Therapy suite opened for children in East Dorset

An innovative new therapy suite has opened at Dorset HealthCare’s Seastone House in East Dorset to provide therapeutic treatment for children with learning disabilities.

The new therapy room is a multi-purpose space and it has been developed for sensory integration treatment sessions for children with physical or learning difficulties. The sensory integration approach guides the child through fun activities that are subtly structured so they are constantly challenged to develop both the way they move their body and how they solve problems. The new therapy suite is an exciting development for the Children’s Learning Disability Service team and its opening culminates many months of planning and design to complete the project.

Amelia Bray, Occupational Therapist at Seastone House, said: “The new therapy suite is a safe and fun environment which contains equipment for children to engage with, such as a ball pool, swings and a two-storey den. The purpose of this equipment is to improve an individual’s overall physical capability, such as their balance, hand-eye coordination, strength and posture.

“When children play they naturally develop their motor skills and an awareness of how their body interacts with its surroundings but children with learning disabilities need extra support to do this and the therapy suite provides a fantastic space to encourage this learning. Being able to provide our clients with a fun space to develop their skills has been found to be hugely beneficial, not only for the individual’s physicality but also their emotional wellbeing as they grow in confidence.

“Special thanks must go to Paul Williams, our Head of Capital Planning, for his tireless efforts in keeping the project moving. We hope this new facility will continue to develop the care we provide at Seastone House and offer children who need support a medium for them to learn and become more independent.”

The Children’s Learning Disability Service is a community service based at Seastone House. The service offers support for children and young people up to 18 who have a learning disability. The service sees a variety of children including those with autism, developmental delay and co-morbid conditions who require specialist behavioural and mental health support. To find out more about Seastone House please contact the team on 01202 584353.