Sensory Processing
(Attention, Postural Motor Control, Organisation)
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Sensory processing is the way that the brain receives information from our senses (i.e. vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch, proprioception, vestibular and interoception), and interpret these information so that we can respond and adapt to our environment. For children who has difficulties with sensory processing, they might under respond or over respond to sensory stimuli in the environment. This makes it difficult for them to attend to their surroundings in a calm and alert manner, or make appropriate responses. Some of the common problems that a child with sensory processing difficulties are being easily distracted by sounds in the classroom, being sensitive to different types of clothing textures or requiring repeated instructions before responding.
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Occupational therapy help these children to process sensory information better so that they can attend and engage in their daily tasks in a calm and more efficient manner.
Gross, Fine and Oral Motor Skills
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Motor skills are important in daily lives for both adults and children as we require motor skills to do almost every activity. Children use their motor skills to play, learn and take care of themselves.
o Fine motor skills are movements that involve smaller muscle groups such as the wrist and fingers. They are important for activities like handwriting, feeding, buttoning, tying shoelaces etc.
o Oral motor skills are movements that involve the muscles in the mouth. They are important for activities like eating, drinking, toothbrushing, etc.​​
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​Occupational therapists help children with their motor skills so that they can be confident in using their body in performing tasks as well as being efficient in doing so.
Handwriting
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Handwriting is a complex task that involves many motor and processing skills which include coordinating the eyes, arms, hands, body posture and also processing of visual information. Other than the visible parts of handwriting, e.g. legibility of handwriting, there are underlying factors that affect the quality of handwriting, e.g. the control and gradation of the muscle strength.
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Occupational therapists evaluate and work on these underlying motor and process skills that affect handwriting as well as to provide strategies to improve handwriting.
Oculomotor (Eye Movements) Skills
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Oculomotor skills are movements involving the eye muscles necessary for daily life tasks as well as schoolwork tasks such as reading and handwriting. The movements include the eyes being able to fixate and hold a steady gaze on an object, being able to use sustained visual tracking on a moving object, being able to scan and search, etc.
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Occupational therapists help children with difficulties in oculomotor skills to develop the efficiency in using various eye movements through games and meaningful activities so that they are able to be more efficient when performing their schoolwork tasks and daily life activities.
Self Care Independence (e.g. Eating, Toileting, etc.)
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Self-care independence refers to the ability to take care of oneself. It involves common daily activities such as feeding, maintaining hygiene, dressing, etc. Mastery of self-care promotes independence and confidence in a child.​​
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Occupational therapists help children to participate in these daily tasks as best as they can.
Organisation
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Organisation involves a systematic process of generating ideas, planning and sequencing them in a logical manner, and being able to carry them out efficiently. Problems in organisational skills may include difficulty in locating one’s belongings, keeping work space tidy or having poor time management.
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Occupational therapists help children with difficulties with organisation to be able to use strategies to plan and prioritise, and to come up with a system that works for them so that they can perform their responsibilities in a more independent and efficient manner.
Self Regulation
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Self-care independence refers to the ability to take care of oneself. It involves common daily activities such as feeding, maintaining hygiene, dressing, etc. Mastery of self-care promotes independence and confidence in a child.
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Occupational therapists help children to participate in these daily tasks as best as they can.
Psychosocial Well-Being and Social Skills
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Psychosocial well-being consists of the state of mental, emotional, social and spiritual well-being. It involves a child’s perception of himself and others, his relation with others and his response to situation. This affects the child’s self-efficacy as well as ability to interact with others.
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Occupational therapists use fun and meaningful activities to help children to develop confidence and self-esteem, and also work on how they can relate and interact with others in a socially appropriate manner to form meaningful relationships.
The intervention programmes of our Centre aim to improve and/or support development in following areas:
Other than providing individual and group therapy programmes at our Centre, our therapists also provide classroom-based intervention, parent/caregiver education to ensure the children have an optimal learning environment to develop their skills and themselves.