Occupational Therapy for Children

What Is Paediatric Occupational Therapy?

Paediatric occupational therapy helps children build the skills they need for everyday life. For a child, those “occupations” are play, learning, self-care and making friends. An OT looks at what gets in the way of these tasks. Then they help your child build the skills behind them.

Sessions are play-based. To your child, it often looks like games, craft or an obstacle course. Each activity has a purpose linked to your family’s goals.

Is My Child a Good Fit for OT?

Every child grows at their own pace. Still, some signs suggest occupational therapy for kids could make daily life easier. Your child may:

• find pencils, scissors or buttons hard to manage
• avoid messy play or refuse certain clothes
• have big reactions to noise, crowds or busy places
• seem clumsy, trip often or tire quickly when playing
• struggle to get dressed or use the toilet on their own
• find mornings, bedtimes or changes in routine very hard

Your child does not need a diagnosis to start private OT. If something about daily life worries you, that is a good enough reason to ask.

Why Therapy at Home, Childcare or School Works

Many children’s OT services run from a clinic. We do it differently. Our paediatric occupational therapy happens in the places your child spends their day.

• Skills are practised where they are used. Getting dressed is practised in your child’s own bedroom. Handwriting is practised at their own desk.
• The OT sees the full picture. They see your child’s routine, their space and the tricky moments as they happen.
• Adults can learn alongside. Parents and educators can join in and pick up strategies to use every day.
• Less stress for your child. There is no car trip or waiting room to manage first.

School and childcare visits happen with the agreement of the school or centre.

Conditions Our Occupational Therapists Support

We offer paediatric occupational therapy to children with and without a diagnosis. Common reasons families come to us include:

• Autism. Our occupational therapy for autism focuses on daily routines, sensory needs and play.
• ADHD. Support with attention, organisation and emotional regulation.
• Sensory processing differences. Help to understand and manage how your child responds to sound, touch and movement.
• Dyspraxia (DCD). Support with coordination and motor planning.
• Developmental delay. Our occupational therapy for developmental delay supports children who are reaching milestones later than expected.
• Global developmental delay. Support across several areas of development at once.
• Cerebral palsy. Help with movement, posture and everyday tasks.
• Down syndrome. Support with motor skills, self-care and play.

We also offer sensory profile assessments. Where needed, your OT may use standardised tools to understand your child’s strengths and needs.

Working with Parents, Teachers and Other Therapists

You know your child well. Good paediatric occupational therapy includes the whole family, so your OT works closely with you. They coach you through activities and leave simple ideas to try between visits.

With your consent, your OT can also share strategies with your child’s teacher or educator. That way the same approach carries across home and the classroom.

Some children need help with both motor skills and communication. Our occupational therapists can work alongside Astrad speech pathologists, so your family deals with one team.

How Paediatric OT Is Funded

Families pay for paediatric occupational therapy in a few ways:

• NDIS funding. We support self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants. We cannot work with NDIA-managed plans.
• Private clients. You can book directly and pay privately.

NDIS arrangements for young children are changing. Funding decisions are made by the NDIA.

To talk about paediatric occupational therapy for your child, call us on (07) 3477 9366. We visit families across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.