OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

What is Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapists treat using a person's occupation. A child's occupation is play therefore we use fun and purposeful activities to develop skills. An Occupational Therapist looks at a child holistically and incorporates the family, community and school in their treatment approach. An OT builds on a child's strengths and weaknesses to work towards independences in all areas of occupation.

Who we serve

OT's work with children with a range of difficulties; some of those include:

Autism Spectrum Disorder
Neurodevelopmental conditions
Sensory integration and processing difficulties
Motor planning difficulties (dyspraxia)
ADHD
Genetic conditions
School related challenges including handwriting, drawing and cutting
Emotional regulation
Maintaining good postural tone
Dyslexia and dyscalculia

What to look out for

There are some signs your child might require an OT assessment, some areas of difficulty include:

Sitting at a desk and focusing in class
Fine motor skills such as using a ruler and a pair of scissors.
Initiating, executing and completing a task independently
Regulating their emotional state
Organisation of workspace
Following instructions
Dysfunctional coping mechanisms such as nail biting, taping or scratching
Impulsivity and distractibility
Life skills tasks such as dressing, toileting, bathing, fussy eating, assisting in the home and being independent
Coping with change
Co-ordinating body movements on the playground
Playfulness and type of play
Social participation with others at school and home