Occupational Therapy

What is school-based occupational therapy?

“School-based occupational therapy is designed to enhance the student’s ability to fully access and be successful in the learning environment. Occupational therapists collaborate with the student, parents, teachers, […] and other professionals with the goal of achieving the best school experience possible for the student.”

– Fitzgerald, O’Keeffe and MacCobb (2011)

Occupational Therapy at Tuart Hill Primary

Deep Pressure

Deep pressure is a technique used to optimise attention and arousal levels. Deep pressure strategies provides extra sensory input to the muscles and connective tissues of the body, which helps children concentrate and focus during table top activities such as writing, drawing and cutting, as well as mat time.

Gross Motor Activities

We are working on increasing the upper body strength of the children. Strength is needed in the upper body, particularly the shoulder, for fine motor control to complete school tasks such as handwriting, cutting and drawing.

Fine Motor Activities

During our small group sessions, we have placed emphasis on increasing strength in the children’s fingers and hands. We do this so that their fine motor control is more efficient for tasks like handwriting, cutting and drawing.