Children’s Occupational Therapy

What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapists specialise in maximising your child’s ability to participate in everyday functional tasks.  Occupational Therapists take into account the physical, sensory and cognitive (thinking) skills required to complete activities important for independent living.  They have a wide reaching role looking after activities such as; personal care, organisational skills, problem solving, social skills and hand writing.  Occupational Therapists play a large role in disabled access, prescribing equipment, home and school modifications.

Which children benefit from Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapists work with children with a range of difficulties including:

• Poor movement or coordination
• Reduced problem solving, organisational or perceptual skills
• Difficulty following instructions
• Limited social skills
• Inability to access parts of a house or school due to limited mobility
• Poor tolerance to sensory stimuli
• Specific diagnoses, such as Autism, Cerebral Palsy or Down Syndrome

What are the benefits of Occupational Therapy?

The main aim of Occupational Therapy is to increase the participation and quality of performance of specific functional tasks.  The outcome of treatment varies depending on the individual child, however, benefits may include include:

• Greater independence in age appropriate tasks, such as washing or dressing
• Improved fine motor skills seen in handling of small objects or in handwriting
• Widening the range of meaningful activities your child is able to engage in
• Greater social participation and play skills
• For older children, greater independence in more complex activities such as homework planning or money management
• Better tolerate sensory stimuli such as washing hair, cutting fingernails, eating a variety of food textures, tolerating loud or background noises
• Improved access to the within the school and home
• Enhanced quality of life and self esteem

Does your child need Occupational Therapy?

Fill out one of our online screening checklists

Once submitted, our Occupational Therapists will quickly be able to interpret the answers and identify those children who will benefit from a more thorough assessment.  A member of our admin team will be in contact to advice you of our recommendations and book an appointment if required.

Occupational Therapy at Child First Paediatric Therapy

Occupational Therapists at Child First Paediatric Therapy use fun activities to assist your child with their development.  Your child will enjoy their sessions with our therapists.  We can offer you appointments at home, school, preschool or in our consulting rooms located in Pymble on Sydney’s North Shore.

All Occupational Therapists at Child First Paediatric Therapy are certified members of Occupational Therapy Australia.  They actively participate in professional development, attending courses and conferences to keep up to date with the latest research and best practice.

Our Occupational Therapy team is passionate about providing high quality services and use a variety of standardised and non-standardised assessments.  Following your child’s assessment, your Occupational Therapist will discuss their results with you, identify treatment goals and customise a treatment plan to meet your child’s and family’s needs.  Your child’s progress will be reviewed at each session and their program adjusted accordingly.

Treatment may include individual sessions with your child, consultations with you to develop a home program, consultations with preschool or school staff, or periodic reviews to monitor your child’s development.