In order to gain as much information about your child and his or her strengths and difficulties, we will ask you to complete a full developmental history questionnaire and sensory profile. We understand the importance of gathering information about all aspects of your child’s daily life and therefore we do provide you with a questionnaire for school to complete should you wish to involve them in the process.

Each assessment session will include use of standardised tests and observational assessments and will include assessment of some or all of the following (depending on your child’s needs).

  • Sensory processing: vision, hearing touch, taste and smell, as well as our internal senses; proprioception and vestibular processing can be observed through fidgeting in chair, playing with objects, becoming over-excitable on movement, avoiding touch, difficulty concentrating and assessment of sensory function.

  • Attachment and Trauma: assessment of sensory processing and behaviour in relation to poor attachment or trauma history. Tis may include a MIM assessment to establish patterns of disorganised attachment.

  • Gross Motor Skills: assessment of basic motor ability (ball skills, balance, postural tone, range of movement) and its impact on everyday functional tasks including fine motor skills and handwriting.

  • Fine Motor skills: assessment of hand function, finger strength, hypermobility, tactile perception and reflex development.

  • Handwriting: assessment of motor control, visual motor integration and visual perception. It involves interpreting what we see and visualise into written form, underlying difficulties may be observed through: slouched posture, poor pencil grip, poor paper position or stabilisation, line use, spacing, letter formation as well as underlying motor skill difficulties.

  • Self-care/independence: this looks at basic self-care skill including every day activities of daily living, including use of cutlery, dressing, toileting and personal hygiene.

  • Neuromuscular development: looks at a child’s postural and ocular reactions, muscle tone and balance skills.

  • Visual Perceptual skills: this refers to the ability to recognise, differentiate and attach meaning to information we see from our environment.

  • Cognitive skills (attention and concentration): including sequencing, memory, problem solving.

  • Educational access (seating, ICT needs. Communication aids)

  • Organisational skills: including planning, time-tabling, problem solving and memory.