| SKILL | WHAT TO DO Identifying and supporting need | ASKING FOR HELP Starting Assess, Plan, Do, Review | WHEN MORE HELP IS NEEDED Targeted support |
| Fine and Gross Motor | Individual child: Concerns about a child’s physical needs should initially be raised with parents/carers and discussed with relevant professionals e.g. Health Visitor. Information from a child’s 2 year old check may be available. Awareness of a child’s physical needs and how these may impact on developmental milestones particularly in communication, play and socialisation. Use observation in a variety of settings and contexts e.g. home visits, indoor and outdoor play to identify any particular barriers that affect the child’s access to play and participation. Discussions with parents/carers to identify strengths and any needs can be helpful for planning. Early Years practice which facilitates access to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum, inclusion and participation. Development of a one-page profile which is shared with all staff. Provide additional equipment or resources such as sloping board, adapted cutlery, chairs, scissors and pencil grips etc. Include different physical literacy and physical play activities into as many aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum as possible to support specific skill development and targets. Access Greater Manchester Mini Motors programme for children aged 0 to 5 years. Access Greater Manchester early years physical development guidance document. Consider activities which focus on spatial awareness, planning and body awareness. Consider whether the child is developing hand dominance and complete activities to support and encourage hand dominance. Monitor the child’s performance and preference. Take account of potential fatigue and reduce the pace of structured sessions and provide opportunities for breaks and rest. Use technology to support early learning including apps e.g. Dexteria Jr, Hairy Letters and LetterSchool. Teach sequencing skills for everyday tasks to increase independence e.g. putting on clothes in the right order etc. Use of visual timeline can assist with dressing sequence. Attach paper to table, easel or wall with masking tape when mark making to assist the child and improve shoulder stability. Incorporate pre-handwriting and hand strengthening activities into daily plans e.g. using playdough, thickened sand, elastic bands, tying skills, tweezers, peg boards, threading, funky fingers and finger gym and tennis ball mouth. Consider completing a gross motor task prior to a focused or challenging fine motor task as this can facilitate improved concentration and focus. Consider if avoidance of activities is evident. If a child is struggling with fine or gross motor skills, they may avoid these activities especially during free play. Considerations for good transitions between rooms, and how to plan and prepare for these e.g. opportunities to walk with an adult, repeating the process, moving towards more independence. Talking the child through the route, noting key points, textures or space to feel for. Advice for transition planning can be found at: SEN and Disability in the Early Years Toolkit. Development of a transition plan for children starting pre-school or moving between Nursery and Reception. ISCAN Occupational Therapy (OT) universal advice on supporting occupations: Good Sitting Supporting readiness for play and learning Scissor skills Dressing Clothing Eating and drinking Toileting Bottom wiping Classroom/Early Years room: Create a ‘clutter-free’ environment. It may be helpful to complete a risk assessment of the setting including indoor and outdoor areas and trips outside of the setting. Consider the organisation of play areas and make sure that it enables children to move freely between them and allows for sufficient playing space. Provide sensory safe spaces for all children. Ideas for whole class/group interventions: Write From the Start fine motor and perceptual skills programme. Dough Disco Write Dance Motor Skills United Clever Fingers Keyboarding Without Tears Opportunities for physical play and physical activities: Soft play Outdoor play Structured physical activity Activities to develop motor skills: Fine motor skills e.g. playdough Gross motor Whole school/Early Years setting: ‘KIDS’ (Kids Independently Developing Skills) offers resources to support development across physical and sensory needs. | Access to support from an additional key person in the setting to facilitate access to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum, help the child manage their needs, or move with safety around their environment. Flexible support in the setting to include personal care e.g. dressing and toileting. Ensure access to additional and specialist equipment, as advised by external agencies such as ISCAN Occupational Therapists (OT) and ISCAN Physiotherapist (PT). Ensure all staff in the setting receive relevant traininge.g. manual handling. N.B. manual handling training is provided by an external provider. ISCAN Occupational Therapy (OT) provide training for an individual child using their equipment and therapeutic handling. Provide the child with additional time to complete activities. Use of Now and Next or visual activity timeline to increase motivation and reinforce achievements. Use appropriate size and height chairs and tables to encourage a correct posture and to support fine motor function and writing. Should appropriate height tables and chairs not be possible for all activities, consider support for the child’s feet. ISCAN Occupational Therapy (OT) provide Good Sitting advice on their website. Provide handrails on stairs. Consider grab bars or rails within the toilet area or provide access to a disabled toilet. Consider the use of a ring reducer for toilets as well as support for feet to promote correct posture and feeling of safety. Ensure the child is able to reach and use the equipment and facilities in the setting, such as wash basins, taps and pegs. Provide additional resources e.g. sloping board, adapted cutlery, bowls, cups, scissors and pencil grips etc. Provide a peg for the child with a visual prompt of their name and relevant picture to store their book bag, coat, spare clothes etc. Provide the option for the child to sit on a chair rather than on the floor at carpet time or group sessions. Allow a peer or peers to do the same, if appropriate. Consider trialling a wobble cushion to improve sitting posture and attention and concentration. Contact other schools/Early Years settings to observe and share good practice. Set up an indoor or outdoor obstacle course using equipment of different heights to encourage a range of movements e.g. climbing, crawling, tummy wriggling, rolling and sliding. Support children and their families to access universal and targeted services as appropriate in their local Children’s Centres and via Local Offer. Opportunities for individual and small group fine motor skill development work using play equipment e.g. aqua beads, chopsticks game, Lego, iron on beads and jigsaws. Specific fine and gross motor skill interventions (previously listed) that may be carried out in small groups and targeted towards a child’s needs. One-to-one support during specific activities e.g. fine motor activities such as: Funky fingers Dough gym Gross motor activities to develop balance, core stability etc. | Seek advice from the appropriate health professional should the child have a diagnosis that affects their participation in play and physical activities. Request involvement from external services e.g. ISCAN Occupational Therapy (OT). If you think a child has a fine or gross motor difficulty that is a barrier to their daily activities, please refer to ISCAN Occupational Therapy (OT). The guidance on Making great occupational therapy referrals | RCOT outlines how to make an appropriate and informative referral to the service. Staff to access training provided by Tameside Specialist Outreach Support Service (TSOSS) e.g. fine motor skills, gross motor and co-ordination skills training. Inclusion of relevant professionals e.g. ISCAN Occupational Therapy (OT), ISCAN Physiotherapist (PT) on any reviews and planning meetings for the child. Ensure any suggested specialist advice from ISCAN Occupational Therapy (OT), ISCAN Physiotherapist (PT) is shared with all staff, parents/carers and incorporated into the child’s Play Plan. Settings must allocate the key person with time to adapt resources, attend training and conduct individual work. Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-Ordinator (SENDCo) to support the key person in planning and using differentiated activities and more specialist strategies and resources to support the child. Moving and handling plans and care plans, devised by settings with contributions from professionals (as appropriate), should be incorporated into planning. Ensure the plans are meeting need. Ensure any specialist equipment continues to meet the child’s needs and contact relevant external agencies e.g. ISCAN Occupational Therapy (OT), ISCAN Physiotherapist (PT). Liaise with family regarding any repairs or alterations. School/Early Years setting to complete a risk assessment to meet the child’s individual needs including any relevant contributions from professionals and review on a regular basis. Incorporate any actions and strategies into planning. |