FUNdamentals Development Programme

Are you concerned about your child’s development?

Every child is unique and his/her development is dependent on many factors including genetics, personality and health. Knowing what is expected of your child for their age can be reassuring or perhaps concerning when children are not reaching developmental milestones.

At OTRS, our team recognises the importance of early identification and remediation of any developmental difficulties your child may be experiencing. We can ensure they have all the developmental building blocks in place to equip them to reach their full potential in life.

Fundamentals is a specialist developmental therapy service which is able to screen, assess, identify, and if necessary work with the family/preschool/school to treat developmental delays in children, from babies through to teens.

Our team of experienced Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Speech Language Therapists and Psychologists have the expertise and knowledge to assist your child to be a successful learner at school and meet the appropriate milestones in all aspects of their lives.

What to look out for:

Fine Motor Skills (hand skills)

Delayed development of a dominant hand - frequent hand swapping
Difficulty holding a pencil correctly
Difficulty with colouring, tracing and/or drawing
Difficulties with letter formation, writing on a line and sizing and spacing of words
Difficulty manipulating small objects
Weak grasp
Poor scissor use and control
Avoidance of activities involving fine motor skills
Difficulty with using cutlery, tying shoe laces and managing buttons

Gross motor movements (large body movement and control)

Delay in developing motor milestones for example walking crawling
Preference for sedentary/quiet activities
Difficulty with jumping, hopping, skipping, and star jumps
Poor spatial awareness – frequent falls/trips, generally clumsy
Poor ball skills
Difficulty riding a bike, scooter or skateboard

Visual Perceptual skills (the way in which the brain processes information from our eyes)

Poor hand eye co-ordination
Poor discrimination of left and right
Problems with handwriting, reading and spelling
Difficulty with learning and recognising letters
Reversals of letters and numbers
Difficulty learning words by sight
Difficulty with copying from the whiteboard/smartboard
Difficulty finding a specific object amongst others

Self Care Skills (daily living activities)

Difficulty with learning to dress independently
Difficulty using cutlery
Difficulty manipulating buttons and tying laces
Sensitivities to grooming, oral hygiene and bathing
Difficulty in being organised for school

Sensory Processing

The way in which the brain receives sensory messages, processes this information and responds to it. The sensory messages come from our senses – sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, movement and balance. When these messages are not organised or processed effectively, many of a child’s daily occupations (play, learning, selfcare skills) can be disrupted. Some of the “flags” that your child may be experiencing sensory processing difficulties include:

Sensitivity to touch, movement and sound
Difficulty coping with change and transitions
Has difficulty maintaining attention
Is uncoordinated and accident-prone
Actively seeks opportunities to bump, crash and bang into objects
Poor sleep patterns with difficulty settling and winding down
Under reaction to pain or over reaction to minor injuries
Often mouthing non-edible objects or chews/sucks on clothing or other items
Becomes stressed in situations where there is a lot of noise or people and may react aggressively in such situations
Has difficulty with organising themselves and their belongings

Handwriting difficulties may include:

Poor pencil grip
Not legible
Slow speed of writing with poor output
Anxiety (especially for girls)
Discomfort and/or pain – fingers, hand, arm, shoulder
Reversal of letters/numbers
Poor spatial organisation of work

Benefits of FUNndamentals:

Parent/caregiver involvement
Early intervention
Reassurance for parent
Making learning fun and easier for your child
Builds on present skill level
Provides the necessary developmental sequencing for successful outcomes
Individualised and flexible approach
Can be provided to groups or individually
Team of experienced health professionals available

The Assessment:
We assess your child"s motor, perceptual, emotional/behavioural and sensory abilities by the use of standardised assessment tools, clinical observation and expert evaluation to identify your child"s strengths and weaknesses.

Working with Claire:

The first time we see your child will take one to two hours. Claire Rogers, a registered Occupational Therapist, will meet with you and your child in your home or at their learning facility. She has a passionate interest in sensory processing and learning and has worked with children in schools and in the community since 1987. She has 4 children, 2 with disabilities.

We use developmentally appropriate therapeutic activities that provide just the right amount of challenge and FUN to develop the building blocks for learning – specifically developing:

Fine and gross motor skills
Bilateral integration, laterality and motor planning
Balance, stability, posture and motor control
Body awareness and motor planning
Handwriting and hand eye co-ordination
Visual processing skills
Oral-motor skills
Self esteem and confidence
Sensory processing assessment
Sensory diets
Listening skills and auditory processing skills
Self care skills
Attention concentration memory and organisation

We look forward to discussing the needs of your child. Please feel free to contact our friendly team with any questions.

Download our Brochure (369 KB PDF)

"We had a great session with OTRS at Playgroup. The kids loved the stimulating activities, and they all felt comfortable to participate. As parents, we got to see professionals interacting with our children and got some insight into their ability to listen, follow instructions and be involved. It was really interesting to see the differences in attention span for 3 year olds vs 4 year olds! With 1 teacher and 1 observer, the feedback that we each received for our children was appropriate, valuable and reassuring. I would recommend the OTRS evaluation for a steer in the right direction, as well as a fun session for the kids!" Jo Hosking, President Waerenga Playgroup