Therapy

There are full time Occupational Therapists and full time Speech and Language Therapists at Jigsaw who work closely together and in collaboration with educational staff, other professionals and families to provide an holistic approach to interventions. Therapy targets are integrated into the school day and embedded within each pupil’s individualised curriculum.

Each pupil receives a core therapy provision from speech and language therapy (SLT) and occupational therapy (OT) both directly and indirectly, including therapy recommendations for class programmes, in-class support and direct group therapy. Therapists carry out ongoing assessments to contribute to the pupils’ Individual Curriculum and Educational Plans and annual and termly reports. Courses of individual therapy sessions can be offered dependent upon individual, specific need and therapists’ clinical judgment.

Quotes from Jigsaw parents:

I am really impressed with how [my child’s] sessions are progressing. [My child] has started using PECS at home for help etc. which is great. Thank you for all your hard work with [my child].

I am so impressed with the report. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

There is a need for a high degree of communication and consistency…This is supported through regular communication, observation and meetings between therapies, school and parents.

Thank you so much for helping [my child] so effectively…where the progress has been beyond our expectations…

Speech & Language Therapy

Speech and language therapy is concerned with the management of disorders of speech, language, communication and swallowing in children and adults. Speech and language therapists (SLTs) are allied health professionals. They work closely with parents, carers and other professionals, such as teachers, nurses, occupational therapists and doctors (Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, 2014).

In line with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, at Jigsaw we:

Support pupils, parents and carers with appropriate information and skills around speech, language and communication
Enhance and adapt environments in respect of communication
Skill the workforce to promote and develop speech, language and communication skills
Provide appropriate intervention in the most appropriate context relative to need

The Speech and Language Therapists support a variety of targets, including:

Developing joint Attention and Participation
Extending Attention
Working on Group Attention
Turn-taking skills
Functional use of Alternative and Augmentative Communication
Developing single word vocabulary

Increasing levels of Receptive Language
Extending Expressive use of Language
Developing functional, contextual language
Extending Social Communication skills
Using Visually Supported Language
Extending Sentence Construction

Our Speech and Language Therapists use techniques including:

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy enables people to achieve health, well being and life satisfaction through participation in occupation. “Occupation” refers to practical and purposeful activities that allow us to live independently and give us a sense of identity. This could be anything from essential day-to-day tasks, such as dressing or cooking, to the things that make us who we are—our job, interests, hobbies and relationships. Occupational therapists find solutions to everyday problems. (British Association of Occupational Therapists and College of Occupational Therapists, 2013).

In line with the College of Occupational Therapists, at Jigsaw we:

Work with the child, parents and teachers to find solutions to minimise the difficulties children face, helping them get the most from life
Enhance and adapt environments in respect of functional performance and sensory processing needs
Provide help and training in daily activities, such as bathing, dressing, eating, gardening, working and learning
Provide appropriate intervention in the most appropriate context relative to need

The Occupational Therapists support a variety of targets, including: