OT assessment when you enrol your child?

[Arimeh]

Is this normal?

I rang a primary school in Qld today to talk about enrolment for DS next year (prep) and she said that we have to have an interview and DS gets assessed by a OT.

So I can't enrol him now until we get up there in January. Its a state school - so is this common now?

[meow]

Dunno, but that's awesome!

[~Kim~]

In the NT an interview and assessment of the child is routine at all schools, not just private. Not by an OT though.

[Arimeh]

Dunno, but that's awesome!

Is it? What do they do? What would they be assessing?

[Arimeh]

Actually - would it be because they have a gifted kids program at that school?

[meow]

OTs work on your occupational skills. For a child their occupation is play, that is how they learn. So an OT assesses play skills- social skills, emotional coping skills, sensory coping skills, group skills, fine motor, gross motor.

[jaspen]

sounds strange for prep at a state school - certainly my two have never had to do it - they have been part of the interview with the principal/deputy. is it a specialised state school where you might be living outside the zone or is he going to be a different age to the average starter. i wouldn't have thought the gifted program would have come into it unless you had indicated that you thought he should be part of the program - I wouldn't have thought they would be rushing to put preppies into the program as of day one until they had a chance to see them within their peer classroom (unless they came with back up reports from a previous school eg coming from Kinder in NSW could certainly mean they move straight into an advanced program in Qld if it was available due to the variation in curriculum). certainly within prep they assess their motor skills etc as part of their ongoing evaluations - eg they have a "structure" outside time with an "obstacle" course and the teachers look at how that is tackled and look for improvements etc.

I'm sure some prep teacher would be able to tell you but I certainly haven't struck it yet at any school we've been at in Qld and we've been to three so far.

[Arimeh]

jaspen - its caboolture east? so i don't know if its specialised or not? DS hasn't done any schooling yet - this will be his first time. He missed out on kinder down here in tassie.

[jaspen]

Just had a quick read of their web information and maybe the OT has something to do with the Early Childhood development program that they run - which provides all these extra services for 0-6yr olds within the school setting. It is aimed at children with special needs but maybe they like to do something as part of the pre interview so they can capture any issues early and they have found this a good way of kick starting everything. although the info does say they require a referral so then again unless you present with such a referral i would have thought they wouldn't be paying much attention. sorry no real help.

[Arimeh]

hmm they didn't ask me for a referral.... maybe the chick didn't really know what she was talking about that I talked to.. LOL

Thanks anyway