About me
When you're selecting an Occupational Therapist it's really important to find the right "fit" for your child/ young person. I hope you find this page useful in deciding whether I may be a "good fit" for your child!
My qualifications & experience
I have experience supporting children and young people across a range of settings, including schools and colleges, working with a variety of SEND and SEMH needs. This experience allows me to offer practical, evidence-based support that is tailored to each child’s individual strengths and challenges.
Why did I become an OT? As a teenager I volunteered on a play scheme for children & young people with a range of disabilities- this is where my passion for studying OT came from! From here, I went onto study Health & Social Care and gain a place studying OT at university. While studying OT I completed various practice placements in areas such as hospital wards and mental health settings. While I was at university I became a swimming teacher and worked as a swimming teacher for toddlers, children & adults. I have always had a passion for helping children to be as independent as possible and I think this is truly where my passion for OT came from!
​Not sure I can support your child's needs?
Please feel free to get in touch to discuss your child’s needs - I am always happy to chat through how occupational therapy support might help.
My approach
I use a neuro-affirming approach when I work with children & young people. This means I do not view neurodiversities as defecits that need to be fixed. Instead I create an inclusive environment where children & teenagers can communicate & act how they feel most comfortable.
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I build therapeutic relationships with children & teenagers by trying my best to "tune in" to the world around them. I connect by using a play-based approach and ensuring the individual is enagaged in motivating activities that matter to them.
I adapt my communication skills to the individual's needs, as well as using spoken words I use some Makaton, visuals and objects of reference. I take time to see what the individual is drawn towards, using elements of 'intensive interaction' to discover what is meaningful to the child.​
What's in my OT toolkit?
Inside my toolkit you'll find child friendly things like:
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Sensory exploring materials: scents, massage ball, light up ball & gym ball...
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Messy play materials: foam, slime, playdoh & kinetic sand...
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Art & craft materials: paint, colouring pens, stamps, collage materials, scissors & glue...
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Games: target games, card games & challenge games...
As well as Lego, bubbles, fidget toys & putty.
A note about assessments:
I understand that we sometimes associate "assessments" with passing/ failing and that many children have undergone daunting assessments. That is why I use a play-based approach to assessment and intervention, finding the "just right" level of challenge for the child to ensure they succeed during tasks. During assessments, I gather information from the child themselves, their school and their parents/ guardians. Although I have access to full assessment kits, sometimes it suits the child to be assessed through play, not through a standardised assessment kit with lots of instructions/ "rules".
What assessments do you have?
Parents/ guardians are typically asked to complete information gathering forms & the following forms at the start of the assessment process:
SPM-2 The Sensory Processing Measure (second edition) has different forms for different age ranges from 4 months-87 years. It assesses sensory integration and processing difficulties in various environments (home/ school). The SPM-2 evaluates responses in sensory systems such as touch, vision, taste & smell, hearing, body awareness (proprioception), balance & motion (vestibular), planning & ideas (praxis) and social participation. It aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the individuals sensory needs.
REAL The Roll Evaluation of Activities of Life is for children aged 2-18 years. It assesses how children perform in everyday activities at home, school & in the community. The REAL assesses self-care: dressing, hygiene & grooming, feeding, toileting, mobility, managing money, using public transport & accessing the community. This assessment also assesses areas such as sequencing, problem solving, safety awareness.
When I turn up for assessments and sessions I usually have a big bag with me, containing lots of games and toys! I need to make sure my toolkit has enough engaging activities inside it, to ensure I can make clinical observations & discreetly make some notes while we play together​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Movement ABC-3 The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (third edition) is an assessment for 3-25 year old's. It assesses gross & fine motor coordination difficulties through 3 subsections: manual dexerity, aiming & catching and balance & locomotion. Manual dexterity tasks assess hand skills, aiming & catching tasks assess hand-eye coordination and balance & locomotion tasks assess body control, hopping, running & jumping. This assessment can highlight potential issues like Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)/ dyspraxia.
Beery VMI The Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (sixth edition) is an assessment for 2-99 year old's. It assesses how individuals coordinate what they see (vision) with their movements (motor). The assessment involves copying a range of shapes which progressively become more challenging.
DASH-2 The Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting (second edition) is for 8-25 year old's. It assesses writing speed, handwriting mechanics (pen grip, posture, pressure, fluency), copying (legibility), alphabet writing and free writing. The DASH-2 can help identify handwriting difficulties.
The following assessment tools may be used with children if they are able to engage with the tasks.
To successfully use these assessment tools, children are required to perform specific tasks in a set way. The scores are then "norm referenced" which means they are compared to what is expected at the child's age.
If children are unable to complete these standardised assessments, clinical observation through play will be conducted instead, completing potentially similar activities in a non-standardised way.
My mission
My overall mission is to genuinely make a difference to the lives of children and young people by helping individuals learn, play and socialise to the best of their abilities. Through fostering an effective therapeutic relationship & truly understanding the child's strengths & areas of need, I collaboratively set meaningful goals with individuals & their families, focused around what they want or need to be able to achieve. My mission is to truly "get on the child's level" and understand their perspective & help them work towards what matters most.
Testimonials
"For the first time in years the missing puzzle pieces slotted into place... Abbie's clear description of how sensory differences affect day to day life were so clear and really made us understand how best to support ...'s needs. Thank you Abbie for really understanding and being such a positive voice for those who need it"
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"Abbie's expert knowledge and professionalism is outstanding; she completed a school based sensory assessment for my grandson and identified areas of sensory sensitivity which explained a number of behaviours impacting on his experience of the world and learning that we were unaware of and which we are hoping will help access support for him at school... The turnaround between assessment and receiving the very detailed report and findings was exceptionally quick. Abbie was friendly and approachable and generously gave her time to speak with me and clarify quieries both before and after the assessment. Thank you Abbie!"