Crossroads Therapy, an Occupational Therapy service for children 0-18 years, has recently started up, primarily offering its services to families within Bath, Wiltshire and Somerset. It offers support to any parent/carer, teacher and child who is struggling with day-to-day life.
Crossroads Therapy was created by Gemma Shaw, an occupational therapist, who explained that a high proportion of the children who use the services have a diagnosis of ASD/ADHD, although no diagnosis is required to access the services.
“The approach I use is to go into nurseries, schools and individuals’ homes to complete assessment and therapy, so as to provide minimal disruptions to normal routines for both parents/carers and children,” she explained. “Anyone can access and be referred to the service but parental consent is required prior to assessment and treatment.”
Gemma trained as an Occupational Therapist at UWE Bristol, since when her primary focus has been paediatrics. “I worked at a special school for children with autism and complex needs, which provided a wealth of experience with children who were often quite aggressive when their needs were not met in an individualised and very specific way. The physical and social environment had such a significant impact upon their ability to function and engage with their education.
“My role was to support the children to access their education and this gave me an opportunity to be very creative and flexible in my approach to working as an OT. This also led to me completing post-graduate training in Ayres Sensory Integration (ASI) and achieving my qualification to practice.
“Sensory Integration refers to how our brain processes, integrates and organises the sensory information that we receive from the environment and our bodies. Once we have received the information we then need to translate and respond to it appropriately. ASI is used to support those who have challenges with these processes and their responses to them.
“It has been clear to me that for many years within the local community there is very little access to ASI therapy. While some children have access to onsite therapists within special schools, it remains very difficult for those within mainstream settings to receive any treatment without travelling a long distance and being on long waiting lists.
“What’s more, a significant number of children with trauma and attachment difficulties have challenges with sensory processing, that can often be seen as behavioural difficulties with the school environment and at home. Some children are so overwhelmed that they school-refuse, and this is then very challenging for parents who take time off work and are often then penalised by the education system.
“It is my hope that Crossroads can provide a service that understands and can support this unique group of children by providing local services such as assessment, therapy and training.”
Gemma explained that the core aims of her practice are:
- to provide an ASI/OT service within the local community
- to provide a timely assessment to those in need
- to provide treatment sessions to meet agreed goals and improve function
- to provide easy, practical and reasonable recommendations to education provisions and parent/carers
- to help provide children and their parents/carers with a deeper understanding of their needs, and build strategies to help them manage those needs
All assessments are offered in the referrer’s chosen location wherever possible – this can be in the home or education setting.
For more information, go to crossroads-therapy.co.uk