The Children’s Neurodevelopmental Occupational Therapy Team are based within the Wrexham Child Health Centre and Catherine Gladstone House, and cover the counties of Wrexham and Flintshire.
Email: BCU.NDOTEast@wales.nhs.uk
The Neurodevelopmental Occupational Therapy (NDOT) team provide assessment of and intervention for:
Sensory differences affecting participation
Postural needs
Environmental issues within education
Fine Motor skills
Feeding
Toilet Hygiene
Self-Care - teeth brushing, hair brushing, dressing difficulties etc.
Scissor Skills
Handwriting
Splinting of upper-limbs
Equipment that aids in the above everyday skills.
The Neurodevelopmental Occupational Therapy referral form should be filled out in full by the referrer who has first-hand knowledge of the child’s difficulties. Referrals are accepted from parents, carers, schools and professionals.
If you are not the parent referring, you have an obligation to obtain the parents/ guardians permission to make this referral to our service.
In order to be eligible for the service the child must: -
Live or attend a school in Wrexham or Flintshire.
Be age 5-18 years/ relevant ALN provision
Be experiencing significant difficulties with their functional performance in areas of occupation – self-care; productivity/activity and leisure/play
Have a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)/ Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), or awaiting assessment
A referral form can be obtained by contacting the department directly or asking the school if they or the school nurse have a copy.
Once received, the referral will be triaged and a decision made whether to accept the referral based on the information provided on the form. On occasions we feel that the child’s difficulties as presented on the referral are not appropriate for our service and their needs may be best met by another service. In these instances, we will write to the referrer and parents to make the appropriate referral.
If accepted at triage, the occupational therapist will review the information provided. The Neurodevelopmental Occupational Therapy team are working in line with the Additional Learning Needs Act in Wales (2018) which means we initially provide universal provision in the form of strategy sheets and links to resources to be trialed and worked on at home and in school.
We will send a diary sheet with these resources and hope you are able to fill in what has been tried and list the elements that have felt successful and those which have not.
Following receipt of the diary sheet, it will be decided which form of input is most appropriate for you and your child. This may be;
Telephone Consultation
Virtual Consultation
Face to Face Consultation
School Visit
Freya Hark
Specialist Neurodevelopmental Children’s Occupational Therapist
Brogan Roberts
Neurodevelopmental Children’s Occupational Therapist
Helen Beckett
Neurodevelopmental Occupational Therapy Technical Instructor
Below are some useful links that can further information and provide support for parents/carers.
Sensory Help Now - this website provides free support to families including videos of practical ideas you can try at home.
Sensory Help Now: Free Sensory Support For Parents & Carers (sensoryintegrationeducation.com)
Sensory Integration Education – this website provides free short courses for parents of children with identified or suspected sensory sensitivities:
For younger children: www.sensoryintegrationeducation.com/courses/understanding-sensory-processing-and-integration-in-children-a-guide-for-parents-and-carers
For teenagers and young adults: www.sensoryintegrationeducation.com/courses/Understanding-Sensory-Processing-and-Integration-in-Teenagers-and-Young-Adults
BCUHB Sensory Webpage – this website provides further information about sensory sensitivities. www.bcuhb.nhs.wales/services/hospital-services/neurodevelopmental/advice-and-support/sensory-sensitives/
BCUHB Neurodevelopmental Webpage – this website provides further information about managing activities of daily living (including sleep, attention, supporting wellbeing, behavioral strategies and managing change).www.bcuhb.nhs.wales/services/hospital-services/neurodevelopmental/advice-and-support/
Glasgow NHS OT website - Joining in with Sensory Differences - This page contains resources to help understand sensory processing and how to support children or young people. There are videos to watch. There are also downloadable booklets, videos and information to explore. Joining in with Sensory Differences | NHS GGC
Sensory Processing Hub (NHS Humberside) – this website provides detailed information and resources regarding sensory processing and everyday life.