Celebrating all progress big and small: World Occupational Therapy Day

This World Occupational Therapy Day (27 October 2024) we are celebrating Yooralla's Occupational Therapsits, who do incredible work supporting children and adults with disabilities or developmental delays to live the lives they choose.

Image: Aedin the Occupational Therapist and Charlotte playing together in the living area

This World Occupational Therapy Day (27 October 2024) we are celebrating all Occupational Therapists, especially those from Yooralla, who do incredible work supporting children and adults with disabilities or developmental delays to live the lives they choose. 

Occupational Therapists (OT) can assist children with disabilities or developmental delays to engage in daily routines such as self-care (toileting, eating, drinking, dressing, washing, and grooming), leisure and play activities, and attending their educational setting, such as kindergarten or school, as well as their community. This might include supporting skill development, adapting tasks or activities, adapting the individual’s environment to better meet their needs and wants, and providing education. This ensures that children with disabilities can participate in daily activities with greater independence. 

Our OTs include families and educators in their circle of supports, to create environments that foster the child’s growth and participation in school and community settings, helping the child reach their full potential and thrive in everyday life.

This year’s theme ‘Occupational Therapy for All’, reflects the important role of the profession to facilitate the ability of individuals, like Charlotte, to participate in the activities that they want, need, or are expected to do in their daily lives.

Image: Aedin ruling out lines on a piece of paper for Charlotte to practice her handwriting. Charlotte is onlooking from the background wearing her red school uniform.

Aedin supporting Charlotte to practice her handwriting

Aedin and Charlotte’s progress

We chatted to Aedin, Senior Clinician Occupational Therapy – Allied Health, about the support she provides Charlotte in relation to her daily life. Aedin has been working with Charlotte for two years, currently focusing on engagement in school, as well as Charlotte’s handwriting.

Aedin’s support spans far and wide, helping Charlotte both at home and at school. In the classroom, Aedin helps Charlotte, and her teachers and classmates to ensure Charlotte is set up for success.

“They [Charlotte’s family and school] allow us to work in an evidence-based way…when we are at home and at school, [Charlotte’s dad and teachers] are a part of the session…we pass on information to them, so that [Charlotte’s] routines are enriched,” Aedin said.

“I’ve helped with the physical environment and how to best support Charlotte’s sensory preferences and needs,” Aedin said.

“I also look at the people [Charlotte’s teachers and classmates], how are they approaching her? And [how can I] best support Charlotte’s engagement in school activities,” she said.  

“It is really lovely working with Charlotte and her family,” she said. 

“I have noticed that Charlotte has made huge improvements in her concentration… not just in our [occupational] therapy sessions, but she seems really motivated and really enjoys doing handwriting now when she’s on her own.”

Aedin also attributes Charlotte’s progress to Charlotte’s school who are very open to supporting Charlotte in any way that they can. 

“School have also noticed that some of the strategies we have put in [place] have helped Charlotte to be more motivated…Charlotte’s school are really open to best supporting Charlotte too,” Aedin said.

“A lot of what we do [occupational therapists] is shaping Charlotte’s environment, rather than trying to change Charlotte…ensuring Charlotte has sensory breaks, and a comfortable space so she can engage in the activity that she [Charlotte] wants to do,” she said.

What's next for Charlotte?

Aedin and Charlotte continue to work on developing Charlotte’s handwriting.

“We are progressing from [individual] letters and word formations, to sentences and stories,” Aedin said.

“We will continue to support [Charlotte’s] goals as she gets older.”

With Aedin’s support, we are sure that Charlotte’s interest to engage in handwriting will continue to flourish. 

Highlighting all client outcomes, big and small

All of our clients’ outcomes are a great reason to celebrate, whether they’re big or small.

“I think the real joy comes from the connection with the children I work with and their families, and from the feedback you get from the children, parents, or teachers in schools,” said Aedin.
“It’s easy to celebrate the bigger wins such as a home modification or provision of life changing assistive technology… I celebrate all of [our clients] outcomes,” said Aedin.

“I get just as much joy getting a text from a parent to say [their child] has used the toilet for the first time or that they have said their first words,” she said.

IMAGE: Two young children are sitting on the floor with their physiotherapist. They are working with wooden blocks.

Start your career at Yooralla

We are recruiting Allied Health professionals to work as part of a multi-disciplinary Therapy team using evidence-based practice; to support people with disability of all ages and needs to achieve their goals.

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