Transitions between activities
- Participation at home, school, work or in the community
- Neurodevelopmental differences, including autism or ADHD
- Functional needs linked to anxiety, trauma or developmental differences
For some children, Occupational Therapy may sit alongside psychological therapy, autism or ADHD assessment, Speech and Language Therapy, school consultation or wider family support.
Our Approach
Our Occupational Therapy approach is practical, individualised and focused on everyday life. We aim to understand what the person is finding difficult, why this may be happening, and what changes may support participation, independence and regulation. This may involve thinking about the person, the task, the environment and the expectations placed on them.
Recommendations may include sensory strategies, routine changes, environmental adaptations, practical skill-building, home or school activities, equipment suggestions where appropriate, and advice for parents, carers, schools or other professionals.
Where Occupational Therapy forms part of wider Evolving Families support, we aim to integrate OT recommendations with psychological understanding, neurodevelopmental assessment, family context and the systems around the person.
What We Offer
Our Occupational Therapy service may include:
- Occupational Therapy assessment and report
- Sensory Integration assessment and report
- Combined Occupational Therapy and Sensory Integration assessment
- Assessment of activities of daily living, or ADLs
- Assessment of fine and gross motor skills where indicated
- Assessment of functional cognition, including planning, sequencing, organisation and task completion
- Sensory profile questionnaires
- Clinical observations of sensory-motor and functional performance
- Practical recommendations for home, school, work or care settings
- Follow-up therapy or intervention sessions where appropriate
The recommended pathway will depend on the person’s age, needs, daily routines, current concerns and the type of support required.
Assessment options
OT Assessment
An Occupational Therapy assessment focuses on how a person manages everyday activities and routines.
This may include looking at personal care, dressing, eating, domestic tasks, mobility, school or work-related activities, motor skills, independence and functional cognition.
This type of assessment may be helpful where there are questions about daily living skills, practical functioning, independence, coordination, planning, organisation or participation in everyday life.
Sensory Integration (SI) Assessment
A Sensory Integration assessment explores how sensory processing affects behaviour, emotional regulation, movement, participation and daily functioning.
This may include sensory profile questionnaires, developmental history, clinical observations and analysis of how sensory needs affect daily occupations such as play, school, self-care, routines or work-related tasks.
This type of assessment may be helpful when sensory differences appear to be affecting regulation, behaviour, attention, movement, anxiety, sleep, daily routines or participation.
Combined OT and SI Assessment
A combined assessment gives a broader understanding of daily functioning, sensory processing, motor skills, emotional regulation and participation.
This may be particularly helpful for children and young people with more complex or overlapping needs, including neurodevelopmental differences, sensory processing differences, difficulties with daily routines, school participation, motor planning or emotional regulation.
The assessment brings together occupational performance findings and sensory integration-informed formulation, with practical recommendations to support participation, regulation and independence.
Follow-Up Intervention
Following an Occupational Therapy, Sensory Integration or Combined assessment, follow-up intervention sessions may be offered where appropriate.
These sessions focus on helping the person, family or setting put recommendations into practice. This may include working towards agreed goals, reviewing progress, developing home or school activities, adapting strategies and liaising with family members or professionals where needed.
Intervention is planned collaboratively so that strategies are realistic, practical and able to fit into everyday routines.
