Assessment
At CATS, we can provide comprehensive Occupational Therapy assessments. All our Occupational Therapists are highly experienced specialists, and they all have post-graduate qualifications in Sensory Integration.
We will send you screening questionnaires before your child's assessment. These will help your therapist create a tailored assessment specifically designed for your child's needs.
Assessments may look at a combination of:
- Functional skills (activities of daily living)
- Sensory Processing
- Motor skills
- Emotional regulation
After the assessment, you will receive a detailed report with recommended strategies and resources.
We are unable to provide assessments specifically for EHCP assessments and reviews, and our therapists cannot advise on school placements or therapy hours required. However, Our assessment reports can be used as supporting evidence for EHCP applications and shared with your child’s school and other professionals to ensure continuity of support strategies.
Sometimes, upon reviewing your child’s referral, we may not feel that your child is right for our service. In this instance, we will always do our best to signpost you to other services which may be able to help. If we feel it is possible that your child may meet the criteria for Development Coordination Disorder, we will advise you to see our Paediatrician first, as this is a prerequisite for possible diagnosis. Sometimes, we may recommend a referral to other services after your assessment. We will always discuss this with you, and you are under no obligation to undergo further assessment with CATS.
We offer assessment services to clients in Norfolk, Suffolk and North East Essex. If you would like to make a referral to our Occupational Therapy Service, please fill out the referral form. A member of the team will contact you within five working days.
School based OT Assessment
Our School Based Occupational Therapy Assessment looks at how a child manages the sensory, functional and environmental demands of the school day.
We consider:
- The child’s sensory processing (e.g., noise, movement, touch, attention, fatigue)
- Functional skills needed for school (e.g., seating, handwriting, tool use, self-care, organisation, transitions, play and participation)
- The school environment (e.g., classroom set-up, routines, sensory load, reasonable adjustments)
Following assessment, we provide a clear report with detailed, individualised recommendations for school, tailored to the child’s strengths and needs. Recommendations may include environmental adaptations, targeted strategies, equipment suggestions, and practical guidance for staff to implement.
Sensory screening
Would you like to know whether your child experiences sensory processing challenges and which sensory systems are affected?
The sensory processing measure 2 (SPM2) is used for our sensory screening. This is an online questionnaire sent to you via email.
The SPM2 is a standardised assessment used to establish the level of sensory processing challenges your child experiences. The assessment includes 8 categories: vision, hearing, touch, taste and smell, body awareness, balance and movement, planning and ideas, and social participation.
A short report detailing how your child has scored in each category listed above will be provided.
Please use the link below to complete a referral:
Intervention sessions
Activities of Daily Living
The Occupational Therapy team at CATS are pleased to be offering intervention sessions for children and young people who have already had an assessment with us, based on the COOP (Cognitive Orientation Occupational Performance) approach. This approach helps children and young people to develop skills, use strategies, and solve problems. This could be from tying their shoelaces to using a knife and fork but most importantly, the goals are child led.
The benefits of using the COOP approach to acquire new skills include:
- It is an evidence-based intervention
- Helps to develop essential problem-solving skills
- Children and young people learn to develop transferable skills
- Helps children to become independent by taking control of their learning and setting their own goals
- Encourages children to take part in daily activities developing their own strategies for completion of a task
- Improves confidence and self-esteem
- Coaches and guides children to have their own ‘lightbulb’ moments
If you are interested, please contact us for more information at otadmin@catservices.uk
Sensory Motor Session
Our Occupational Therapists are able to offer one-off sensory sessions for children who have had a Sensory Screening or Occupational Therapy assessment with us. Getting started independently can feel a little overwhelming. We therefore recommend this session to provide you with practical skills and ideas tailored to your child and their sensory profile to help get ideas and the confidence to get started. This will be tailored to your child and what you feel will be most helpful. This could include:
- A home or school visit to set up an appropriate sensory circuit
- An individualised sensory diet/plan
- A play-based session demonstrating sensory games to work towards goals, which families can continue at home
- A six-week review
Interoception Curriculum
We are able to offer Occupational Therapy Intervention using The Interoception Curriculum for up to twelve sessions. Interoception is the ability to read, interpret and respond to internal body signals. This can be what we call homeostatic body signals, such as hunger, thirst, temperature and the need to use the toilet, as well as internal emotional signals. Many of the children we work with struggle with this. The Interoception Curriculum is a fantastic programme which at first helps children become more aware of their internal states and ultimately builds on developing body awareness, emotional regulation and management strategies.
You can read more about the Interoception Curriculum here: Kelly Mahler's Interoception Training: Boost Body Awareness
Contact us for more information otadmin@catservices.uk
Occupational Therapy Advice Line
The advice line is for parents/carers of children aged 0-18 years old who are experiencing functional challenges affecting their daily lives. A 30 minute call costs £50.
The Occupational Therapist will be able to provide practical advice, strategies, and support in relation to your child’s independence skills within everyday activities including:
- Self-care (e.g., eating, dressing, toileting, washing)
- Play (ability to play with toys, joining in with social events)
- Learning Opportunities (accessing and participating in nursery/school)
The advice line can be accessed without completing a referral, but you will need to book a telephone slot using the link below:
Sensory Yoga Workshops
We are pleased to be offering Sensory Yoga and Mindfulness Workshops for children and young people.
There will be two types of workshops on offer – one for primary school aged children and one for secondary school aged children.
The benefits of Sensory Yoga include:
- Promoting activity of the autonomic nervous system to support regulation
- Supporting the sensory systems
- Improving balance and postural control skills
- Improving bilateral motor coordination
- Improving body awareness
- Improving motor planning skills
- Promoting a sense of emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing
The workshops will run once a month on a Saturday.
To book your child into a workshop, please use the link below:
Ayres Sensory Integration® Therapy Sessions
Ayres Sensory Integration® (ASI) is a specialist, assessment-led occupational therapy approach that uses purposeful, play-based sensory–motor activities to support a child’s ability to process and use sensory information (such as movement, touch, body awareness, sight and sound) in everyday life. ASI is typically delivered in a clinic setting using specialist equipment, with activities carefully graded to provide the “just-right challenge” and promote functional participation.
At CATS, all of our Occupational Therapists delivering ASI are qualified Sensory Integration Practitioners and are highly experienced in supporting children with a wide range of neurodevelopmental profiles. Therapy is always tailored to the child’s goals and may include practical strategies for home and school to support carry-over.
Interactive Training (Live Online)
Our Interactive Training sessions are delivered live online by a qualified Occupational Therapist and Sensory Integration Practitioner. It’s a supportive, practical way to learn from home — with the added benefit of being able to ask questions and explore strategies relevant to your child.
Each session includes clear teaching, real-life examples, and practical ideas you can try straight away. While this is training (not a personalised assessment), there is time for general Q&A so you can feel more confident in understanding and supporting your child.
Upcoming topics include:
- Sensory Processing for Pre-school Children
- Sensory Processing for Primary Aged Children
- Sensory Processing for High School Children
- Emotional Regulation
- Interoception
- Sensory Processing and Eating
To enquire or book, contact otadmin@catservices.uk
