Spotlight On: Occupational Therapy at EarlyEd
Namrita Singh, occupational therapist at EarlyEd, talks about her role in delivering early intervention services to children with disabilities and delays. Find out more about her day-to-day role at EarlyEd and what it’s like being an occupational therapist in a transdisciplinary team.
What do you enjoy most about working at EarlyEd?
“I like working for EarlyEd because I can offer early intervention services to children with delays in a holistic way. Because the EarlyEd teams consist of teachers and allied health professionals they have knowledge, skills and experience in providing services based on the families’ goals.
I enjoy the flexibility of being able to offer my skills in varied ways. Apart from offering individual sessions, I am also part of a group setting whether at the centre or in a preschool/school environment where the strategies have to be inclusive/adaptable for all the kids, including the siblings. Home based services have their own challenges as I tend to use the activities/toys in the home environment so that the child and his family are able to practice different skills while pursuing their daily routine. Some children might require a piece of equipment to help with their positioning or mobility needs and I help them with the prescription process and training the parent/caregiver training regarding how to safely use the piece of equipment.
Every member of the staff is valued, supported and encouraged to develop their professional skills through courses, training, mentoring, and peer support. It gives me immense job satisfaction to work so closely with children and their families, and be supported in my personal professional development as well.”
Why is EarlyEd great for new graduates or those with little experience working with children with disabilities?
“EarlyEd is very supportive of new graduates or professionals who want to learn more about working with children with delays or disabilities. Since the roll out of NDIS there are many more positions available in early intervention. EarlyEd recognises that applicants could have very little experience.
The organisation is a great place to start your career in early intervention because it is well established, is ready for NDIS and offers continuing opportunity to grow and learn. EarlyEd has been offering early intervention for over 35 years. This means that over the years it has adjusted to all the changes that have happened in the sector while keeping focused on the needs of families.
It is a great place to learn as the team consists of the full range of teachers and allied health professionals. They all bring knowledge, skills and experience across a wide range of areas. Such a diverse team provides an excellent opportunity to learn about the role of other disciplines in supporting a child’s development. It helps you understand how all areas of development interact. Because the team is transdisciplinary you become a better clinician. You are learning all the time and because it is in the context of other areas of intervention you develop your own professional skills in a much broader way.
The organisation is very committed to providing a nurturing environment to learn about evidence-based best practice. This is acheived through reflective practice, supervision, resources and program material, mentoring, peer support and professional development courses.
Working in the disability sector comes with its unique challenges and achievements, especially in paediatrics. Even so it is incredibly satisfying to know that we are able to help improve outcomes for a child in their early, formative years.
The disability sector is a great place to be working in right now with the NDIS roll-out. It is a new and dynamic time and is creating a wide range of professional opportunities.”
The role of an Occupational Therapist at EarlyEd?
“An occupational therapists at EarlyEd has a diverse role to play. They provide discipline-specific individual sessions for children while also being part of a transdisciplinary team, which offers a unique opportunity to learn skills and strategies from other professionals that can help improve a child’s learning and participation. As part of the team, they offer input in group sessions, playgroups, and other specialised groups such as SportEd (helping to prepare children for mainstream sporting activity).
The various services offered by occupational therapists at EarlyEd include:
- Sensory processing and its impact on behavior
- Equipment needs of children
- Home modifications
- Early motor development especially fine motor, and self help skills
- School readiness skills
- Developing play skills
- Inclusion in mainstream sport activities, and other community activities
- Teaching strategies that can be incorporated in a child and his/her family’s routine across different settings such as, home, school/Preschool, community etc.”
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Join the EarlyEd team as an Occupational Therapist
We are currently on the look out for Occupational Therapists to join our growing team. If you are an experienced senior occupational therapist or recent graduate looking for a paediatric occupational therapy role that offers you the opportunity to make a difference to children experiencing developmental delays or disability during their early years and their families, get in touch >> Find out more.
