Therapies

Speech and Language Therapy

What is speech and language therapy?

Speech and language therapy provides treatment support and care for children who have difficulties with communication, or with eating, drinking and swallowing.

 

Communication:

 

Feeding & Swallowing:

At Oakwood there is access to a dysphagia specialist to ensure children are supported to eat and drink safely if there are concerns around this. 

 

How do we work?

 

Aims:

 

Our approaches:

All our children are different so programmes are tailored to the individual, but here are some approaches that we use:

Occupational Therapy

Paediatric Occupational Therapists (OT) assess and treat children who have difficulties that affect their ability to do every day functional activities. OTs  help the child achieve or maintain their maximum level of independence so they can access the school curriculum to their full potential.

Home/ school programmes and class-based interventions are used to ensure consolidation of skills and carryover into the child's daily life. Therapy outside the classroom is occasionally needed for specific assessments and interventions e.g. splinting. The OTs work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, alongside Teaching Staff, Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Educational Psychologists and School Nurses. They work closely with families and carers and school staff to encourage continuity of programmes and goals between home and school settings, as this ensures maximum benefits for the child.

The key areas of intervention provided by the Occupational Therapist at Oakwood School include:


Swimming

Oakwood School is lucky enough to have its own hydrotherapy swimming pool!


Each class has a timetabled session in the pool and individual targets are planned for each pupil. Teachers liaise closely with the physiotherapists who advise on specific exercises for individuals which can be worked on in the pool. Sensory swim sessions are a favourite with all the pupils with lots of lights and music. As children become more confident in water, they will enjoy swimming lessons at Oak Park.   


Physiotherapy

Paediatric Physiotherapists are based at Oakwood School two days a week. They work closely the teaching team and with other health professionals in school including occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and the school nursing team.

Aims:

To improve the function and general wellbeing of our pupils by working on gross motor development and postural management in order to maximise each child’s potential and enable them to access to the school curriculum to the best of their ability.

The Physiotherapists role

School Nursing Team 


The school has nursing cover available through the school day in term time.

Aims:

How do we work?

Our role:

Music at Oakwood

Music is a huge part of school life at Oakwood, each class has a specialst music session with Bev Cullen, our specialist music teacher, the benefits include:

She is also a Makaton Tutor who specialises in using Makaton with Singing.

Class music sessions are planned to meet the needs of the pupils.

Sessions combine singing, Makaton and the use of instruments to develop pupils’ skills in the following:

Bev chooses songs, music and activities to link into class projects to support our curriculum.

Every Friday lunchtime our Makaton Signing Choir come together to share their signing and signing talents. This is designed to develop our most able students in vocal, signing and communication skills (some pupils use a VOCA). Pupils have performed at singing festivals and The Big Sing at Forest Arts Centre and at the Walsall SEND Conference.

Rebound Therapy

 

This year at Oakwood we are proud to announce that we can now offer ‘Rebound Therapy’ in school. Rebound therapy is therapeutic exercise for individuals with a range of physical and learning disabilities on a full sized trampoline. This therapy will be provided by our own ‘Rebound Therapy Team’ who have been level 2 certified trained by www.reboundtherapy.org. Our school is able to offer this amazing therapy as we have the state of the art facilities including full size trampolines with safety decks at both school sites.

 

History of Rebound Therapy

Rebound Therapy was founded by E.G. Anderson in 1972 and is the use of full size trampolines to provide opportunities for therapeutic exercise, movement and FUN for learners with a wide range of special needs. Participates range from mild to severe physical disabilities and from mild to profound and multiple learning disabilities, including dual sensory impairment and autistic spectrum.

 

What is the Intent of Rebound Therapy?

Rebound Therapy is used to facilitate movement, promote balance, support an increase or decrease in muscle tone, promote relaxation, sensory integration, it improves fitness and exercise tolerance and to improve communication.

Rebound uses trampolines to provide therapeutic exercise to people with a wider variety of disabilities and additional needs. The therapy involves using the moving bed of the trampoline to promote movement in the participant.


Benefits of Rebound Therapy

Rebound Therapy has endless benefits including the developing and improvement of:

Other benefits include:

 

Implementation of Rebound Therapy

All pupils including staff must be screened for contra – indications before beginning to access Rebound Therapy. Unless trained medical staff advise otherwise, pupils with the following medical conditions SHOULD NOT access Rebound Therapy:

A risk assessment and medical questions will be conducted before beginning to access Rebound Therapy. All rebound Therapy sessions will also have at least one therapist who has received ‘Level 2 Rebound Therapy’ training.

 

Impact  

The impact from conducting and engaging in rebound Therapy sessions will have a great impact on pupils learning across the all areas of the curriculum in different ways including:

Communication – pupils will be motivated to communicate more spontaneously.

Environment – the environment will be set up towards giving pupils the opportunity to work on activities which they find motivating, which in turn helps their regulation skills.

Independence and transitions – when pupils are more regulated they are more likely to be able to cope with transitions around school when learning.

Wellbeing – Pupils will engage in enjoyable experiences which support them in building self-confidence and self-esteem in turn promoting better mental health and physical health.

Learning - pupils will be taking part in not just physical activities but also activities from right across the curriculum and at all levels according to the ability and interests of the individual.

More information is availaible on their website - https://www.reboundtherapy.org/