Barrett’s Occupational Therapy Assessment involves the Following:

• Interview –  To establish relevant history, we ask questions regarding health, development, family, current/past behaviors, and current or previous occupational therapy-related services.
• Informal Testing/Observations – Informal testing and clinical observations are an important part of the assessment and involve casual conversation and engagement in therapeutic activities with the child.
• Sensory Profile Caregiver Questionaire by Winnie Dunn, Ph.D., OTR, FAOTA – This is filled out prior to the appointment to help determine if there is a sensory processing disorder (SPD).

Specific Areas Assessed at Barrett are:

• Muscle Strength Endurance – “My child does not seem to be as strong as his/her peers and gets tired easily.”
• Balance and Equilibrium – “My child seems to be falling all the time.  My child is afraid of heights and does not like swings.  He/she is very uncoordinated and does not like sports.”
• Handwriting – “My child learned how to write in school, but I am concerned because his/her letters are hard to read, words run together, letters are facing the wrong direction, and my child can’t keep up because their hand hurts or is too tired.”
• Sensory Integration – “My child appears to be very bright, but he/she struggles with everyday tasks.  Everything appears to be more difficult for him/her than it should be.  My child becomes easily frustrated and emotional.  Simple things like putting on socks or experiencing a thunderstorm can ruin our day.”
• Sensory Processing – “My child covers their ears at a loud noise, seeks out excessive movement, wants tags removed and cries when hair is washed or cut.”
• Modulating Emotions and Moods – “What I am looking for is a program that will help my child recognize their mood and teach them to pick healthier ways to cope on a day-to-day basis.”
• Dyspraxia – “My child is able to do almost everything when playing alone. He/she becomes uncoordinated and makes frequent excuses to get out of doing things when given direction.”
• Problem Feeder – “My child eats less than 20 different foods.  No matter what I do, my child refuses to eat foods of a certain texture or color.  I am concerned about their poor weight gain and meals are a battle.”

Other types of assessments are done during a Formal Evaluation / Second Opinion.  Please click here to link to that page.

The Written Result of an Occupational Therapy Assessment Includes:

• Information about the child’s history and development
• A description of your child’s current skill level in the specific areas tested
• Recommendations based on skills observed during testing which may include: participating in an occupational therapy program, referral to another professional, participation in a home program, or no need for therapeutic intervention.
• The reported results of the Sensory Profile Caregiver Questionnaire (by Winnie Dunn, Ph.D, OTR, FAOTA) with discussion as to whether or not there is a sensory processing disorder (SPD) present.

Reports are usually completed in a week and a copy is given to the parents.