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Children, young people & families

Explore resources  

We’ve developed a range of resources to help occupational therapists deliver best practice for children, young people and families.

Whilst these were written for occupational therapists – commissioners, managers of children’s OT services and others may also find them useful.

Our Resource centre will continually evolve. We’ll add new resources to support your ongoing professional development. 

Explore the section

Occupational therapy for children and young people
Occupational therapists help children and young people take part in the daily activities
Why children and young people are a priority for RCOT
Prioritising the potential of children and young people
Our ambitions for children’s occupational therapy
Helping children and young people access their potential
Making great occupational therapy referrals
Quality referrals are key to helping children and young people access occupational therapy
Occupational therapy in schools
Children with special educational needs face long waits for support
Occupational therapy and neonatal care
The number of occupational therapists working in neonatal services is small but growing
Occupational therapy and mental health
Occupational therapists are uniquely placed to help children and young people with mental health difficulties.
Sensory approaches
A collection of resources on occupational therapy and sensory approaches
Occupational therapy service design
High-quality occupational therapy services for children, young people and families.

All Children, young people & families resources

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Quick guides

Diagnosis of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) in children and adults

This short guide will be of interest to occupational therapists, other members of the multidisciplinary team and service commissioners. 

Members of the public seeking an assessment or diagnosis of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) for themselves, or a family member may also be interested.

Quick guide - Diagnosis of developmental coordination disorder in children and adults (PDF, 176.45KB)

 

Long Covid – children and young people

We’ve developed two quick guides outlining the unique role of occupational therapists in supporting adults, children and young people to manage and recover from Long Covid. 

They were written for OTs working in specialist Long Covid services and in other acute, primary, secondary and community settings. 

They will also be useful for service managers and commissioners responsible for planning and delivering specialist Long Covid services, and for parents, carers and families of people affected by Long Covid.  

Guides and other relevant information 

 

Occupational therapy and play practice guideline

Our occupational therapy and play practice guideline provides recommendations based on high-quality research evidence. 

It supports occupational therapists’ use of play in assessment and intervention, and to evaluate play participation as a meaningful occupational therapy goal or outcome for the child or young person. 

Occupational Therapy and Play Practice Guideline

Evidence summaries

These evidence summaries were written by members of an OT community of practice known as Mind The Gap. They offer a pragmatic overview and practical insight into the evidence for a particular intervention. Occupational therapists are encouraged to: 

  • Read the documents to establish if they are relevant to their practice.
  • Consider – and celebrate - elements that are already being done.
  • Identify changes to improve practice/service based on the evidence summary.
  • Identify barriers to implementation and consider how to address them.
  • Develop an action plan to implement change.
  • Use the audit tool (where available) to monitor the impact of the change.

CO-OP approach

For children and young people with developmental coordination disorder (DCD)

Occupation-focused interventions

External links and resources

Council for Disabled Children: Education, Health and Care plans – examples of good practice

These resources will help practitioners write good quality Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans that meet both the letter and the spirit of the Children and Families Act 2014.  

 

Education, Health and Care Plans: Examples of good practice

Advice for Education, Health and Care Plans

Council for disabled children - Health advice.pdf

 

Other external links

Disabled Children’s Partnership

Embracing Complexity Coalition

British Academy of Childhood Disability

European Academy of Childhood Disability