CoSMo Team

CoSMo is a service for children attending mainstream education who have a Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). The child will be experiencing difficulties which interfere significantly with activities of daily living, school performance and/or social development. These difficulties may be predominantly with fine-motor skills such as handwriting or with gross-motor such as ball skills.

Admission Criteria

• At time of referral children should be between the ages of five and twelve years.

• The catchment area includes the geographical regions of  South County Dublin and Kildare. Wicklow is serviced by the Aontas team in the Marino Clinic in Bray.

• The primary difficulty should be with motor co-ordination and not associated with a diagnosed medical condition, a general learning disability or pervasive developmental disorder.

• Where children are already attending a team based child guidance service referrals will not be accepted to avoid duplication

• Referrals may be accepted from a variety of sources including parents, teachers, psychologists and therapists.  All referrals should be accompanied by (a) a letter from a medical practitioner and (b) a recent psycho-educational assessment report.

Before placing a name on the waiting list the team will screen all referrals to ensure the above criteria are met.

At assessment the team will then work in close partnership with parents/carers and teachers to explore the child’s needs and determine if this is a suitable service for them. The initial assessment process includes a medical appointment, standardised assessment, clinical observation, and discussion with parents and teachers and at times observation in the school.

Intervention:

Once accepted into the service intervention includes a combination of the following:
• Individual and/or group occupational therapy
• School visits by CoSMo Team
• Feedback to both parents and teachers on assessment results
• Ongoing consultation and support to teachers and parents
• Recommendations for participation in community-based sports and leisure activities
• Information evenings for parents
• Social skills training
• In-service training for teachers
• Referral to other agencies and services where appropriate

For further details, please contact the team secretary – Marie Carroll at mcarroll@enableireland.ie or 01-2615900 ext 367