Paediatric Occupational Therapy Assessment and Goal Setting

 

Paediatric Occupational Therapy Assessment and Goal Setting

Question	Score	Why Ask This?	Potential Problem Identified	Goals
Can your child button or unbutton clothing independently?	1 – Needs complete assistance 2 – Needs some assistance 3 – Independent	Assesses fine motor skills, coordination, and hand strength for dressing.	Fine motor delays, poor hand-eye coordination, muscle weakness.	Improve fine motor skills so the child can button/unbutton independently within 3 months.
How does your child respond to sensory stimuli (e.g., loud sounds, bright lights, certain textures)?	1 – Over-responsive 2 – Under-responsive 3 – Adequately responsive	Identifies sensory processing issues that may affect the child’s ability to participate in daily activities.	Sensory processing disorder (SPD), over-responsiveness or under-responsiveness to sensory stimuli.	Reduce sensitivity to sensory stimuli to improve participation in daily activities within 2 months.
Can your child follow a 2-step instruction (e.g., "Pick up the toy and put it on the table")?	1 – Unable 2 – Needs cues 3 – Follows independently	Assesses cognitive processing and the ability to follow instructions, which is essential for daily functioning and learning.	Cognitive delays, attention difficulties, language processing issues.	Improve ability to follow 2-step directions to 80% accuracy within 4 weeks.
How does your child handle frustration or stressful situations?	1 – Frequently tantrums or withdraws 2 – Sometimes has difficulty 3 – Manages stress well	Evaluates emotional regulation and coping strategies, which are important for behavior management and social interactions.	Emotional dysregulation, anxiety, frustration intolerance, behavioral outbursts.	Increase coping strategies to reduce tantrums to once a week within 6 weeks.
Can your child write or draw using a pencil?	1 – Cannot hold pencil 2 – Has a poor pencil grasp 3 – Can hold and use pencil correctly	Measures fine motor control for school-related tasks like writing, drawing, and general classroom participation.	Dysgraphia, poor pencil grasp, low fine motor coordination, developmental delays.	Improve pencil grip and fine motor control for writing tasks within 2 months.
Does your child interact with peers appropriately?	1 – Avoids interaction 2 – Interacts but struggles 3 – Engages and communicates appropriately	Assesses social interaction skills, which are important for communication and forming relationships with peers.	Social skill deficits, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), social anxiety.	Improve social interaction with peers by encouraging participation in group activities 3x per week.
How well does your child transition between tasks (e.g., moving from play to a structured activity)?	1 – Frequent meltdowns 2 – Needs frequent prompting 3 – Transitions smoothly	Assesses the child’s flexibility and adaptability during transitions, key for attention and behavioral management.	Transition difficulties, rigidity in routines, ADHD, behavioral challenges.	Reduce transition difficulties by using visual schedules and cues, aiming for smooth transitions 80% of the time within 6 weeks.
Does your child participate in self-care activities (e.g., dressing, brushing teeth)?	1 – Dependent on caregiver 2 – Needs help with some tasks 3 – Independent in most self-care tasks	Measures self-care independence, an essential daily living skill for autonomy at home and school.	Delays in self-care skills, motor impairments, cognitive difficulties.	Increase independence in dressing and self-care to 80% within 3 months.
Does your child have difficulty sitting still during activities (e.g., during mealtime or reading)?	1 – Cannot sit still for more than 1 minute 2 – Can sit for 5 minutes 3 – Sits still for 10+ minutes	Assesses attention span and ability to regulate body movement during seated tasks, important for school and home activities.	ADHD, poor attention span, sensory seeking behavior.	Increase sitting tolerance to 10 minutes during focused activities within 2 months.
How does your child sleep? (hours of sleep, difficulty falling asleep, night awakenings)	1 – Sleeps poorly 2 – Occasionally has sleep issues 3 – Sleeps well most nights	Identifies potential sleep issues, which can affect daytime behavior, learning, and emotional regulation.	Sleep disorders, impact of poor sleep on mood and attention.	Improve sleep routine with sensory strategies, aiming for 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep within 4 weeks.

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Manual and Reasoning Behind the Questions

1.     Fine Motor Skills (e.g., buttoning clothes, holding a pencil):

o    Why Ask? These tasks assess the child’s dexterity, coordination, and motor planning, all of which are crucial for daily activities and school performance.

o    Potential Problems: Developmental coordination disorder, fine motor delays, difficulty with self-care tasks.

o    Goals: Improve fine motor control and independence in dressing, writing, or other age-appropriate activities.

2.     Sensory Processing (e.g., sensitivity to stimuli):

o    Why Ask? Sensory processing impacts how a child experiences their environment and can affect behavior, focus, and participation in activities.

o    Potential Problems: Sensory over-responsiveness, sensory under-responsiveness, sensory seeking behaviors.

o    Goals: Decrease over-responsiveness or increase tolerance to sensory stimuli to improve overall functioning.

3.     Cognitive Processing (e.g., following multi-step instructions):

o    Why Ask? These skills are important for following directions, learning new tasks, and functioning in structured environments.

o    Potential Problems: Cognitive delays, attention difficulties, learning disabilities.

o    Goals: Improve cognitive processing and task performance by increasing attention and memory strategies.

4.     Emotional Regulation (e.g., handling frustration):

o    Why Ask? Emotional regulation is essential for coping with daily stressors, which can significantly affect a child's behavior and relationships.

o    Potential Problems: Difficulty coping with frustration, emotional outbursts, anxiety, behavioral issues.

o    Goals: Implement coping strategies to reduce frustration and emotional outbursts.

5.     Social Interaction (e.g., interacting with peers):

o    Why Ask? Social interaction skills are critical for developing relationships, communication, and participating in group activities.

o    Potential Problems: Social anxiety, ASD, peer relationship difficulties.

o    Goals: Improve social skills through structured peer interactions and social skill development.

6.     Attention Span (e.g., sitting still during tasks):

o    Why Ask? Attention and ability to stay still are key for learning, especially in school and during structured tasks at home.

o    Potential Problems: ADHD, sensory seeking behaviors, poor impulse control.

o    Goals: Increase attention span and ability to focus on tasks with targeted interventions.