To mark Occupational Therapy Week (Nov 7-13) we spoke to Solihull student Naomi Oldfield who is hoping to embark on a career in occupational therapy after having personal experience with the team at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust.

The theme of this year’s Occupational Therapy Week is promoting the profession as a career. Occupational therapy provides practical support to facilitate recovery and enable people to overcome any barriers that prevent them from doing the activities (occupations) that matter to them.

Occupational therapists work with adults and children of all ages with a wide range of conditions; most commonly those who have difficulties due to a mental health illness, physical or learning disabilities.

The teenager (pictured) first came into contact with the paediatric occupational therapy team, part of Solihull Community Services, back in 2010 after having difficulties with her school work and in her development.

After meeting with Dr Sally Payne, paediatric occupational therapist, Naomi was diagnosed with dyspraxia in 2010. Dyspraxia is a form of developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) and affects movement, coordination and speech in children and adults.

Naomi said: “I never had very good co-ordination or balance. That meant things like riding bikes or throwing and catching were always difficult for me. I also find it hard to process information that people are giving me quickly so taking notes in class was always hard.

“I was falling behind with my school work and having difficulties and no one knew why. Seeing Sally and being diagnosed with dyspraxia meant I was able to get the help and support I needed.

“Sally gave me great advice that really helped me in my work and being able to have more time in exams because of my condition meant I was able to do really well in my GCSEs.”

Utilising her own personal experiences with Occupational Therapy, Naomi has decided the profession is where she sees her future.

The 16-year-old is now studying for a Health & Social Care diploma at Solihull Sixth Form College and aims to train to be an Occupational Therapist after completing her course.

She added: “I want to help other people to reach their potential instead of them feeling like they are not good enough. My studies are going well so far and I’m excited about my future.”

Sally Payne, who is also a trustee of the Dyspraxia Foundation, spoke about what she enjoys about being an occupational therapist and her delight that Naomi has chosen to pursue it as a career.

She said: “Occupational Therapy is a great career that really makes a difference to people’s lives. I get great satisfaction from helping people to overcome the physical, sensory, organisational or emotional difficulties that make it hard for them in their daily lives.

“I enjoy the challenge of finding different ways they can do things, suggesting an alternative piece of equipment or helping to develop the underlying skills a person need to carry out activities that are important to them.

“Knowing that we’ve inspired Naomi to pursue a career in Occupational Therapy makes me very proud and her personal experience will be a real asset in the role. She has made an excellent career choice and I wish her good luck for the future.”

If you want to find out more about careers in Occupational Therapy you can visit the College of Occupational Therapists website at www.cot.co.uk