Handwriting and fine motor skills
Pencil grip, letter formation, scissors, cutlery and fastenings, worked on through practice that feels like play.
Occupational therapy for families in Stockton-on-Tees
Assessments and therapy for children and young people across Stockton-on-Tees, from Norton and Billingham to Yarm and Ingleby Barwick, with home and school visits planned from Newcastle and video sessions in between.
- Children and young people
- Home and school visits
- Evidence for EHCP requests
- Adult assessments available
Request a quote
Tell us a little about what you need and we will be in touch to discuss the next steps.
Our service
Children's occupational therapy, with adult assessments too
Private Occupational Therapy offers children's occupational therapy, sensory processing assessments and evidence for EHCP requests to families in Stockton-on-Tees, along with home and return to work assessments for adults.
An occupational therapist sees your child at home and, with the school's agreement, in the classroom, while some sessions and reviews happen by video. Every piece of work follows one order: a conversation with you, assessment, a written report with recommendations, then therapy or a home and school programme if needed. Visits come from the Newcastle upon Tyne base along the A19 and are booked in advance.
What families can expect
- An early chat about what you want to change
- A quote agreed before anything is booked
- A report written in plain English
- Strategies for home and the classroom
- Goals revisited at every review
- Contact with school staff if you agree
Signs a child might benefit from OT
Parents usually start looking for an occupational therapist when something at school or at home has become a daily struggle: handwriting that falls behind, getting dressed taking far too long, meltdowns after a noisy day, or a child who avoids playground games because they feel clumsy. Paediatric OT looks at why those tasks are hard and builds the skills, routines and adjustments that make them more manageable.
Seeing a child at home and in their own classroom gives a far clearer picture than a clinic room. Requests come from parents, and also from schools and SENCOs in Stockton who want an outside view of a pupil's needs. When a school commissions the work, the scope is agreed with staff and with the family first, so everyone knows what the assessment will look at and who receives the report. No GP referral is needed, and a child does not need a diagnosis before being assessed.
Where visits happen
Towns and neighbourhoods we travel to
The borough mixes older town centres with large modern estates, and appointments are planned around school days and the drive down the A19.
- Stockton town centre
- Norton
- Billingham
- Thornaby
- Ingleby Barwick
- Eaglescliffe
- Yarm
Ingleby Barwick is a large, mostly modern private estate with plenty of family housing, so home sessions there often centre on bedtime routines, sensory needs and getting ready for school. Around Norton's village green and Yarm's Georgian high street, older houses can bring their own practical issues, such as narrow stairs or a bathroom with little space for a step or rail.
SEND and EHCPs
How can OT evidence support an EHCP in Stockton-on-Tees?
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council is the authority that decides on Education, Health and Care needs assessments and plans for children living in the borough.
An independent occupational therapy report can describe a child's motor, sensory and self-care needs in specific, measurable terms, along with the provision that would meet them. Parents sometimes submit this alongside the school's evidence, or use it when preparing for an annual review or a tribunal appeal. The council follows its own procedures and timescales, so it is worth checking the current local offer before commissioning a report. Full details are on the EHCP and school assessments page.
What the report usually includes
- Background from parents and school
- Standardised assessment results
- Classroom observation findings
- Clearly worded needs
- Specific, quantified provision
- Advice staff can use daily
The process
From first email to sessions in school
Many families in Stockton-on-Tees follow the same broad sequence, although the order can change if school is the main worry or a report is needed before a review meeting.
Share your concerns
Describe your child, their school and what worries you. Any existing reports or diagnosis letters help with planning.
Assessment at home
Play-based and standardised tasks, a parent interview and a look at routines such as dressing and mealtimes.
Visit to school
With the head teacher's or SENCO's agreement, the therapist observes lessons and talks with staff.
Report and programme
Written findings, a home and school programme, and therapy blocks with some reviews held by video.
Common needs
Difficulties a children's OT can help with
Sensory processing
Children who are overwhelmed by noise, clothing or touch, or who constantly seek movement.
Sensory integration therapy
Autism and everyday routines
Practical strategies for transitions, self-care, eating and the school day, agreed with the family.
Autism support
Coordination and DCD
Ball skills, balance, PE and organisation for children with dyspraxia or suspected DCD.
Dyspraxia and DCDAdults in Stockton after a stay at North Tees
Although children make up much of the work in the borough, adults can be assessed too. The University Hospital of North Tees at Hardwick is run by North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, part of the University Hospitals Tees group, and people discharged from there sometimes want extra help settling back at home. A private home assessment can sit alongside NHS community care without replacing it, and it has no link to the trust. Typical recommendations include rails, bathing equipment, better chair or bed heights and simpler ways of doing tasks, written up so relatives can act on them. For bigger adaptations, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council handles Disabled Facilities Grant applications and its own eligibility rules apply.
Private Occupational Therapy also sees working-age adults. People in manufacturing, process industry, logistics or office roles around Billingham and Thornaby can arrange a return to work assessment after injury or illness, with advice for the employer on adjustments and a phased return.
What to expect on cost and travel
Private Occupational Therapy provides a quote for every piece of work before anything goes ahead, so you can decide with the full picture. Because visits to Stockton start from Newcastle, travel time forms part of that quote, and appointments are grouped where possible, for example a home assessment and school observation during a single trip. Once the groundwork is done, parent coaching and progress reviews often work well by video, which keeps ongoing costs sensible.
Families pay privately, use direct payments where the funder agrees, or sometimes ask a school or the local authority to commission the report. The fees and funding page explains each route. For nearby towns, see Middlesbrough or the full list of areas served.
Tell us about your child
A short message covering age, school, any diagnosis and the difficulties you see each day is enough for a reply with suggested next steps and a quote for the Stockton-on-Tees visit.