Building skills for life
Occupational Therapy for Young Adults
We offer services for young adults to understand their abilities and take ownership to live and do the things they want and need to. Working together we create strategies leading to development in independence, functional skills and in academic performance.
The activity demands as children move through secondary school to college/university or the workplace change dramatically. The pre-frontal area of the brain, involved in executive functioning (EF) skill development is still developing, yet being challenged significantly. EF skills include task initiation; planning/prioritisation; organisation; time management; goal directed persistence; and sustained attention, to name a few. EF difficulties become more apparent as a child grows, however, start developing in infancy.
A functional need approach is taken, working in partnership with the young person and in their environments, home/education/work, to fully support and create strategies in line with their hopes and aspirations. This service aims to prepare young people for adult life through identification of their skills, strengths and areas in which they need support and development. Building self-advocacy and understanding is at the heart of our service.
Why would my young person benefit from OT?
The demands on young adults (16-25 years) grow quickly, and at this time difficulties can become more apparent. Being independent and feeling capable is crucially important for development at this stage, and the identification of strategies that encourage and build confidence is key.
DynamicOT provide age related assessment and provide direct life skills practice, with individual strategies and support. Collaborating with parents, education and workplace helps young people develop and be ready for the next steps. Assessment can include, but is not limited to;
- Self-care routines - daily hygiene, dressing, hair/make up
- Everyday tasks - food preparation, laundry, cleaning, budgeting, money management, transport, etc.
- Self-regulation - sensory strategies, emotional intelligence
- Executive functioning skills - planning, prioritising, task initiation, sustained attention, emotional control etc.
- Social skills - working with others, communication, methods of effective communication, building relationships
- Social and leisure activities – participating in hobbies, social events
- Environment - home, school/college/uni, work, shops
- Employment - accessing suitable work placements, communicating needs, supporting strategies, job and task analysis
DynamicOT support young adults with and without diagnosed conditions. We do see many who have gained a diagnosis, including;
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC)
- Cerebral Palsy (CP)
- Down’s Syndrome
- Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD incl. Dyspraxia)
- Chromosomal Disorders
- Traumatic Brain Injury
Our services with young adults are centred and focused to them. Parents/Carers are of course involved, however, in order to build self-advocacy skills and independence the young adult is encourage to take as active role as possible in the process.
