FAQs

If you believe your child is not meeting developmental milestones or if you have any concerns about their development, you should consult with an Occupational Therapist. Children are referred to Occupational Therapists by General Practitioners, Speech Pathologists, Paediatricians, Teachers, Early Learning Centre staff, and other Allied Health Professionals.

Some of the most common areas of difficulty:

Dressing, using a knife and fork, and organising oneself are examples of everyday living skills.

Reading, writing, spelling, drawing, cutting, and keeping up in class are examples of school tasks.

Participating in sports if your child appears clumsy, falls easily, or frequently collides with objects

Toys such as lego, puzzles, board games, building blocks, and beading

Poor balance and coordination

Fidgety and unable to sit still

Keeping a message or set of instructions in mind

Distracted easily, lack attention and concentration

Does not enjoy or is terrified of motion or playground equipment, such as swings, leaping, and climbing

Noise, smell, touch, or taste sensitivity

OTs also work with children who have specific diagnoses such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Asperger's, Sensory Processing Disorders, ADHD, and Global Developmental Delay.

A medical referral is not required to see an Occupational Therapist. Contact us to make an inquiry or an appointment.

The occupational therapist will use a combination of specially selected gross motor and fine motor tasks to assess skills needed for your child's goals. They will appear as play and fun to your children, such as an obstacle course, drawing, or a boardgame. But, the OT will be observing all of the essential abilities indicated in your kid's intake form and initial screen while helping your child feel safe and involved in a new location with new people.

A Paediatric Occupational Therapist is a health care practitioner that works closely with children who are facing challenges in their daily lives that are affecting their learning and development. They provide programmes to assist children enhance their abilities, independence, and confidence while having fun. In their interventions, they use assessment tools, treatment plans, and evaluation, and they collaborate closely with families, teachers, and other health care professionals involved in the child's life.
OTs commonly help with children in developing the following skills:

1. Gross motor skills: use of larger muscle groups to perform activities such as hopping, skipping, riding a bike, sports, ball skills and balance and coordination activities.  Children need strength, coordination and planning skills in order to carry out such activities successfully.
2. Fine motor skills: precision control tasks such as drawing, colouring, handwriting, cutting, beading, zips, buttons, shoelaces and using a knife and fork.
3. Cognitive skills: planning ahead or problem-solving tasks
4. Sensory processing: manipulating tactile materials with the hands
5. Social interaction: focusing on understanding verbal cues like facial expressions or understanding sarcasm
6. Developing motor skills - Our therapists focus on the fundamentals, such as fine and gross motor development, which is critical in assisting children in developing the ability to use tools and participate in activities with greater confidence.

Improving concentration - Increase attention span, focus and executive functioning skills.  Our therapists provide feedback through games and activities that encourage longer periods of focus and engagement.

1. Enhancing coordination - Coordinate movements more efficiently, particularly when fine motor skills are involved. Exercises and activities are designed to help children gain confidence in their ability to complete tasks by breaking complex tasks down into smaller steps or chunks; this allows them to better understand how their bodies work and learn how to coordinate multiple parts of the body at once.
2. Improve hand- Eye coordination and eye tracking.
3. Develop sensory processing skills to improve their ability to understand and respond appropriately to environmental input.
4. Gain a better sense of body awareness, spatial orientation, coordination and balance.
5. Enhancing social skills - Our therapists use play-based therapies to help children connect with others while engaging in meaningful activities such as problem solving, communication, and cooperation tasks.
6. Develop a better understanding of social cues and interpersonal relationships.
7. Get organised for tasks that involve sequencing or planning activities.
8. Increase motivation for activities such as plaing with peers or doing schoolwork.
9. Assisting with self-care - We help kids become more independent by teaching them hygiene habits like brushing their teeth, washing their hands, or tying their laces without adult assistance, so they can take care of themselves without relying on coaches or carers.

Sensory processing is the brain's process of organising sensations from the body and the environment. If this process is normal, we can use our bodies effectively and efficiently in an organised manner. Sensory information, such as touch, smell, movement, or sound, may be misinterpreted by children with sensory processing difficulties. They may feel overwhelmed by sensory information and may avoid or seek out specific sensory experiences. They may also exhibit motor skill issues and exhibit strong emotional responses.

The ability to interpret visual information, organise it, and then use it efficiently to complete tasks is referred to as visual perception. The following activities may be difficult for a child with poor visual perceptual skills:

Writing and reading

Tasks requiring recognition of subtle differences between letters (b/d) or words (was/saw) in spelling and comprehension

Reversals of letters

Copying math skills and puzzles from the board

Maintaining visual focus on a specific task

An occupational therapist can help an adult or elderly person recover from an illness, accident, or workplace injury. They may help with the return to home and work life by developing new skills for daily living, such as household tasks and personal care, as well as return-to-work or leisure programmes. They may also make or facilitate changes to the work or home environment to make life easier and safer.

Up to 5 sessions can be claimed through Medicare with a Chronic Disease Management form provided by your GP, at their discretion. Sessions may also be claimed through Private Health Funds depending on the level of cover you have.