Do we need therapy?
Are you concerned that your child/teen is not progressing at age appropriate levels or not managing expected daily occupations?
Or are an adult who is struggling with daily life tasks, going to work or futher education?
Occupational Therapy could be the answer.
Is performing everyday tasks is much harder than for others?
Is managing behaviour a concern and challenging others?
This could be hinting at some underlying challenge which is resulting in a daily struggle.
Is it difficult to cope with day to day living ?
It is always hard hear to or think that someone is struggling in some area of their life, even when you have had that niggling feeling that all is not well! The natural response is to minimise the problem or presume that they will grow out of it or catch up on their own. While this may happen from time to time, it is our experience that waiting for this possibility is often detrimental to progress and self-esteem. Sometimes, just a little bit of help from an Occupational Therapist to identify their challenge and support their function can make all the difference in the world.
Understanding why skills are so difficult or there is a reluctance or an emotional response in specific situations can go a long way to helping you handle the situation better.
Is the service free?
The short answer is no, however, there are a number of options for assessment depending on the problem if you want to use statutory services such as the NHS or Local authority. They are fully funded by the government to provide basic services for the general public. You can contact your local authority children with disabilities team or community care or mental health teams for adults or you may have access to Occupational Therapy through the NHS. These services are free at the point of use.
Activate OT Ltd receives no funding to support the service and therefore has to pay all costs out of the charge this includes rent, amenities, insurance, purchase of equipment as well as salaries. If you feel you don’t want to wait on a waiting list or that the service you want is not available within the statutory services then maybe an independent Occupational Therapist is for you but the service is not free. The level of expertise takes many years of training and experience.
Is Ayres Sensory Integration® Therapy the same as using fidget toys, ear defenders or having movement breaks?
The short answer is no!
Using fidget toys, ear defenders or movement breaks or other strategies like this are useful but without understanding the underlying neurological sensory patterns they are unlikely to have a lasting effect.
Jean Ayres developed a theory about what happens when sensory integration does not develop well, she developed a way of assessing these difficulties and a way of treating them. She carried out research to further develop and understand sensory integration and she treated many children with sensory integration difficulties. Since then a number of occupational therapists have continued her work.
Ayres Sensory Integration® is a targeted therapy that works best when given on a 1:1 basis with a daily sensory routine that targets specific sensory pathways to encourage new neural pathways to develop.
What is involved in an Occupational Therapy or an Ayres Sensory ® Therapy Assessment?
Every person has unique strengths and challenges. During assessment we strive to understand the diversity of the person by completing an in-depth evaluation of their occupational needs by understanding their underlying motivations, patterns of occupation, communication, motor & processing skills as well as environmental assets.
This assessment is a process that involves time with the client, the family/carers, and educators/ employers who may be working with the person. Depending on the age of your person and their abilities, this may take a number of hours.
In order to answer your questions regarding an assessment for your unique child and the costs associated with it, please feel to contact me via email or call me for a free 30 min consultation call.
If an assessment highlights that some assistance is required what does therapy look like?
As each person and situation is unique, therapy is tailored to meet the strengths and constraints of each specific context. Typically, a client will attend an individual therapy session on a weekly basis. This session will last around 60 minutes. The parent/carer is encouraged to be part of the session in order to maximise carryover of information and help them continue therapeutic inputs at home. In our experience, progress is significantly quicker when the caregiver is committed to drawing therapeutic activities into the person’s daily life.
How long will we need to attend therapy once it starts?
This will depend on how significant the challenges are that the person is facing, as well as the intensity of the intervention. The occupational therapist will discuss progress with you on a regular basis, and in consultation with you, make a decision to extend therapy or initiate discharge.
Occupational therapy focuses on strengthening skills. If the foundation skills are unsteady we need to add more structure to support the foundations. When we teach more complex skills on shaky foundations it increases stress and anxiety and although this may bring some improvements in the short term it is likely to be limited in success. Although working on the foundations may seem to take longer, the end result is robust learning and progress across many skill areas.
How does payment work?
Therapy fees are based on comparisons with like for like agencies. This practice is private and receive no public funding for support and clients must pay the practice directly.
In this practice, invoices are sent to the person responsible for paying the account following each therapy session. A monthly statement is sent at the end of the month, where after the full account must be paid within 7 days. If you should choose to pay on a weekly basis we are happy to accept this. If payments are not made on time within the allocated time therapy will cease.
How is therapy terminated?
Therapy can be terminated when a client has successfully met the goals agreed upon for intervention. This is usually done in consultation with client and/or carers, in order to ensure success going forward.
Occasionally, circumstances dictate that therapy cannot continue. In these circumstances, either the client, carer or the Therapist, must give two weeks written notice to the other party. The notice period is necessary in order to prepare the client and round off unfinished work.
All decisions made must be in the best interests of the client concerned. We would encourage you to discuss problems with the therapist and to work closely in implementing all therapies decided upon.
Activate OT 