Does your school age child need OT?
Please complete this brief checklist if you have concerns
in regards to your school-age child's development.
Fine Motor Skills
- Has an awkward grip when using cutlery, pencils, scissors, etc.
- Has “shaky” hands or fingers
- Avoids drawing, cutting, fiddly tasks.
- Appears to be weak in their hands and complains of pain during colouring or handwriting
- Still needs help to open packages etc
- Finds handwriting is difficult to produce and difficult to read
- Is slow/reluctant to complete written work
- Produce work significantly below the standard of the rest of their class /age group
Gross Motor Skills
- Is clumsy in moving their body e.g. trips over frequently, bumps into obstacles
- Runs or walks awkwardly
- Is fearful to walk in the dark, e.g. must have a night light
- Tires easily and lacks stamina of other children the same age
- Afraid to use playground equipment
- Slow to learn new movement tasks e.g. hopping, skipping, and swimming
- Difficulty with simple ball catching
- Has trouble walking up and down stairs with alternate feet
Visual Perceptual Skills
- Has difficulty completing puzzles
- Has difficulty locating things against a cluttered background
- Has difficulty copying shapes and letters
- Has difficulty identifying visual symbols e.g. letters, numbers, shapes
- Has difficulty remembering visual information
- Makes persistent reversals in reading, letter formation, and numerals past yr 2.
Self-Care/Organisational Skills
- Struggles with dressing tasks e.g. buttons, shoelaces, zips, socks.
- Lacks independence in tasks easily done by others their age e.g. cutlery, pouring drinks/struggles with hygiene tasks e.g. bathing, brushing teeth, grooming, etc.
- Has difficulty learning and following daily routines e.g. getting ready for school
- Has difficulty starting and completing tasks
- Has difficulty organising themselves and their materials/possessions
If you ticked some of the boxes above an Occupational Therapy Assessment is recommended as Occupational Therapy can assist the development of these skills.