Occupational Therapy

We work with specialist occupational therapists from Children’s Choice Therapy to assess individual children’s sensory needs and develop appropriate therapy programmes.

The programmes are reviewed termly to ensure they remain appropriate for our children.

Our senses provide us with a means of interacting with our environment as well as allowing us to develop understanding and respond to the environment around us. Many children, particularly those who have a diagnosis of autism, experience difficulties in processing and interpreting sensory inputs – which can result in unusual or uncomfortable perceptions of sound, sense, touch, sight and smell. This means that some children may be unable to focus upon planned teaching activities as their sensory difficulties cause such distress or stimulation. Sensory difficulties can have a profound effect upon a child’s ability to access learning activities during the school day and may be displayed as challenging behaviours. Therefore, as a school we consider these sensory difficulties and implement individual sensory diets. Sensory diets are physical activities that help to alert, organise and then relax the senses of children so that they are ready to take part in class activities and one to one work. Addressing sensory difficulties supports a child’s engagement with their learning and enhances their school experiences.