Assessments
Occupational Therapy Assessment
Children aged 0 – 16 years
Assessment is typically the first step in the Occupational Therapy journey, as it helps identify a child’s strengths and areas of need. It provides a clear direction for therapy and serves as a measurable baseline to track and compare the child’s progress throughout their therapy journey.
Each assessment includes:
✔ A detailed evaluation tailored to the child’s specific needs.
✔ A comprehensive written report outlining strengths, needs, and clear, evidence based recommendations.
✔ A parent consultation to discuss findings, ensuring clarity and understanding of next steps.
Developmental Assessments
A developmental assessment provides a thorough evaluation of a child’s overall development by examining key areas such as motor skills, sensory processing, postural control, bilateral integration, motor planning, visual perception, handwriting, and social-emotional development. This comprehensive approach helps identify any developmental delays or difficulties across multiple domains.
These assessments are particularly beneficial for children who are experiencing challenges with motor development, such as difficulty with balance or coordination; handwriting issues, including legibility and fine motor control; emotional regulation problems, such as frequent meltdowns or difficulty managing frustration; sleep disturbances; feeding issues; or struggles with independence in daily tasks like dressing, toileting, or feeding themselves. Additionally, children who face difficulties in engaging with learning and play due to these challenges can also benefit from a developmental assessment.
Outcome: The assessment results in a detailed developmental profile that outlines the child’s strengths and areas for improvement. The report includes targeted recommendations for interventions to support progress in key developmental areas, ensuring that specific challenges are addressed.
While the assessment uses standardised tools for a more accurate measure of development, it does not provide a formal diagnosis. However, the report offers a clear direction for parents and professionals to guide the child’s progress, helping them understand where additional support is needed and how best to provide it.
Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) Assessments, including Annual Reviews
EHCP assessments provide the formal evidence needed to apply for or review an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP). These assessments are vital for children who require additional support at school due to learning and developmental needs, physical challenges, sensory processing issues, or neurodevelopmental conditions.
What the EHCP assessment includes:
- An evaluation of how sensory, motor, and social-emotional challenges affect the child’s ability to learn, function, engage in play, and achieve independence.
- Standardised assessments to identify functional difficulties within both school and home settings. While these tools provide useful data, no formal diagnosis is made through an OT EHCP assessment, unless the SIPT, EASI, or ADOS-2 is used as part of the assessment.
- A comprehensive report in the specific EHCP format, detailing assessment findings and providing evidence-based recommendations for specialist interventions, assistive equipment, or school-based accommodations.
Additionally, our EHCP and Annual Review reports include clear SMART goals for direct and indirect services, as well as costing provisions that assist in securing funding to support your child’s needs.
Outcome: A detailed OT report meeting the standards required for EHCP applications, mediation, or tribunal processes. This report can be submitted to the local authority to ensure that the child receives the necessary educational provisions and accommodations.
Diagnostic Assessments for Dyspraxia & Sensory Processing Disorders
Our comprehensive assessment for Dyspraxia and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is conducted using either the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT), or the Evaluation in Ayres Sensory Integration (EASI) assessment tools, which are considered the gold standard assessments for diagnosing Dyspraxia.
Dyspraxia affects a child’s ability to plan, coordinate, and execute movements. Children with Dyspraxia may struggle with gross motor tasks such as running, jumping, and sports, as well as fine motor skills like handwriting, using scissors, or performing everyday activities that require coordination, such as dressing, feeding, and personal hygiene. The SIPT and EASI tools evaluate these motor planning and coordination difficulties, providing a clear picture of the child’s motor abilities and areas of challenge.
Sensory Processing Difficulties occur when a child’s brain has difficulty processing and responding to sensory information from the environment. Children with SPD may be either overly sensitive (hypersensitive) or under-responsive (hyposensitive) to sensory stimuli such as touch, sound, light, or movement. These difficulties often result in challenges with self-regulation, attention, and participating in everyday activities such as school, play, or daily routines. The SIPT and EASI assessments capture the child’s sensory reactivity and processing abilities, offering valuable insights into how sensory difficulties affect their daily functioning.
Outcome: Following the assessment, you will receive a clear diagnosis (if applicable) along with a comprehensive report outlining the child’s sensory and motor challenges. The report will include specific recommendations for therapy, school accommodations, and home-based strategies to improve motor planning, sensory integration, and overall functional abilities. These recommendations will be tailored to support the child in overcoming difficulties and enhancing their participation in daily activities.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Assessments
At CHAMP, we offer comprehensive Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnostic assessments using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), the two most trusted and reliable tools for diagnosing ASD. These assessments are ideal for children who exhibit social communication difficulties, sensory processing challenges, and/or repetitive or rigid behaviours.
We work collaboratively with a qualified clinical psychologist, who is also specialised and qualified in conducting ASD assessments. By combining our expertise in paediatric development and sensory processing (OT) with the psychologist’s knowledge of social-emotional development, we ensure that not only is the diagnostic pathway tailored to your child’s specific needs, but we also provide a holistic approach to their overall development. Together, we work to ensure that at the end of the diagnostic process, your child will not only have an outcome on your query regard a diagnosis but also a support plan to help them thrive.
What the assessment involves:
- Structured observations and play-based tasks (ADOS-2) to assess social communication skills, behaviours, and interaction patterns in a naturalistic environment
- In-depth parental interview (ADI-R) to gather detailed developmental history, including early communication and behaviour patterns
- Sensory profiling (SPM assessment) to identify challenges with sensory processing, regulation, and self-regulation, which are often seen in children with ASD
- A comprehensive review of the child’s developmental history, including parental concerns, to provide context for the child’s current challenges and strengths
Outcome: After the assessment, you will receive a diagnostic report that provides a clear explanation of whether your child meets the criteria for ASD. This report will include recommendations for therapy, educational support, and home strategies tailored to your child’s unique strengths and areas of need. Our collaborative approach ensures that the support plan addresses the child’s developmental needs comprehensively, not just the diagnosis itself. This holistic plan aims to empower families and educators to provide the best support for the child moving forward.
Handwriting Assessments for Educational Access Arrangements
For children who experience persistent difficulties with handwriting, we conduct specialist handwriting assessments to determine the underlying causes and recommend appropriate interventions or accommodations.
What the assessment evaluates:
- Fine motor skills and hand strength
- Pencil grip and writing endurance
- Visual-motor integration and letter formation
- Speed and fluency of handwriting
Outcome: A written report with recommendations that can be used for exam access arrangements, such as extra time, the use of a laptop, or a scribe, as well as therapeutic strategies to improve handwriting skills over time.