Occupational Therapy

Buttons, zips, shoelaces, socks, getting clothes the right way around, tolerating how things feel — there's actually a lot involved in getting dressed.

Some children need help developing the motor skills involved. For others, sensory experiences, planning, attention, sequencing or the number of steps in the task can make getting ready much harder.

Occupational Therapy can help us understand what's making dressing tricky and find ways to build independence or make the task work better for your child and family.

Your child might write slowly, tire quickly, find their writing difficult to read, struggle to keep up with their ideas, avoid written work or become frustrated when there's a lot to get onto the page.

Handwriting involves much more than holding a pencil. Children are coordinating fine motor skills, visual information, posture, attention, planning and the demands of the task all at once.

An Occupational Therapist can help work out what's contributing and whether building particular skills, changing the task, using different tools or introducing alternative ways of completing written work would be useful.

The goal isn't necessarily beautiful handwriting. It's helping your child get their ideas onto the page in a way that works for them.

Some children seem to seek movement throughout their day.

They might crash into cushions, climb everything, move constantly in their chair, play roughly, chew things, seek big hugs or seem to need much more movement than the people around them.

Rather than simply trying to stop the behaviour, Occupational Therapy can help us understand what your child may be getting from these experiences and how we can support their body in ways that are safe and useful.

Children experience sensory information differently.

Sounds, touch, movement, smells, lights, food textures or the feeling of clothing can be barely noticeable to one child and overwhelming to another.

Occupational Therapy can help children and families understand their sensory experiences, recognise what helps and find practical ways to make everyday environments and activities more manageable.

The aim isn't to make a child tolerate discomfort for the sake of appearing okay. It's to help them understand their needs, access what supports them and participate in the things that matter to them.

Running, catching, climbing, riding a bike, using playground equipment, learning a new movement or keeping up in sport can take a lot of coordination.

Some children avoid these activities. Others enthusiastically join in but find them much harder than their peers.

Occupational Therapy can help develop coordination, balance, body awareness, motor planning and confidence with movement, while finding activities that are meaningful and motivating for your child.

Cutting with scissors. Using cutlery. Opening containers. Doing up buttons. Building with small pieces. Drawing. Using classroom tools.

These activities rely on fine motor skills, coordination between the hands, visual-motor skills and planning.

Occupational Therapy can help children develop the skills they use with their hands and find practical ways to make everyday tasks more accessible.

Some children understand the task perfectly but find starting, organising or working through it much harder.

Getting ready for school, packing a bag, starting homework, cleaning a room or completing a multi-step task can become overwhelming very quickly.

Occupational Therapy can help children and families break tasks down, find systems that work for the individual child, and develop strategies for planning, organising and getting things done.

A child can look as though they're managing beautifully while using an enormous amount of energy to get through the day.

School involves learning, movement, noise, transitions, social interactions, instructions, sitting, waiting, organising belongings and constantly responding to what's happening around them.

By the time a child gets home, there may not be much capacity left.

Occupational Therapy can help us look at the demands across the whole day, understand where your child's energy is going and find ways to support participation without expecting them to simply push through.

Brushing teeth. Leaving the house. Getting into the shower. Sitting at the table. Packing a school bag. Going somewhere unfamiliar.

Sometimes an everyday activity becomes so difficult that the whole family begins organising around it.

An Occupational Therapist can help unpack what's making the activity difficult, identify the skills or demands involved and work with your family on practical ways to make it more manageable.

As children get older, the things they want and need to manage independently change.

That might mean preparing food, organising schoolwork, managing belongings, using public transport, handling money, planning their time, navigating the community or taking more responsibility for their own routines.

Occupational Therapy can help children and young people build practical skills and find strategies and supports that increase independence in the areas that matter to them.

The goal isn't independence at all costs. It's having more choice, confidence and control over everyday life.

You don't need to know exactly what kind of Occupational Therapy support your child needs before you get started. We'll work that out with you.

Your first appointment is a parent intake. This gives you space to talk with your Occupational Therapist about what you've noticed, what's important to your child and family, what's already working, what you've tried, and what you're hoping OT might help with.

From there, we'll work out what makes sense.

That might include direct sessions with your child, parent sessions, practical strategies for home or school, assessment, changes to the environment, equipment or supports, collaboration with other people in your child's life, or a combination.

The aim isn't therapy for therapy's sake. It's working out what will actually be useful in your child's everyday life.

Sometimes the most useful OT work happens with parents rather than directly with your child.

Parent sessions give you space to step back from an everyday challenge and work out what's making it hard. That might be getting out the door in the morning, dressing, mealtimes, sleep routines, sensory experiences, homework or managing transitions.

Your Occupational Therapist can help you look at the task, the environment and what your child needs to participate, then find practical ways to make things work better — whether that's changing the setup, reducing demands, introducing supports or developing strategies together.

Your child doesn't always need to attend for Occupational Therapy to make a difference in their everyday life.

Sometimes you're not looking to start regular Occupational Therapy. You just have something you'd like help thinking through.

Our Problem Solving Sessions are longer, one-off appointments where parents can explore a particular question or challenge with an Occupational Therapist.

You might want help with a morning or bedtime routine, dressing, sensory experiences, school participation, independence, handwriting, or another everyday activity that's become difficult.

Your Occupational Therapist can help you unpack what's happening, identify practical strategies to try and work out whether anything else would be useful.

There's no expectation of ongoing appointments afterwards.

Sometimes the best place to practise a skill is while actually doing something with other children.

Our group programs give children and young people opportunities to use skills in meaningful activities alongside peers. Depending on the group, that might involve cooking, creating, playing games, completing challenges, working as a team or navigating everyday tasks.

Groups can provide opportunities to practise things like planning, coordination, fine motor skills, independence, flexibility, communication, problem-solving and working alongside other people in a supported environment.

Groups aren't a replacement for individual therapy and aren't the right fit for every child. They can be a useful extension of therapy goals, giving children opportunities to use skills in situations that can be difficult to recreate in a one-to-one appointment.

Our Occupational Therapists may run groups independently or alongside Speech Pathologists, Psychologists or Therapy Assistants depending on the program.

Group programs are offered throughout the year for different ages and goals.