Joan Medland
MSc in Sensory Integration
BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy
ADOS-2 ASSESSOR
Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, I left Belfast at 20 years of age to pursue a Clothing
and Textiles degree at Manchester Polytechnic. After qualifying I realized I disliked the
world of fashion and was fortunate to gain employment as a pattern cutter in the
wardrobe department of the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. I spent nearly 15
years working as a theatrical costumier for companies such as The Royal National Theatre
in London, The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon and supervising
various wardrobe departments and going on numerous tours in Europe until I left the
theatrical world to have a family. It was during this time I decided to retrain as an
Occupational Therapist.
On qualifying as an Occupational Therapist in 2005 and throughout my career I have
gained specialist knowledge and application of Occupational Therapy assessments and
interventions relevant to Paediatrics and Adults with neurodiverse conditions, neurological
developmental disorders, Learning Disability, Spinal injuries, Head injuries, Mental Health
Rehabilitation, and acute settings. I have a good understanding of Occupational Therapy
outcome measures as well as knowledge of current legislation, national drivers, and current
practice.
In April 2012, I was invited by the Saudi Arabia Autistic Society, to go to their newly built
school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The purpose was to deliver seminars, training, and
interactive workshops to educational staff within the school and the parents and carers of
the children. One part of the school provided education for 1 to 4-year-old males and
females, however the other part provided education for from 4- to 16-year-olds but only for
the males. The remit I had been given was to focus on the 4 to 16-year-old males. This was
an amazing experience of working with autistic children within the parameters of the
countries culture. Both parents and education staff attended and were very motivated to
learn as much as they could within the time I was there.
In October 2014, I had the opportunity to move to and work for the Cayman Islands
Department of Education establishing a historically undervalued and underfunded
Occupational Therapy service for the government- run primary schools in the Cayman
Islands and supporting Caymanian oversea Occupational Therapy students in completing
their BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy degree. This was initially a two-year contract,
however I stayed for four years to ensure the service was fully established before passing
the role to a Caymanian national.
I have worked in private, international and NHS practices at a clinician, supervisor, team
manager, regional lead, clinical manager and currently as an ADOS-2 assessor. I have
many years’ clinical and managerial experience working with children, adults, and their
families both as an autonomous practitioner and a member of a multi-disciplinary team.