Simon Worthington Occupational Therapy Services

Helping children engage in play, education and daily activities to become independent adults.

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Simon Worthington, Occupational Therapist

Kent based Occupational Therapist

Hi, I'm Simon the OT

I have extensive experience working across the NHS, private and independent sectors of health care.

As well as working with clients directly in their homes, I provide services for a number of mainstream and specialist schools, including those for children who display challenging behaviour, social communication difficulties or have experienced early trauma. For schools I offer hands on assessment and therapy as well as consultancy.

I work with clients who have a diagnosis such as neurological conditions (e.g. Cerebral Palsy, Acquired Brain Injury, Stroke), complex and severe physical and learning difficulties, sensory motor conditions (e.g. Sensory Processing Difficulties, Dyspraxia, Developmental Delay) as well as difficulties with social communication (e.g. Autism).

I strongly believe that Occupational Therapy is about promoting skills for life, whatever age or condition. Early intervention is key.

How can Simon help? More about Simon

How can Simon help?

Does your child...

...have difficulty sitting still?

...have difficulty paying attention?

...struggle with fine motor activities?

...have a fussy attitude towards food?

...have a fussy attitude towards what clothes they wear?

...struggle with zips or buttons?

...struggle with handwriting?

...struggle in social play?

...have poor self-esteem?

...struggle to use a knife or fork?

...have extreme reactions to certain sounds?

...struggle at school?

As an Occupational Therapist I can assist in the following ways:

Providing strategies and support to help children who struggle with behaviour, listening or attention / concentration
Supporting children with handwriting difficulties
Supporting children with gross motor and co-ordination challenges
Improving skills in Activities of Daily Living e.g. dressing, self-care and play / education skills
Improving fine motor skills and control

Supporting the development of visual perceptual skills
Providing evidence for Education Health Care Plans to ensure your child has suitable support whilst they are at school
Providing evidence for suitable housing or benefits
Support in finding appropriate specialist equipment to maximise your child’s independence
Providing support and education to the family, education staff or keyworkers

More about my therapy services Contact Simon

Occupational therapy for children

Guiding you through the complete process from assessment and EHCP evidence to therapy programmes.

More about OT for Children

Occupational therapy for schools

Working with a wide range of educational settings to provide teachers with the support required to meet children's needs.

More about OT for Schools

Passionate about providing a personalised, holistic approach to therapy provision

Contact Simon

Simon offers a really flexible and personalised service for our school. He is easy to contact, friendly and professional. We have really benefited from his knowledge of how to support pupils with significant sensory difficulties.

Primary SEN provision for children with a diagnosis of ASD or speech, language and communication needs.

We have really enjoyed working with Simon….The training Simon has completed with staff has supported their understanding of Sensory Processing and provided lots of practical ideas. Staff always come away with something new which is great!

Secondary SEN provision for children with a diagnosis of ASD

Simon’s assessments are thorough and result in reports that provide detailed yet clear information about a student’s strengths and challenges. We have had lots of positive comments from parents about these reports and the level of support they provide

Secondary SEN provision for children with a diagnosis of ASD

Simon is fantastic! He has really helped our family and we highly recommend him

Parent

The report itself… (was) so detailed and explained really well, so that it could be understood.. Unlike other reports which are all medical jargon…. We would highly recommend this service

Parent of SEN child

Simon is a lovely man, he is polite, punctual, caring, professional and very good with my daughter. He makes an effort to attend meetings or change his other commitments to attend, which is something that has never happened with my daughters care team before and it goes along way with me

Parent of child with long term complex health needs

Simon has always provided an excellent standard of service to our school. The communication and referral process ensures a high level of information is secured at the first stages and it is so accessible to parents and schools alike. We have learnt so much from Simon, who is always at the end of an email and we couldn’t do without his input with regards to our children and their individual needs! Simon is one of the most knowledgeable and informative people you will meet and he slots so well into our school community. We would not want to be without him!

SENCO of a mainstream Primary school

Young people playing hopscotch and skipping in playground

Why Occupational Therapy?

For me, Occupational Therapy is about ensuring young people can grow into adults who can be as independent as possible, living their best life. This is done by seeing beyond any diagnoses and limitations, instead focusing in on personal achievement and success.

Everything we do from when we wake up to when we go to sleep at night is an occupation. They are the things we have to do, want to do or need to do. For children and young people this may be engaging in social / interaction opportunities, leisure activities (i.e. play, sports or hobbies), self care activities (i.e. washing, dressing and eating) or productivity (ie. school, volunteering and work).

We all have our own strengths and weaknesses; occupational therapy is about working out those strengths and finding ways to work through our weaknesses or challenges. Occupational Therapy does this by supporting the child or young person to find new ways of doing, improving existing skills and, by doing so, boosting wellbeing and self-esteem.

Occupational therapy in Kent and Medway

A consistent approach

I work in schools and with families across Kent and Medway getting to know the young people I support.

I love my job because I get the opportunity to work with individuals as they develop, from working with children a few months of age, supporting them as they get older through nursery, primary school, secondary school and college, empowering them to do the things they need to do, have to do or want to do!

In 2009 I was awarded The Isobel Elliot Award for demonstrating my in depth understanding of Person centred care through a creative medium. As well as achieving my BSc in Occupational Therapy I have completed additional post graduate training in Sensory Integration and I am a practitioner of Ayres Sensory Integration®.

Therapy works best when there is continuity. I work with my clients directly to provide a personalised, reliable and consistent service.

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Kent and Medway Occupational Therapy map