At Grace Children’s Therapy, our community occupational therapy services support children and young people to live healthy, independent lives within their own environments. We advocate for a healthy lifestyle and independent living within the community for all our clients, and this looks different for everyone, depending on their age (life stage) and ability to perform tasks.
Sometimes skill development works best when delivered within a familiar environment, and within the relevant context, the skill needs to be performed. Occupational therapists offer unique specialty skills in developing daily living skills with the aim of building and working towards independence. This takes a unique, holistic and purposeful approach to teaching activities of daily living (daily occupations) which is one of the core specialty areas of occupational therapists.
Participation
The term “participation” is defined by the World Health Organisation” as the nature and extent of a person’s involvement in life situations and includes activities of self-care, mobility, socialisation, education, recreation, and community life. Participation in activities is the context in which people form friendships, develop skills and competencies, express creativity, achieve mental health, and determine meaning and purpose in life.
UPSkill program
Do you have a teenager/adolescent that needs assistance with developing their morning or afternoon routine? Or, may have activities of daily living where generalisation from clinic to home requires intervention to be delivered in the home environment and skill transference requires more intense home-based services. Our UPSkill Program is designed to have a short block of therapy within the home environment to hone in on those activities of daily living (tasks) and work towards increasing independence in the home environment.
What are some of the tasks that may need further assistance for skills transference in the home environment.
- After school routine and homework routine
- Making the bed
- Folding clothes
- Using the dishwasher, washing machine
- Hanging clothes on the line
- Making a snack
Our UPSkill Program is one of our specialised community occupational therapy services, designed to have a short block of therapy within the home environment.
Health and fitness goals
Every person, regardless of disability or ability should have the opportunity to engage in physical activity. Our occupational therapists can conduct an assessment of participation and enjoyment to evaluate activity types and identify gaps and activity preferences. The evaluation can assist children to identify the activities they would like to explore further.
At Grace Children’s Therapy, we endeavour to promote participation of physical activity to increase a child’s overall physical, mental and social wellbeing as well as, provide opportunities to explore activities of interest. Occupational therapists can bridge the gap between clients and their chosen recreational activity with the view of improving their quality of life.
There are many benefits to physical activity/sports, such as;
- Cardiovascular health
- Stronger bones and muscles – improved skeletal development
- Improved functional movements
- Improved mental health
- Reduce risk of chronic conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes
- Helps to build confidence and self-esteem
- Assists with developing peer friendships
Community Occupational Therapy Services – Home, School and Preschool Visits
Grace Children’s Therapy provides community occupational therapy services across a range of settings, including homes, schools and preschools.
This service is dependent on capacity, location and agreement with the school, preschool or day care centre, and therapy goals may also impact the decision to move forward with a community visit, as the environment may or may not be suitable or conducive to helping your child achieve their therapy goals.
If you are interested in a community-based visit for your child, contact our office to express your interest, and we can discuss your options and availability to offer this service.
Next Steps
To learn more about our community occupational therapy services, click here.
