Resource Sheets

This section includes sheets containing advice, strategies and activities for use with children in classroom or nursery settings. The advice has been developed collaboratively by occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and child and adolscent mental health staff and is structured into headings and sub-headings. Each heading / sub-heading represents an area of development that may pose a barrier to learning for a child.

Attention and listening
This section covers advice for supporting children who experience difficulties with:

• Attention skills, including children who are under- or over-active, restless or impulsive
• Listening skills, including listening and remembering, concentrating, requiring extra time to respond to language, sensitivity to sound
• Memory, including short-term memory and working memory difficulties

Body position and posture
This section covers advice on supporting children who experience difficulties sitting in class and positioning their bodies, including remaining in the same place for a length of time, posture at a keyboard, etc.

Communication
This section covers advice for staff working with children who require support with:

• Early communication skills
• Expressive language (Using words and sentences)
• Hearing
• Speaking clearly and fluently
• Supported communication
• Understanding language

Co-ordination

This section covers advice on supporting children who experience difficulties with co-ordination and balance.

Hand skills
This section covers advice on supporting children with hand skills including:

• Developing hand skills and dominance
• Handwriting
• Managing laces and buttons
• Scissor skills
• Using tools (e.g. for HE, CDT), craft activities
• Eye-hand coordination
• Developing sensory discrimination

Independent living skills
This section covers advice for staff working with children who require support in developing independent living skills, including:

• Eating and drinking
• Dressing
• Toileting and personal hygiene

Motor skills
This section covers advice for staff working with children who require support with their gross motor skills, including:

• Balance
• Ball skills
• Coordination
• Moving around
• Physical education / Sport and playtimes

Organisational skills
This section covers advice for staff working with children who require support with their organisational skills.

Reading and writing
This section covers advice for staff working with children who require support in developing reading and writing skills, including:

• Handwriting
• Literacy and early literacy skills
• Storybook reading and pre-reading skills
• Reading
• Writing and pre-writing, including keyboard use
• Spelling

Social and emotional wellbeing
This section covers advice for staff working with children who require support with their social interaction and behaviour, including:

• Activity levels in the over-active or under-active child
• Anger management
• Behavioural issues
• Emotional issues
• Social interaction skills, including early social skills, conversational skills and peer relationships
• Self esteem

In this section

Resources