Mainstream School Outreach Programme - Assessment (Wallabies) group
This programme lasts a term.
Criteria for group membership
- Prior full assessment by a physiotherapist or occupational therapist
- Motor skills below the 5th centile in 2 areas of Movement ABC or poor quality of movement
- Self-esteem possibly at risk
- Age 6 - 8
- Attending mainstream school
Number in group: 12 maximum
Staffing: Senior physiotherapist, senior occupational therapist, 2 therapy helpers, (+ volunteers if available)
Aims of group
- To assess the child’s gross & fine motor skills ability
- To facilitate the development of the child’s fine and gross motor skills
- To develop the child’s self-esteem
- To help the child to develop listening skills and ability to respond to instructions
- To develop the child’s ability to behave co-operatively in a group situation
Evaluation
Each child will receive a certificate at the end of the term. Parents will be invited to discuss their child’s progress with the therapists. A progress report will be provided for both parents and teachers at the end of the term. From this it will be decided whether or not the child requires more help and how this may be best provided.
Group structure: 9 weeks in all.
(No session during half-term holiday)
This comprises a six-week series of 1½ hour sessions which will include assessment of various aspects of gross & fine motor skills followed by a three-week series of 1½ hour sessions to develop techniques for improving various aspects of gross & fine motor skills. During weeks 7 & 8, there will an opportunity to discuss your child’s progress on an individual basis with the therapists involved.
Wallabies Motor Skills Group Programme
| Gross Motor | Fine Motor |
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| WEEK 1 | Body awareness & Spatial awareness | - Write name
- Draw picture of self
- Draw a face
- Copy patterns
- Copy writing ‘the big red bus’
- Colouring flower or umbrella
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| WEEK 2 | Balance | - Pencil skills
- Posture
- Grip
- Fluency
- Accuracy
- Write from the Start ex’s
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| WEEK 3 | Core stability | - Letter & number formation
- Modelling clay initial
- Paint board
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| WEEK 4 | Ball skills | - Scissors
- Graduated cutting
- Paint initial (+get stuck on board)
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| WEEK 5 | Locomotor skills: Jump | |
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| WEEK 6 | Locomotor skills: hop, run, skip & stop | - Feeding/drinking skills
- Making sandwiches:
- Using knife to spread margarine and spready cheese or jam. Cut sandwiches into quarters
- Pouring squash from jug and drinking
- Using knife & fork to cut modelling clay
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Other skills we will be working on:
- Listening to instructions
- Following instructions correctly
- Taking turns
- Listening whilst others speak
- Sitting still
- Developing a working knowledge of directions such as up/down,
- behind/in front, forwards/backwards etc.
- Spatial awareness – moving around a stationary environment, moving around a moving environment (with other people)
- Body awareness – using different body parts in a controlled way.
- Awareness of own body and its relationship to the surroundings and other people
- Working co-operatively in a small group – sharing resources
- Self-evaluation – judging what they have done particularly well
- Developing self-esteem and self-confidence