Keeping Me Well - Cardiff and Vale University Hospital

Occupational Therapy in Special Schools

The Occupational Therapy team covers all schools across Cardiff and the Vale. You can read about how to refer your child to our service here. 

Currently we have two school’s teams – one team in Ysgol Y Deri in Penarth within the Vale of Glamorgan and the other team based across five special schools in Cardiff.

Cardiff Special Schools team

As Occupational Therapists we maximise the pupil’s potential by supporting children and upskilling staff and families closest to them. We work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team, which includes physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, psychologists, support staff and nurses. We work within the school and home environment providing advice on the following:

  • Looking at the child’s environment and environmental supports at home and in school
  • A child’s engagement in their daily occupations at home and in school
  • Sensory assessments and support to meet a child’s sensory needs
  • Access to play activities (including supporting with assistive technology)
  • Upper limb management including splinting
  • Signposting to and referrals to relevant services
  • Staff and parents’ training
  • Postural management (24 hour postural management, including specialist seating and sleep systems).

Ysgol Y Deri Special Schools team

At Ysgol Y Deri the Occupational Therapists work closely with parents, teachers, support staff and other professionals. The holistic aim is for pupils to develop and maintain skills that promote participation in all learning experiences so that they can reach their full potential. The therapists provide a range of interventions, which can be individual, group sessions or programs implemented by school staff. 

Examples of interventions include: 

  • Developing independent living skills in dressing, toileting, bathing and eating/drinking. 
  • Assessing and monitoring of specialist seating 
  • Hand splints to maintain hand position 
  • Manual handling assessments 
  • Environmental assessments and modification 
  • Sensory processing assessments 
  • Rebound therapy 
  • Staff training 

You can contact us on 029 2035 2280.

Keeping Me Well - Cardiff and Vale University Hospital

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