- Date awarded: May 2026
- Location: Children and Young People's Occupational Therapy Team
New Programme Helps Young Children Build Strength and Independence
Fife Health Charity funding is helping transform support for young children with hemiplegia across Fife through an innovative occupational therapy programme designed to improve movement, confidence and everyday skills.
The OTI Programme was developed by occupational therapists in Newcastle and is designed for children aged two to four years who have hemiplegia, a condition causing weakness on one side of the body. Early intervention at this stage of development can make a significant difference to a child's functional abilities and independence.
A grant from Fife Health Charity enabled Laura Cole, Occupational Therapist with NHS Fife's Children and Young People's Team, to undertake specialist training in the One-Handed Intervention (OTI) Programme and establish a dedicated toy library of therapeutic resources to deliver the programme here in Fife.
Funding supported specialist training, while a further grant enabled the purchase of carefully selected therapeutic toys and resources needed to deliver the programme in Fife. The toys have now been organised into a dedicated lending library, allowing staff to provide structured eight-week intervention programmes tailored to each child's needs.
Already, two children and their families have benefited from the programme, with a third family due to participate. Early results have been extremely encouraging, with one child achieving all of their agreed functional goals, including clapping both hands together, drinking independently using a handled cup, feeding themselves using both hands and pushing a doll's pram using two hands.
Families have described the programme as highly beneficial, praising the variety of activities, the engaging resources and the practical guidance that helped them continue supporting their child's development at home. Parents reported seeing improvements in their child's awareness and use of their weaker arm, while also gaining confidence in choosing appropriate toys and activities to encourage further progress.
Staff have also welcomed the new resources, highlighting how the programme makes it easier to track progress, engage families and deliver consistent, evidence-based interventions.
This is an excellent example of how charitable funding can make a meaningful difference for children and families. By investing in specialist training and resources, we have helped bring an innovative therapy programme to Fife that is already delivering tangible improvements in children's daily lives. We are delighted to see such positive outcomes and look forward to supporting more children through this initiative in the future.
Reflecting on the project, Laura Cole said the positive feedback from families and the significant functional gains seen in the first child to complete the programme were among the achievements she was most proud of.
The project demonstrates how relatively small grants can create lasting benefits, building local expertise, expanding access to specialist therapies and helping children develop essential skills that support greater independence and participation in everyday activities.
