School Participation

Our primary focus at Little Braves

If you’ve perused through the “What is Occupational Therapy” page then you’ll have some understanding of the breadth and width of OT practice. At Little Braves the ambition is to offer specialised high-quality supports that produce purposeful change for and within a child. With these things in mind Little Braves was created with the focus of intervention being school participation.

Why? Because school is a key primary environment for children. I truly believe that if children can be supported early in their schooling years that it will set them up with a lifelong love of learning and success in the years to come- at school and into future educational settings and workplaces. 

The overarching vision encompasses the following areas of intervention:

  1. Emotional regulation, including recognition and supports for anxiety alongside positive behavioural supports
  2. Social engagement 
  3. Executive functioning, including understanding and responsiveness to school routines and expectations
  4. Fine and gross motor skills 
  5. Sensory processing

Our Key 5

We help children understand, recognise and manage their emotions, building skills to navigate anxiety and big feelings with confidence. Through practical strategies and positive behavioural supports, we empower children to respond rather than react.

We support children to connect, communicate and build meaningful relationships with peers and adults. By strengthening social understanding and confidence, we help children feel a sense of belonging in their classroom and community.

We develop the thinking skills that help children plan, organise, focus and follow routines at school and home. By strengthening executive functioning, we support children to meet expectations with growing independence and success.

We build the physical skills children need for handwriting, classroom tasks, sport and everyday play. By strengthening coordination, balance and control, we help children participate fully and confidently in their world.

We help children understand and regulate how their body responds to sensory information such as sound, movement and touch. Through targeted strategies, we support children to feel calm, organised and ready to learn.

Evidence Based Practice

There are emerging studies and research articles that support OTs integration within a school setting. Highlighting the unique position an occupational therapist can have promoting the interaction between person, occupation, and environment. 

Bonnard et al. (2022) quote “Greater participation in school has been linked to increased academic success, decreased dropout rates, and greater social involvement (Simeonsson, Carlson, Huntington, McMillen, & Brent, 2001). Recent research has highlighted a relationship between participation and the mental health indicator of flourishing, which encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, suggesting that participation-focused interventions could bolster mental health (Augustine, Lygnegård, & Granlund, 2022).”

Madeleine Bonnard, Caroline Hui, Melissa Manganaro & Dana Anaby (2022): Toward Participation-Focused School-Based Occupational Therapy: Current Profile and Possible Directions, Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, DOI: 10.1080/19411243.2022.2156427

Smith and Douglas (2022) state “Many factors and skills influence a child’s ability to thrive within the role of student in a classroom environment. Two such factors that play a large, yet often overlooked, role in an elementary school aged child’s participation and achievement in the classroom include sensory processing abilities and self-regulation skills…………A school-based occupational therapy (OT) practitioner is the ideal candidate to bridge this gap between academic focused learning and social-emotional learning. Occupational therapy is a profession that understands how important client factors and performance skills are to performance.”

Melanie N. Smith & Reeti R. Douglas (2022): The Role of School-Based Occupational Therapy Practitioners in Providing Tier 1 Services to Enhance Sensory Processing and Self-Regulation Strategies Within the Classroom, Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, DOI: 10.1080/19411243.2022.2129904