Occupational Therapy Evaluations
An occupational therapy assessment will address the strength and weakness a child may have that impact their daily “occupations” and ability to participate in their daily activities. These include things like self-care skills, classroom work, social interaction with peers, and play. All of our assessments are used to analyze how your child completes these daily activities and the results are used to create a therapy plan for treatment. To complete an evaluation we conduct an interview, complete standardized and non-standardized tests, and make clinical observations. Prior to coming in, families will complete paperwork about their child’s medical history, birth and development, and areas of concern. Families will also complete the Sensory Profile to give us a better understanding of your child’s reactions to all types of sensory experiences they may encounter daily.
six main reasons why occupational therapists complete assessments
- To identify any concerns or difficulties and how they impact upon daily occupations
- To prioritize main concerns of the family
- To naturally observe the child completing activities in school or at home
- To observe social relationships and how they affect activities
- The impact this has on the school and home environment
- The social/behavioral impact
Before Your Evaluation
•Complete new client paperwork and Sensory Profile • Bring any related reports, documents or medical information. • Be prepared to answer questions about your child's medical and developmental history as well his or her academic history if your child is school age.
Before Your Evaluation
• Be prepared to ask any questions you may have and share your concerns. • Make sure your child is not hungry or thirsty. Please do not bring food or drinks into your evaluation.
DURING THE EVALUATION
• Expect to meet a licensed Occupational Therapist (OT) who will conduct your initial evaluation. • Most of the assessment is done in a play environment and will be fun!
DURING THE EVALUATION
• Your licensed OT will use a variety of methods to assess your child, including observations, parent interview, play-based activities and formal testing.
AFTER THE EVALUATION
• You will receive a written report detailing the evaluation results. • Results and recommendations will be reviewed with you.
AFTER THE EVALUATION
• Specific goals for your child’s individual needs will be created and shared with you.
Evaluations
Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills involve use of the small muscles in the hands. These include skills such as: grasping objects, writing, cutting with scissors, shoe-tying, and fastening buttons. These skills are needed to for self-care and participation in activities at school and at home.
Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor skills pertain to skills involving large muscle movements, such as: independent sitting, crawling, walking, or running. Fine motor skills involve use of smaller muscles, such as grasping, object manipulation, or drawing.
Daily Living Skills/Self Care
Daily activities refer to the activities an average child completes, consisting mainly of three areas: play, school and home life. Self care skills are the everyday tasks undertaken to be ready to participate in life activities (including dressing, eating, cleaning teeth and more).
Handwriting Skills
Handwriting Assessment is an assessment of handwriting legibility, pencil grip and visual perception and is similar to the DASH assessment... For example, letter formation, spacing, alignment, legibility and uniformity of slope and size of letters will all be evaluated.
Visual Perception Skills
Good visual perceptual skills are important for many everyday skills such as reading, writing, puzzles, cutting, drawing. Completing Visual perceptual skills are the brain's ability to make sense of what the eyes see. It is important for everyday activities such as dressing, eating, writing, and playing. There are seven different categories for visual perceptual skills. We will review each of these categories, as well as some visual perceptual activities that are helpful for children.
Sensory Processing Skills
What will the Sensory assessment assess?
The occupational therapist will use the Sensory assessment to gain a better insight into how your child perceives the sensory environment and how this affects your child during day to day life, both at school and at home. This would include a detailed discussion and practical assessment of how sensory difficulties are impacting on function, and provide reasons why this could be.
Impact on the school environment
A school has one of the most overloaded sensory environments than any other environment. This can be extremely overwhelming for any child, the sensory assessment would look at the classroom, the atmosphere and help available at school for your child. To cope with the level of sensory information received at school, your child may have developed behaviours that are used to calm their own sensory system. These could be shouting, rocking, or finding somewhere quiet.
Impact on the home
The Sensory assessment will also assess the input your child is receiving at home. For example, In a loud, busy home environment, a child may struggle to take in information, concentrate on a task or partake in family activities.
Social/Behavioral implications
Children with sensory difficulties may express bad behaviour, or behaviours that are socially unacceptable in order to cope with sensory information. This assessment would help identify these and provide strategies that can be used to manage them.
Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE)
This term comes from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and refers to the evaluation of a student by a qualified professional who does not work for the school district responsible for the education of the child. The evaluation is typically initiated by a parent and/or a school district when additional information or a second opinion is needed for a child's education, placement, and services. This type of assessment is tailored specifically to each student and their individual needs and for that reason every assessment will vary. Some specific “core” of tests will be administered, with other measures added to the assessment depending on the compromises revealed during the assessment process. Parents can pay for their own independent evaluations at any time. However, in certain circumstances the school district may be financially responsible. The school district has regulations outlining the conditions for obtaining an IEE at public expense. However, the school has the right to evaluate your child before considering the need for an IEE.
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