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Assessments Offered - Selecting the right assessment for you.
Assessments offered by Hemispheres – selecting the right one for your child.
At Hemispheres we are Occupational Therapists first and foremost. Occupational Therapists train in physical and emotional health areas so offer a very unique set of skills for children, their families and their caregivers.
Our main goal is for children to feel fully able to participate in all the activities that are important to children and their well-being. You can rest assured that at Hemispheres our highly qualified OT staff will always use all of our existing medical and scientific OT knowledge and experience to understand your child’s unique needs.
Key within this is our trademark assessment of the Primitive and Postural Reflexes. We look at reflexes because they are a crucial part of normal development and promote foundational skills within small and big movement coordination, sensory and emotional abilities and thinking and academic performance skills. This means that Hemispheres can offer you and your child a unique combination of assessment and treatment inputs using a Neurodevelopmental framework.
At Hemispheres we offer 3 distinct and comprehensive assessment and treatment packages. We understand that parents always know their child and their needs best so here are some questions that will enable you to choose which assessment is the right fit for your child:
Assessment 1: The Hemispheres Assessment of the Primitive and Postural Reflexes.
- Do you want a comprehensive assessment of your child’s Primitive and Postural Reflexes by a highly qualified Occupational Therapist but don’t need an in depth report or for us to look at other areas in more detail?
- Do you think that a shorter assessment would be more suitable/manageable for your child at this stage?
- Is your priority to access an Occupational Therapy programme with regular and expert Occupational Therapy reassessment and support?
- If your answer to any of these questions is YES then contact us to book The Hemispheres Assessment of the Primitive and Postural Reflexes.
Assessment 2: The Hemispheres Full Occupational Therapy Assessment and Report.
- Do you think you, your child and other involved Professionals need a more in depth Occupational Therapy assessment. As well as our trademark Hemispheres Assessment of the Primitive and Postural Reflexes this assessment also includes further standardised testing of their writing/typing, movement skills, their unique sensory profile and how their hands and eyes work together?
- Do you feel that at this stage your child can manage to participate in a longer assessment that involves more standardised testing in the above areas?
- Do you think you, your child or other involved professionals need a detailed report that analyses your child’s results and provides clear recommendations to support them?
- Is your priority to access an Occupational Therapy programme with regular and expert Occupational Therapy support?
- If your answer to any of these questions is YES then contact us to book The Hemispheres Full Occupational Therapy Assessment and Report.
Assessment 3 – An Occupational Therapy Assessment and Report for EHCP Purposes.
- Are you trying to better identify/understand/clarify your child’s Occupational Therapy needs within an existing or new Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP)?
- Do you need to ensure that if needed your child’s OT needs could be represented at Tribunal once the above report is written?
- If your answer to any of these questions is YES then contact us to book an independent Occupational Therapy Assessment and Report for EHCP Purposes.
Here is some more detail about these 3 distinct assessments.
ASSESSMENT 1: The Hemispheres Assessment of Primitive and Postural Reflexes
This is our trademark assessment of 14 early Primitive and Postural Reflexes. We are OTs and all about independent functioning for your child, so we also assess some associated neuro motor skills within this assessment. This helps us build a picture of any underlying immaturities that are likely impacting your child’s sensory, emotional, movement coordination and academic performance skills.
The Total Assessment Package includes:
- A 90 minute face to face assessment session. We can accommodate video assessment sessions for children who live further afield.
- A 30 minute consultation to discuss the findings after the assessment.
- A short results handout that details the reflexes tested, what they do in plain English and how they are impacting your child individually.
- Prescription of The Initial Reflex Stimulation and Inhibiting Movement Programme – your first home based movement programme.
Continued treatment thereafter uses The Hemispheres Reflex Movement Programme. This is a home based programme tailored specifically to your child’s needs and takes about 10 – 15 minutes to do each day. We ask that you work 5 days a week for a month and then we see you again to reassess and keep prescribing your unique, individualised treatment programme of movements. This will always include any other OT based inputs we think will benefit your child.
Assessment 2: The Hemispheres Full Occupational Therapy Assessment and Report.
If your child, you and/or other professionals are feeling concerned on a wider level about your child’s physical, sensory, emotional development, including challenges within class and perhaps with their peers to, then this assessment offers you an ‘all round’ understanding of your child’s needs. Assessment 2: The Hemispheres Full Occupational Therapy Assessment and Report.
We still use our trademark Hemispheres Assessment of Primitive and Postural Reflexes as this will give us invaluable insights into any potential reflex immaturities impacting your child’s movement, sensory, emotional and learning skills. We will also carry out further, standardised assessments of areas like handwriting/typing including speed, visual – motor integration, sensory processing and motor coordination skills (Dyspraxia screening). Evaluating impacts on areas like emotional functioning and key activities of daily living is also a part of this more detailed assessment.
The Total Assessment Package includes:
- A 3 hour, face to face, clinic based assessment of The Primitive and Postural Reflexes with additional Standardised Assessments of Movement Coordination, Visual – Motor Integration, Writing/Typing and Sensory Processing skills. We can break this assessment into two parts if you feel this will be more manageable for your child.
- A detailed Report of findings and recommendations will be produced within 2 – 4 weeks of the assessment date.
- A 30 minute online/phone consultation meeting to discuss findings after the assessment.
- Prescription of The Initial Reflex Stimulation and Inhibiting Movement Programme – your first home based movement programme.
Continued treatment thereafter uses The Hemispheres Reflex Movement Programme. This is a home based programme tailored specifically to your child’s needs and takes about 10 – 15 minutes to do each day. We ask that you work 5 days a week for a month and then we see you again to reassess and keep prescribing your unique, individualised treatment programme of movements. This will always include any other OT based inputs we think will benefit your child.
Assessment 3: Independent Occupational Therapy Assessment and Report for EHCP Purposes:
Many children’s unique presenting profile requires statutory support via an Educational and Health Care Plan (EHCP). This plan is issued by the child’s Local Educational Authority (LEA).
This OT assessment is specifically designed to provide independent, objective evidence of your child’s physical, sensory, functional and learning needs. It details the individual Occupational Therapy provision that will be needed to meet those needs. This package provides a highly detailed and comprehensive Occupational Therapy report that is fit for EHCP purposes.
The total Assessment and Support package includes:
- A 3.5 hour, direct 1: 1 appointment in clinic to complete the assessment. We can break this assessment into two parts if you feel this will be more manageable for your child.
- A 30 minute online/phone consultation to feedback findings after the assessment.
- 10 -15 hours of administration time for reviewing other documentation, liaising with other professionals and composing the full and detailed EHCP ‘fit for purpose’ report. The report is usually issued within 2 – 4 weeks of the assessment.
If you remain unsure about which appointment best suits your child you can arrange a free 20 minute consultation call with one of our OT to discuss your child’s needs. Please complete the Contact Form or call the Office directly on 01276 472 858.
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