Children with additional needs should be able to access occupational therapists

Read how a report in the UK explain the importance of OT to young people with additional needs (See full article)

Hyperlink: http://www.locumtoday.co.uk/article.php?s=2019-10-01-children-with-additional-needs-should-be-able-to-access-occupational-therapists#.Yk1LtW5BwjQ

Children's services should be designed so that young people with additional learning and support needs, including mental health, can access occupational therapy skills and expertise when they need it, a report has urged.

Occupational therapists enable children and young people with physical, learning and mental health needs to participate in and successfully manage the activities that they want or need to do at home, at school or work and during their free time, a report by the Royal College for Occupational Therapists has found. OTs have the skills and expertise to identify the personal, task and environmental factors that support or inhibit children’s development, participation and achievement. The Royal College is urging a shift in resources from specialist interventions towards prevention, early intervention and partnership approaches, in a bid to ensure children get the help and suppoprt they need to live full and happy lives and realise their potential. The report highlights that: - In the UK more children are starting school without the foundation skills and resilience they need to succeed in education and life. - We are now facing a mental health epidemic with one in eight children aged 5-19 years experiencing a diagnosable mental health disorder, affecting their wellbeing, health and success in childhood and later life. - The number of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in the UK is rising. RCOT Chief Executive Julia Scott, said: “As parents and as a society we all want children to lead full and happy lives, participating in the activities (occupations) they need and want to do, be that at home, at school and at play. Yet, the number of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in the UK is rising. Sadly many young people with additional learning and support needs are denied equality of opportunity and the support they need to realise their potential. This is absolutely unacceptable - the expectation that they should have access to the same opportunities and experiences as their peers is rightly embedded in UK policy." The RCOT outlines that for services to meet growing societal demands, there needs to be more collaboration between, health, social care, education and the voluntary sector. In addition, there needs to be a better balance of provision at a: • universal level (services provided to all children, young people and their families), • targeted level (services for children who are at risk of, or already experiencing diffi culties) and at a, • specialist level (children with complex needs requiring an individual approach). This, the report says, can be achieved by adopting a framework of these three services universal, targeted and specialist interventions which: • Ensures occupational therapy resources are used wisely; • Extends the profession’s reach and ensures the maximum number of children benefit from occupational therapy; • Builds capacity among others to identify and support children and young people with mental health needs/SEND and to know when to refer on for further specialist help; and • Prevents problems from escalating, meaning that fewer children and young people require more costly, specialist services and those with the most complex needs can access occupational therapy when they need it.