Building Blocks for Learning Occupational Therapy Approaches: Practical Strategies for the Inclusion of Special Needs in Primary School
A highly practical resource for the primary years written by the authors of the successful handbookOccupational Therapy Approaches for Secondary Special Needs.  The reader is guided through the process of:Observing a child’s performance in classIdentifying areas of foundation skills requiring attentionPlanning programmes to develop foundation skillsImplementing classroom strategiesResourcing equipment for interventionsThe early years of a child’s life are crucial for laying down the foundations necessary to establish the building blocks for learning.  Occupational Therapists specialise in assessing and treating motor, sensory, perceptual, social and emotional skills to develop inclusion for all children within primary school.Chapters include:Medical conditions seen in the classroom– Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Developmental Co-ordination Disorder and some Physical DisabilitiesFoundation skills– gross motor co-ordination, fine motor control, sensory processing, visual perception, language and social/emotional well beingSubject areas– teacher observations of foundation skills are compared with curriculum requirementsPractical ideas and adviceon activities and programmes to build skills e.g. handwriting, hand function, sensory processing, organisation, social and emotional well beingEstablishing activity clubs and managing transitionfrom primary to secondary schoolEquipment and suppliersThe information, which is easily accessible and clearly laid out, will prove to be an invaluable resource for all primary school Teachers, SENCOs, Teaching Assistants and Occupational Therapists.‘…this immensely practical manual provides a wealth of workable strategies for enabling the busy teacher to individualise and differentiate learning resources to enable each child to maximise his potential.’Lois M. Addy, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, St John University, York