Problem: OT referrals span stroke wards and sensory clinics — writers either medicalise function or narrate without questions. Answer in brief: OT letters report function (what the person can and cannot do), environmental fit (home, school, work demands) and the specific enablement question. This guide teaches all three across the lifespan with a worked post-stroke discharge, and OET Writing for Occupational Therapists — Course 1 trains neuro-rehab, community discharge and paediatric sensory referrals across 13 topic sections.
Function first: the OT evidence unit
Diagnosis opens, function persuades. Every OT letter needs ADL-level facts: transfers, toileting, dressing, meal preparation, school participation, work tasks — each with assistance level (independent, supervision, assistance of one, dependent) and aids in use. “Requires assistance of one for stairs with rail, independent on level” decides equipment and visits; “left weakness” decides nothing. Lead every paragraph with the functional fact, support with the clinical one.
Neuro-rehabilitation referrals
Cognition, perception and upper-limb function dominate: neglect, apraxia, attention span in minutes, grip and release, dominant-hand status. Report standardised observations where available, always translated (“needs verbal cues for sequencing” rather than test scores alone). Environment matters equally — stairs, bathroom layout, living alone — because rehab goals live at home, not in the gym.
Train lifespan OT writing supervised? The full OET Writing for Occupational Therapists — Course 1 covers neuro-rehabilitation, post-stroke community discharge and paediatric sensory referrals across 13 topic sections with 50 lessons and mock tests. Explore the course →
Post-stroke discharge to community OT
Handover shape: event and interval, current function room by room, equipment provided with review dates, outstanding needs ranked (ramp before rails before gadgets), carer situation and strain in one honest line, numbered community actions with owners. Rank ruthlessly — five equal needs means no need is met first.
Paediatric sensory referrals
School function is the evidence: classroom participation, playground inclusion, handwriting endurance, mealtime range, sleep. Sensory patterns described behaviourally (“covers ears at assembly, avoids textured foods”) with impact on learning, not as labels. The question names the service and the classroom question (assessment for sensory-integration therapy? classroom strategies pending assessment?). Parent and teacher voices each get one line — triangulated evidence persuades.
Worked example: community OT handover
Fictional case, newly written: Mr Silva, 70, stroke six weeks ago; independent on level, stairs with rail plus supervision; bathroom: strip wash only, bath unsafe; kitchen: microwave meals, kettle tipper provided; wife coping but tired; ramp assessment pending.
Shape: handover purpose with interval. Room-by-room function with assistance levels. Equipment and pending assessments. Carer line, honest. Actions: “1) ramp assessment within two weeks; 2) bath-seat trial; 3) carer review” — owners and timeframes attached. Roughly 175 words; Monday morning is plannable.
FAQs
Should every aid be listed?
Provided aids yes, with review dates; recommended-but-pending aids as requests. Aids are interventions — omitting them hides treatment.
How frank about carer strain?
One factual line (“wife providing all meals and supervision, reports exhaustion”). It justifies support services; euphemism delays them.
What is in the course?
Thirteen topic sections on neuro-rehabilitation, post-stroke community discharge and paediatric sensory referrals, with 50 lessons and 5 complete mock tests.
The matching course
OET Writing for Occupational Therapists — Course 1 writes function across the lifespan: neuro-rehab, community discharge and paediatric sensory referrals — 13 topic sections, 50 lessons, 5 mock tests. If your letters diagnose but do not enable, train here.
Sources and note
- OET Writing format per the official OET site: oet.com — Writing. Check current format guidance before the exam.
- Course details verified from its public staging page (read-only): 13 topic sections, 50 lessons, 5 mock tests.
- Case and letter lines are newly written and fictional; other valid structures exist.
Put this into practice
Compare these course outlines and choose the practice that matches your next goal.
