FEATURE ➜
SPOTLIGHT
Helping children n with DME I Helping children who have high learning potential and SEND, or Dual or Multiple Exceptionality (DME), taught Occupational Therapist Mariza Ferreira some key lessons. Here, she outlines her journey and shares some insights to help families and professionals offer effective support.
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n 2016 when the charity Potential Plus UK (PPUK) asked me to provide training to their parent members on how to help their children with sensory processing difficulties, I assumed it would just be like all the other training events I’ve given on the topic. In a way it was. The training went off without a hitch, but the process taught me several things that have informed my work since then. A paediatric occupational therapist’s (OT) main goal is to help children overcome barriers to become as independent and efficient as possible in carrying out their tasks. These tasks can vary widely from everyday activities such as writing legibly or being able to concentrate in class to basic skills such as playing football with their friends. The barriers could be anything from difficulties coping with noise, light and touch, hyperactivity, an intense need for movement, difficulties with handwriting, to extreme emotional reactions if things do not go the way they perceive it should. After providing the training for PPUK, I began to work with children with High Learning Potential (HLP) and DME on a oneto-one basis. The parents were confused and frustrated that their children were struggling to reach their academic potential despite their high cognitive ability, or that their children had a hard time making and
