Occupational therapy is a profession concerned with promoting health and well-being through occupation.  The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in activities of everyday life. Occupational Therapists achieve this outcome by enabling people to do things that will enhance their ability to participate or by modifying their environment to better support participation.

(World Federation of Occupational Therapists 2004)

In practice at St John’s Occupational Therapists  are concerned with a student’s ability to take part in desired daily life activities, leading to an independent, productive and satisfying life.

The focus is to build skills, self-confidence, and self-esteem.

This work is carried out in close collaboration with education, care, and other members of the therapy team, along with the wider community.

Occupational Therapists at St John’s address the following broad categories:

Sensory Integration ('The organising of sensory input for use' Ayres 1979)

Independence Skills, (including personal care, independent travel, domestic activities of daily living, such as cooking, budgeting etc)

Work and Leisure Skills, (including job interview practice, learning how to behave in work and social settings)

Social Skills, (personal, work, and social relationships)

Transition Preparation, (both on arrival at St John's, and towards future adult life on leaving St John's)

Some specific examples of the above include the following:

• Addressing any sensory needs a student may have, particularly those which affect behaviour, such as difficulty focusing, falling asleep, agitated/aggressive behaviour. Difficulty with sensory processing may result in for example, a person excessively putting objects in their mouth, being over sensitive to sound, having a poor awareness of their body, and they may squeeze everything too hard or drop things a lot, or may not tolerate activities like washing or brushing hair.
• Catching up on delayed skills.
• Enabling a student to develop appropriate social interaction, such as when asking for things, gaining attention or coping with daily frustrations.
• Working on developing motor skills, including coordination and fine motor skills, such as when using cutlery, tying shoe laces etc.
• Developing and maintaining self care skills such as dressing, cleaning teeth, or making a snack.
• Developing a student's confidence and self esteem in independent living skills, in a variety of settings, so that by the time they leave college they are better equipped to live, work and function in society.

To enable the provision of an Integrated Therapy approach, structures are in place which include:

• Detailed Assessment programmes where required; including Assessment of Motor and Process skills (AMPS) and Sensory Profiling.
• Individual and group Therapy sessions.
• Consultative work with St John's staff and also with the wider community.