This resource pack is designed to help school staff and parents support children with motor skills difficulties, before making a referral to occupational therapy.
It provides ideas and strategies to help children practise and develop their motor skills as part of the Graduated Approach to supporting children with special educational needs (SEN): Assess, Plan, Do, Review. For more information, visit: Suffolk SENDIASS – SEN Support
On this page
- Who the pack is for
- When to contact occupational therapy
- Motor skills and self-care workshop
- How to use the pack
- Resource pack
- When to consider a referral to occupational therapy
Who the pack is for
This resource pack is for school staff and parents or carers of children who are experiencing difficulties with motor skills. It is designed to support children to practise and develop key skills before making a referral to occupational therapy. The pack is most suitable for children where there are no complex or rapidly changing needs.
When to contact occupational therapy
Please contact the occupational therapy service if:
- Your child has more complex needs than those covered in this pack
- They have a neurological condition (e.g. cerebral palsy) that may affect which strategies are appropriate
- They have a degenerative condition and their needs are changing quickly
- You have concerns about safety when using the strategies or activities
By offering advice and resources at a universal level, we aim to make sure that children with more complex needs can access more targeted and specialist support.
Motor skills and self-care workshop
We offer a workshop for school staff in South and West Suffolk to support the use of this pack. Staff can self-register using their school email address.
Parents and carers who would like to attend the workshop should email:
icps.childrensot@wsh.nhs.uk
Please include ‘Motor Skills Workshop’ in the subject line.
How to use the pack
- Identify the specific difficulties your child is experiencing using the table below.
- Refer to the relevant worksheets.
- Follow the recommended frequency of activities as outlined in each sheet.
- Aim to carry out the activities for at least one school term to allow time for progress.
- Strategies can be used in small groups, as whole-class activities, or at home.
Resource pack
When to consider a referral to occupational therapy
If your child is not making expected progress, or if school staff or parents feel further advice is needed, a referral to occupational therapy may be appropriate.
You can use the completed worksheets and record forms in this pack to support the referral. These provide evidence of the strategies that have already been tried.
Referral criteria
We accept referrals for children with motor skills difficulties who meet the following criteria:
- Age range: Reception to the end of Year 7
- Referrers: School SENCOs, paediatricians or physiotherapists (GP referrals are not accepted)
- Difficulties: The child must have challenges in at least three functional areas, such as:
- Personal care (e.g. dressing, using cutlery)
- Fine motor skills in the classroom (e.g. handwriting, using scissors)
- Gross motor skills (e.g. balance, ball skills, moving safely around the environment)
Referrals must include evidence of strategies already trialled. Please include a copy of the relevant worksheet(s) with the referral form.
You can find the ICPS referral form on our website.