Referral Indicators
Occupational therapy focuses on the following areas of development. If you notice any of the difficulties mentioned, a referral to occupational therapy may be appropriate.
Gross Motor (physical skills like running, jumping and co-ordination)
• Clumsy – often trips over, bumps into things, awkward movements
• Poor balance
• Weaker than other children his/her age (floppy/lethargic)
• Difficulty with hopping, jumping, skipping, running, throwing/catching a ball compared with other children his/her age
• Avoids or shies away from playgroup equipment
• Poor posture
• Difficulty copying body position or performing new motor sequences
• Restless – doesn’t sit still in chair or on the mat
Fine motor (table top skills, eg using pencils and scissors)
• Hasn’t developed a dominant hand
• Difficulty holding pencil, immature grasp
• Difficulty using scissors
• Alternates hands when crossing the midline
• Draws on one half of the paper only
• Difficulty with drawing, copying shapes or colouring-in
• Difficulty with manipulating small objects/fine dexterity tasks
• Can’t use both hands together with ease (bilateral movement)
Sensory processing
• Sensitive to noise
• Avoids water/sand/messy play
• Overreacts to touch, cant stand in line
• Constantly touching or mouthing
• Under-responsive to the environment
• Seems unaware of own body or body position in space
Visual perception
• Cannot complete puzzles/block designs appropriate to child’s age
• Difficulty copying shapes, numbers, letter formations
• Difficulty sorting objects according to shape, size and colour
• Has a hard time finding things eg. objects in locker or desk
• Letter/number reversals
• Difficulty discriminating similarities and differences
• Difficulty copying from the blackboard
• Difficulty with position concepts (in front of, behind, under...)
Self-help skills (such as dressing, using cutlery)
• Difficulty with dressing – sorting back from front, doing up fastenings
• Difficulty with eating – picky eater, messy eater, spills often, difficulty managing cutlery
• Toileting – difficulty managing clothes, wiping self, opening/closing taps to wash hands
Social/emotional
• Poor concentration, easily distracted
• Doesn’t shift attention easily from a stimuli
• Can’t focus attention to complete a task
• Difficulty settling or separating, often restless
• Difficulty making friends; poor social skills