Children's Therapy Service referral form
Complete a registration form online.
How to refer
In this section:
Our referral process
Children's Physiotherapy
Children's Occupational Therapy
Eligibility criteria
Our referral process
The core purpose of the service is to respond to the needs of children and young people who have disabilities or disorders of movement or function to facilitate the child / young person to reach their maximum functional potential.
For educational settings, have you considered and implemented appropriate reasonable adjustments before making a referral.
Who can refer
Any professional can refer a child or young person to the Children's Community Occupational and Physiotherapy Service.
We need consent from parents or carers and information about the child / young person's level of function difficulty.
Referals must provide sufficient information to meet the referral criteria.
Please note Bassetlaw Children's Community Occupational Therapy Service, currently only accept referrals via health professionals
Self-referrals
We accept self-referrals from parents; however, this is only if the child / young person has previously received therapy input from our service.
Please note this excludes Bassetlaw Children's Community Occupational Therapy Service, referrals only accepted via health professionals.
We do not accept referrals for short-term / acute orthopaedic conditions (e.g. back pain).
- You will need to consider a referral to the Paediatric Physiotherapy MSK service at QMC or SFHT.
- You will need to refer directly to the Orthopaedic / Paediatric Consultant to access the MSK service.
Children's Occupational Therapy
The Community Children's Occupational Therapy Service do not accept referrals where a child or young person is not attaining their physical or functional skills primarily due to sensory modulation and processing differences.
The Royal College of Occupational Therapists website have some helpful information.
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Aged 0-18 years
- Registered with a Nottinghamshire / Nottingham GP
- Meets the service acceptance criteria
Acceptance criteria
- Neurological conditions example, Cerebral Palsy, Developmental Delay
- Neuromuscular conditions example, Muscular Dystrophy
- Genetic conditions example, Rett's, Down's Syndrome
- Acquired disability example, Head injury, spinal cord injury, oncology which impact on functional and life skills
- Orthopaedic conditions - life-long orthopaedic condition which have a long-term functional impact on life skills, example, Osteogenesis Imperfecta
- Significant motor and functional difficulties as part of a physical disability
- Diagnosis of Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD), including neurodiversity such as Autistic Spectrum Disorder where there is functional co-ordination delay.
- Generalised hypermobility which impacts on function
- Motor and function performance not in-line with cognitive ability
- Disability, illness or physical health need which may be improved or controlled by therapeutic skills and use of specialist equipment
Exclusion criteria
- A child or young person who only needs specialist monitoring, example, with a neuro-muscular or rheumatological condition
- A child or young person with an acquired disability who needs Acute rehabilitation, example, management related to pain
- Short term or acute orthopaedic conditions, example, Fractures, Sports injuries, Back pain, Anterior knee pain / tight hamstrings
- Toe walking or in toeing without a neurological diagnosis
- Talipes
- Hypermobility with acute/single joint affected example, patella dislocations, shoulder dislocations, ankle instability, MSK back pain
- A child or young person with a learning disability and not attaining physical skills due to the limitations of their cognitive ability and understanding
- A child or young person not attaining their physical or functional skills primarily due to sensory modulation and processing differences
- Cystic Fibrosis and Hyperventilating
- CAMHS related diagnosis example, Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) and chronic fatigue
- Long Covid
- Ayres Sensory Integration Assessment.
- A child with delayed development due to attachment or trauma
- Where equipment is requested for the management of behaviours
Description of conditions
In this section:
Acceptance criteria
Exclusion criteria
Acceptance criteria
Neurological conditions
Disorders that affect the brain, spinal cord, nerves, or muscles controlled by the nervous system. They can impact movement, sensation, cognition, behaviour, and other bodily functions.
Some common neurological conditions include:
- Cerebral Palsy
Developmental delay
A condition in which a child does not reach expected developmental milestones at the typical age. Delays may affect one or more areas of development:
- Gross motor skills (sitting, crawling, walking)
- Fine motor skills (grasping objects, drawing)
- Speech and language (understanding or using words)
- Cognitive skills (learning, problem-solving)
- Social and emotional skills (interacting with others, play)
- Activities of daily living (feeding, dressing)
Neuromuscular conditions
Disorders that affect the nerves that control muscles, the connection between nerves and muscles, or the muscles themselves. These conditions can lead to muscle weakness, tiredness and difficulty walking.
Examples include:
- Muscular Dystrophy
Genetic conditions
Disorders caused by changes in a person's genes or chromosomes. They may be inherited from parents or occur spontaneously during development.
Examples of genetic conditions include:
- Down's Syndrome
- Turner Syndrome
- Rett's Syndrome
- Marfan Syndrome
Acquired disability
A disability that develops after birth rather than being present from birth or caused by an inherited genetic condition. It can result from illness, injury, infection, or other medical events.
Examples of acquired disabilities can include:
- Head injury
- Injury to the spinal cord
- Some cancers
Osteogenesis Imperfecta (often called brittle bone disease)
It is usually caused by mutations in genes involved in the production of type I collagen, an important protein that helps give bones strength. The condition is typically present from birth, although severity can vary widely.
Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
Sometimes called dyspraxia in the UK, is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects motor coordination and the ability to learn and perform coordinated movements.
Common features include:
- Clumsiness or poor balance
- Difficulty with fine motor skills (e.g., handwriting, using buttons, tying shoelaces)
- Difficulty learning new motor tasks
- Problems with coordination during sports or physical activities
- Challenges with planning and organising movements
- Tiredness from tasks requiring sustained motor effort
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Often referred to as autism, is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how a person communicates, interacts socially, processes information, and experiences the world.
Common characteristics can include:
- Differences in social communication and interaction
- Repetitive behaviours or routines
- Intense or focused interests
- Sensory sensitivities (to sounds, lights, textures, etc.)
- Differences in attention, learning, or information processing
Hypermobility
Means that joints move beyond the normal range of motion. Some people are simply flexible and have no symptoms, while others experience pain, instability, fatigue, or other health issues.
Exclusion criteria
Talipes (commonly called clubfoot)
A condition in which one or both feet are turned inward and downward. It is usually present at birth.
Learning disability
A condition that affects intellectual functioning and adaptive skills (such as communication, social skills, and independent living) and begins during childhood.
In the UK, learning disability has a specific meaning and is different from learning differences such as dyslexia, dyspraxia (DCD), or ADHD.
Cognitive ability and understanding
Refers to how a person processes information, learns, reasons, remembers, and makes sense of the world around them. It is often used in assessments, education, healthcare, and disability forms to describe intellectual functioning.
Cognitive ability can cover:
- Attention and concentration (staying focused)
- Memory (short-term and long-term recall)
- Reasoning and problem-solving
- Language understanding and expression
- Processing speed (how quickly information is understood)
- Planning and decision-making (executive function)
- Understanding instructions or abstract concepts
Sensory modulation and processing differences
Refer to how the brain receives, interprets, and responds to sensory information (such as sound, light, touch, taste, smell, body position, and movement).
These differences are especially common in neurodevelopmental conditions, including:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Developmental Coordination Disorder
- ADHD
- Sensory processing differences may also occur alongside anxiety or trauma-related conditions
When someone has differences in this area, their nervous system may react in ways that are more intense, reduced, or inconsistent compared to typical processing.
It can include:
Sensory over-responsiveness (hypersensitivity)
Sensations may feel too intense or overwhelming, for example:
- Loud sounds feel painful or distressing
- Bright lights feel uncomfortable
- Certain textures (clothing, food) feel unbearable
- Crowded places feel overwhelming
Sensory under-responsiveness (hyposensitivity)
Sensations may be less noticeable, for example:
- Not noticing pain or temperature changes quickly
- Seeking strong input (pressure, movement, noise)
- Appearing unaware of surroundings at times
Sensory seeking
A need for extra sensory input, such as:
- Fidgeting or rocking
- Craving movement (jumping, spinning)
- Touching objects or people frequently
- Making loud noises or repetitive sounds
Difficulty with sensory integration
Challenges combining multiple sensory inputs, such as:
- Trouble filtering background noise
- Difficulty focusing in busy environments
- Feeling overwhelmed when multiple senses are stimulated at once
Cystic Fibrosis (CF)
Is an inherited genetic disorder that causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in various organs, especially the lungs and digestive system.
Hyperventilation
When you breathe faster and/or deeper than your body needs, causing an imbalance in oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood.
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)
A condition where a person experiences real neurological symptoms-such as weakness, seizures, movement problems, or sensory changes-without a structural disease in the brain or nervous system that explains them.
Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (often called POTS)
A condition where your heart rate increases abnormally when you move from lying down to standing up, without a significant drop in blood pressure.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (often called ME/CFS)
A long-term, complex condition characterised by severe, persistent fatigue that is not relieved by rest and is often worsened by activity. It is more than being tired -it involves a multi-system illness affecting energy production, the nervous system, immune function, and cognition.
Long COVID (also called post-COVID-19 condition)
A term used when symptoms persist for weeks, months, or longer after an initial COVID-19 infection.
Ayres Sensory Integration Assessment
A structured clinical assessment used mainly by Occupational Therapists to understand how a person's nervous system processes and responds to sensory information.
Attachment
Refers to the emotional bond formed between a child and their main caregivers, especially in early life. It shapes how someone learns to relate to others and feel safe in relationships.
Trauma
Refers to experiences that overwhelm a person's ability to cope, leaving lasting effects on emotional, cognitive, and physical functioning.
Trauma can be:
- Single event (e.g., accident, assault, sudden loss)
- Repeated or chronic (e.g., abuse, neglect, ongoing instability)
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