Occupational therapists can help children participate in every day activities
How can Occupational Therapy help my child?
The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in activities of everyday life independently. Occupational therapists work with children and young people to enhance their ability to engage in the tasks they want to, need to, or are expected to do, or by modifying the task or the environment to better support their occupational engagement.
When should you take your child to see an occupational therapist?
If you have any concerns about your child’s development, it is best to seek professional advice as soon as possible, as it is a lot easier to make changes in a child’s early childhood years than later on in life.
If your child is having difficulties in areas such as gross motor movements, fine motor skills, handwriting, visual perception, self-care skills, social skills or sensory processing, they may benefit from seeing an occupational therapist. Some red flags you should be aware of that may indicate your child should see an occupational therapist are listed below. It’s important to remember that every child will develop at different rates. The following indicators are given only as a guide. If you do notice differences between right and left sides of the body (in strength, movement or muscle tone) at any age, consult with a healthcare professional. Please click here, if you’d like to make an appointment with one of our Occupational Therapists
OT Developmental Milestones Checklist – Red Flags
– Difficulty holding head and shoulders up when lying on tummy
– Head falls back when pulled to sitting position
– Hands frequently clenched
– Not reaching for and holding toys
– Not bringing hands together
– Not exploring toys with hands, mouth and eyes
– Not rolling
– Not sitting independently
– Not taking weight on legs when held to stand
– Not making attempts to crawl
– Not holding objects
– Not ‘giving’ objects on request
– Cannot move the toy from one hand to the other
– Not independently mobile (e.g. crawling or walking)
– Not pulling to stand up
– Not feeding themselves finger foods or independently holding bottle/cup
– Not picking up smaller objects with thumb and pointer finger
– Not scribbling on paper
– No imitation of stacking blocks
– Not standing or walking independently
– Not able to walk up or down stairs holding on
– Not feeding themselves using a spoon
– Not helping with getting dressed
– Difficulty walking up or down stairs independently
– Not running or jumping
– Difficulty threading
– Unable to catch, throw and kick a ball
– Not toilet trained during the day
– Not drawing lines and circles
– Not able to stand on one leg or hop on one leg
– Teacher noting concerns about school readiness
– Difficulty independently completing daily routines (e.g. feeding and dressing)
– Not drawing simple pictures
We can help children with
- Develop fine and gross motor skills
- Improving handwriting
- Managing sensory processing issues
- Build social skills and play
- Become ready for school
- Increase independence in everyday activities
Occupational Therapy Assessment
The purpose of assessment is to identify what specific areas children require specialised support. It is an important part of helping to understand your child and their needs. Assessment may include interviews with parents and other stakeholders, observations of your child, meeting your child and asking them questions, playing and completing specific tasks with your child, consulting with your child’s school and/or completing questionnaires about your child.
Assessment
As each child’s sensory preferences and needs are ever changing, Occupational Therapists can assess these needs using the Sensory Processing Measure and the Sensory Profile. Both assessments, will contribute to understanding the impact of the environment on your child’s engagement in what they want or need to do.
Make an AppointmentAssessment
Children are required to attend school, and there are various challenges that may have an impact on your child’s success. An Occupational Therapist can assess the motor skills required to sit at the table and hold a pencil, the ability to read from the board and the skills required to remain alert. Common assessments used to measure visual motor integration (skill used to read, trace and letter formation memory) is the Beery VMI or the Test of Visual Perceptual skills. This can be used in conjunction with the Shore Handwriting Screen.
Make an AppointmentAssessment
Child development refers to the sequence of physical, language, thought and emotional changes that occur in a child from birth to the beginning of adulthood. Child development can be actively enhanced through targeted therapeutic intervention during Occupational therapy and Speech Therapy. Common assessments used include Miller Functional and participation Scales, Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, and the Peabody development of motor scales. These assessments can be used from birth to 18 years.
Make an AppointmentRebates and Funding Programs
While Youthrive is a fee paying service, some Medicare and private health insurance rebates may be available for our services. Families are encouraged to speak with their GP and nominated health fund to find out whether they are eligible various rebates. Please note rebates listed below are subject to change without notice.
We support families
We use a number of therapy styles and approaches to support children, young people and their families. Because the ‘one size fits all’ rule does not always apply, treatment plans often include a combination of therapy styles in order to develop a specialised plan for the individual.
Occupational Therapy & Speech Pathology Screening Sessions
This childhood screening package aims to assist early childhood educators and parents in identifying developmental challenges for children as early as possible.
To find out more, click here.
We work with families to create a home environment to suit the needs of their child
Occupation therapists recognise the importance of teamwork. They work with a child’s parents or carers to adapt or modify the environment of a child to better suit their needs. This could be through equipment prescription or other simple modifications.
