At Sensation Station Centre, we recognise that a child’s occupation is to learn, grow, and develop through play, and our Occupational Therapists (OT’s) are equipped with the right tools to carry out this principle everyday. Our OT’s are passionate about helping children unlock their fullest potential by enabling them to develop essential physical (gross and fine motor), sensory, social and cognitive skills while fostering their innate desire for independence.
If you are interested to learn more about what our sensational OT’s are up to on a daily basis, then continue reading as we have so much to share with you!
What is the work setup of an Occupational Therapist at Sensation Station?
Our occupational therapists may be assigned to provide services in the centre, at our partner schools or both. Our centre-based OT’s administer 1:1 therapy in our bespoke therapy spaces such as the multi-sensory gym (known as Fun Junction), art room, outdoor area and a room for simulating real life activities like pretend cooking, baking, and construction. Our centre houses 10 sensory swings, an indoor climbing wall, a trampoline, a Snoezelen room and various other therapy facilities and resources which our OT’s utilise to create motivating and meaningful play-based activities such as obstacle courses, arts and crafts, and other age-appropriate gross motor exercises.
On the other hand, our school-based OT’s provide 1:1 or group outreach therapy at our partner schools and nurseries to help students improve their school performance by targeting specific learning areas (e.g. focus/concentration, handwriting, social participation, transition between activities, executive function skills, etc). This is a convenient option for some families as therapy is readily available at the child’s school. Currently, Sensation Station Centre delivers outreach services to eight (8) reputable schools in Dubai.
Some of our OT’s have the privilege to provide therapy in both centre and school settings. This is an amazing opportunity for them to maximise their growth and development in their careers.
Who are the individuals that our OT’s work with every day?
Our Sensational Kids
Our OT’s work with children aged 1 to 16 who have a variety of developmental delays and learning challenges such as those with ASD, ADD/ADHD, sensory processing disorders, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, dyspraxia and traumatic brain injuries, among others–enabling them to perform their daily tasks/occupations to the best of their abilities.
Parents & Guardians
Our OT’s collaborate with parents in setting goals for the child and educate parents and guardians with techniques to support their child’s unique needs–making sure that progress is made even at home.
In-house Speech & Language Therapists
Some children may have co-existing conditions which symptoms cross multiple developmental areas. For example, a child who is diagnosed with ASD will most likely have both sensory processing and communication difficulties. Also, some children who find it hard to sit still during speech therapy sessions might have attention difficulties or sensory processing issues, both of which can be identified and addressed by an OT. As such, our OT’s work collaboratively with other members of the therapy department (i.e. Speech & Language Therapists) in order to set goals from a multi-disciplinary viewpoint, ensuring optimal progress for the child.
In-house Inclusion Team
Sensation Station Centre runs a therapy-based early intervention day programme called ‘Able Me’ which is overseen by our Head of Therapy Department and delivered by our Early Years-trained class leaders. Our OT’s actively work with the Able Me Team and offer expert advice and support to enable effective implementation of therapy strategies inside the classroom which are essential to maximise the child’s development. Our OT’s also provide a weekly 1:1 or group therapy session for students enrolled under the Able Me Programme.
Special Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) from Outreach Schools
Our OT’s collaborate with SENCOs from our reputable partner schools and nurseries by offering real time assistance, advice and training to empower school staff to provide maximum support to their students who are facing challenges with learning and coping in the classroom.
How does Sensation Station support the professional growth of our OT’s?
Sensation Station Centre ensures that all of its staff are supported and celebrated. Apart from the gift of seeing their clients progress and positively engage in therapy each day, our OT’s embrace many other opportunities that contribute to their personal and professional growth.
Each month, our OT’s participate in a 1:1 clinical supervision with Sensation Station’s Head of Therapy Department. Said supervision is designed to provide professional support to our therapists which allows them to reflect on their current progress and performance career-wise–leading to professional growth, development of clinical skills and increased self-awareness.
In addition, our OT’s enjoy the privilege of engaging in company-arranged CPD (Continuing Professional Development) trainings which are designed to develop and enhance our therapists’ abilities and competence in their field of expertise. CPD’s empower our OT’s to move forward and always aim to upskill, learn something new, refresh existing knowledge, or simply stay aligned with the latest developments within the industry.
What does it take to become a certified Sensation Station OT?
From a professional standpoint, our OT’s hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy and have at least two (2) years of experience in a paediatric setting. Priding ourselves as a multi-cultural team, our OT’s come from different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. However, since our current mode of instruction is English, our OT’s must ideally be proficient in writing and speaking in the said language.
Additionally, with the aim of delivering the best evidence-based therapy services to our clients, we are most motivated by our highly qualified OT’s who are further trained in specialised areas such as Sensory Integration, DIR Floortime and SCERTS®, among others.
Ultimately, our OT’s share a lot of things in common, but the highlight of them all is their passion for working with our extraordinary children.
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Sensation Station’s occupational therapists have one goal in mind whenever they perform their everyday work–and that is to empower little hands to achieve big things. Get to know our sensational OT’s now! Take a look at their professional profiles: