Frequently Asked Questions
People viewing this site will be aware of the huge complexity both managing a child or young adult with special needs and the level of support required enabling them to have a better quality of life with their conditions. We have captured many of the key questions below we are frequently asked:
General
Our clinic is open for assessments and treatments.
We continue to monitor government guidelines.
PPE can be worn by colleagues on request.
Our normal 72 hours cancellation policy applies.
If the OT is unable to deliver the session, there will be no charge.
Our Terms and Conditions can be viewed here.
The OT may be able to rebook missed treatment sessions. This will be done on a case-by-case basis and the OT or Back Office will contact you to arrange this.
Assessments
- Physical issues / disability
- Mental health / learning disability CAMHS
- Neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism and ADHD
- Seating and mobility assessments
2 to 25 years old
The cost depends on the type and location of the assessment. Please contact us for more details.
Yes, an online assessment can be used as evidence for an EHCP application or tribunal case, providing this has been agreed in advance with the solicitor acting for the client.
There can sometimes be a face to face follow-up required in some cases.
No, a Standard OT assessment cannot be used as evidence for an EHCP application or tribunal case.
A formal document outlining a child’s or young person’s Education, Health and Care (social care) needs. An OT report can contribute to all three of these areas and is completely clinically independent. An OT report is not a guarantee for an EHCP to be granted but is contributory evidence.
An assessment can take place at: our clinic in Crondall near Farnham, at the child’s school, at the child’s home or online via Zoom video conferencing.
For our older clients 16+, assessments can be undertaken at college, university or the workplace.
We are based in Crondall in North Hampshire, near Farnham, Surrey. We are able to deliver assessments to clients within one hour’s drive of our clinic. Occasionally we travel further afield, depending on the requirement – please contact us for more information.
We can travel up to 2 – 3 hours for an assessment, however, an overnight stay maybe charged.
Click here to see a video detailing what happens in an assessment, either face to face or online.
Yes, we do deliver assessments for children aged between 2 to 3 years old. This Toddler assessment is a shorter version of the Standard assessment and has a reduced cost.
This is generally only carried out in a home or nursery setting with parent or keyworker always present, but can also be delivered at our clinic.
Our therapists are trained to observe and engage with the children they are assessing. There are a number of clinically recognised techniques an OT may use, even if the child is ‘not engaged’ to the untrained eye.
We also discuss details of the child’s issues with parents and ask for details or examples, some provide video evidence for this purpose. A follow-on assessment face to face maybe required and specified in the OT report.
Prior to an assessment taking place, we ask the parents/carers and the child’s teacher or home tutor to complete several forms including sensory profile forms. These are used to gain a full and holistic background of the issues facing the child and form part of the OT report.
We will ask the child’s school or home tutor to complete two forms to gain a full and holistic background of the issues facing the child. Often a child behaves differently at school as opposed to the home environment. For a full assessment, we will also ask the child’s teacher to spend some time talking to the OT about the child’s issues.
The views of the teacher maybe different to yours. These viewpoints are respected in our reports and reported accordingly.
When scheduling either the EHCP, Standard or Toddler OT assessment, we ask for a 50% deposit on confirmation of the appointment, with the balance being payable on delivery of the report.
For private customers, the OT report is released to them generally within 4 weeks of the appointment.
For assessments organised by a commissioning body such as a local authority, the NHS or a solicitor, the OT report is released directly to them generally within 4 weeks of the appointment. It is up to the commissioning body to release the OT report to the parents, once it has been through their own validation process.
An EHCP OT assessment report is approximately 60 pages long whilst a Standard OT assessment is approximately 35 pages long. The reports summarise the information from the pre-assessment forms, record the observations made at the assessment in a clinically-recognised format and finally there are a set of recommendations and proposed treatment, where necessary. An EHCP report is sufficient to provide evidence for an EHCP application or for tribunal.
Occupational Therapists cannot diagnose any formal conditions such as Autism, ADHD or DCD. They can supply evidence to support a formal diagnosis by a medical professional, such as paediatrician or child and family psychiatrist. A diagnosis, such as of Autism, has to meet the criteria in the DSM-V classification system by a qualified medical doctor or other specified practitioner.
Prior to the assessment, we ask that several forms are completed. Information provided in these forms is used by the OT to ensure that they can deliver an assessment specific to your child’s needs and produce a detailed and accurate report for you. If an EHCP OT assessment is booked, then parents will also have the opportunity to speak with the OT during a Parent Interview as part of the assessment.
As part of general guidelines for practitioners, Occupational Therapists must have a current baseline report to work from, containing clinical data from standardised or observational assessment techniques. The report must ideally to have been written within the previous 2 years. It’s normal to have some form of review before treatment if the report is more than a year old.
Without this data, the OT will recommend partial assessment or a short review as minimum input (where the latest OT report is 2 – 3 years old).
Some of the healthcare insurers have changed their policies and do pay for assessments, this is sometimes directly, occasionally the parents pay and then reclaim the funds themselves; a valid claim number is required if the insurer pays directly. To date, there has only been a single instance where an insurer would pay for treatment.
Treatment
The cost depends on the location of the treatment sessions and the way in which they are to be delivered. Please contact us for more details.
No, our OT reports only recommend what treatment could be delivered for a child and are clinically valid for any Occupational Therapist to work from for up to 2 years.
Our treatment sessions are usually an hour in length comprising of 45 minutes with the child and 15 minutes of note writing time for the OT.
An online treatment session usually lasts for 30 minutes with an additional 10 minutes of note writing time for the OT. There is usually a level of preparation time required when delivering a series of online treatment sessions, this varies by the child and their diagnosis.
We are successfully delivering online treatment sessions over Zoom. Most children take to this format intuitively. However, occasionally it is necessary for parents to upload video clips of their own demonstrating a child’s issues or treatment exercises.
Yes, we work closely with many schools in the area by delivering OT treatment sessions for children. All our staff have DBS clearance and will only deliver treatment in school where they are able to support the OT by making appropriate space or specific available, for example, the child’s LSA.
We never start a Treatment Programme unless we have a valid assessment report no more than one year old
