Meet Sarah – one of Royal Far West’s newest Occupational Therapists!
Sarah recently joined our Child and Family Team and brings a passion for helping kids thrive through play and meaningful activities. In this Q&A, she shares what OT is all about, her favourite therapy activities, and a few fun insights from her own childhood.
What is your name and job title?
My name is Sarah, I’m an Occupational Therapist (OT) on the Child and Family Team and Royal Far West (RFW).
How long have you been with RFW?
I started at RFW a couple months ago!
What is your pub pitch/explanation of what OT is?
In a super simple way, OTs help people do the things they need or want to do! We look at the person, their environment and the things they need to do (their occupations) to see where we can support. That might look like developing skills or making adjustments to the environment or task so that it can be completed successfully.
What’s the funniest thing a child has ever said to you in a session?
There’s so many! A child once asked me if all I do all day is play – to be fair, that is what I spend a large majority of my time doing as a paeds OT!
What is your favourite occupation (e.g. Activities of Daily Living, rest and sleet, education, work, play leisure, social participation) and why?
My last answer probably gave this away, but it definitely has to be play! Play skills are so important for kids in their social and emotional development! It’s also a super meaningful and individualised skill for kids to work on and it makes me so happy to hear when children and their families see progress in their play skills! Plus, it’s definitely the most fun skill to work on in sessions!
What is your favourite OT (therapy) activity and why?
My favourite OT activity at the moment is a regulation scavenger hunt where I hide visuals of different regulation strategies around the OT sensory gym for the child to find. I love this activity because it works on so many different skill areas at once! You get to see the child’s play and social skills, their level of attention and persistence, their motor skills when navigating the equipment and it gives a chance to see how they respond to different regulation strategies and sensory input!
Can you share a special memory from your childhood?
One of my favourite activities to do when I was a kid was to put my roller skates on and skate up and down the hallway answering maths questions from my Dad. Very funny to think back on now!
If someone referred you to OT, what would the referral reason be?
Probably core strength and handwriting…I can make it legible if I need to, but my fine motor control tends to go out the window when I’m quickly jotting down notes! I’m also constantly reminding myself to adjust my posture at my desk!
