Frequently Asked Questions

The goal for Occupational Therapy is always to get people to do activities or tasks that are meaningful to them. For children, this can be handwriting, playing, tying their shoelaces, regulating their emotions, or doing self care tasks. The list of tasks is endless and is specific to each individual child. We make a detailed assessment of what is holding the child back from reaching their goals and put in place a plan to overcome those barriers to progress. That can be through changing their environment, working on underlying skills or teaching strategies to adapt their ways of doing to better suit their abilities.

Whatever the challenge, Occupational Therapy aims to make children live more independently in a way that bring enjoyment and meaning.

An Occupational Therapy assessment is the first part of the therapeutic process and it is key to understanding the direction therapy will take thereafter. For most, the Occupational Therapy Assessment will involve the use of both standardized (psychometric) and non-standardized assessments (functional), which are typically done over 1.5 to 2 hours. Assessments typically involve a discussion (interview) with the child’s carers and if needed, their school. Assessments can focus on fine motor skills, gross motor skills, sensory processing, handwriting skills or any specific challenge. They focus on skills which relate to school, play, leisure, relationships or life skills. After an assessment, we provide a report which comprehensively details the results of any assessments used and recommendations for next steps  

For some, the assessment is the only reason for referral and parents may not want or need to pursue Occupational Therapy Treatment. This is commonly the case when children are assessed for suitability for adaptive equipment use in schools. In this case, we provide a detailed report, outlining the results of an assessment tools and recommendations. 

For some children, an assessment is the only reason for areferral. This is commonly the case when you need to find out whether a chidl needs adaptive equipment in school ot help them access the curriculum, when you need you home to be assessed to see what adaptations could enhance you child’s life or when you simply would like to get a better understanding of what your child’s needs, strengths and challenges are. In each of these cases, we provide a comprehensive report with recommendations. 

The most common steps in Occupational Therapy, is for an assessment and treatment plan. This assessment usually take lace over 1-2 hours and based on the results of any psychometric and functional assessments, we provide a treatment plan, to move your child towards achieving your goals. Followign the treatment plan, parents usually attend for a “block” of treatment, which typically takes place over 8-12 weeks. At the end of that time, we re-assess and determine whether any further intervention is wanted or needed. 

• Is your child regularly delayed in meeting, or not meeting, motor milestones?
• Does your child have difficulty with activities that other children of similar age seem to have mastered?
• Is your child struggling in school? This could present as difficulties with attention, difficulties with keeping up with coursework, difficulties with outbursts during class
• Does your child have difficulty with making friends or participating in social situations? 
• Are they clumsy, frequently trip and bump into things?
• Do they struggle to hold a pencil correctly?
• Can they use scissors efficiently?
• Is their handwriting legible?
• Are they able to do up buttons and tie their shoelaces?
• How are their organisational skills?
• Can they self-regulate their own behavior?
• Do they have strong sensory preferences or dislikes?
• Can they transition with ease?

As therapist, we work with children for an hour per week. Others spend significantly more time interacting with the child. Our model involves training and coaching those who are in the best position to make a change in a child’s life (typically it is parents and the school team), so that they can ensure their child reaches their full potential. We want parents to be their child’s very best coaches. We work to ensure that parents have the knowledge, skill and expertise to help their child move towards their goals.

As well as being back up by research and empirical evidence, our own personal experience tells us that if we don’t work with parents, children find it much more difficult to progress. We help yopu understand the barriers to change and collaboratively problem solve strategies and methods to overcome them. 

Yes, Occupational Therapy is usually covered under private health insurance. Some policies can give up to 75% of the costs back. We encourage you to reach out to your provider to discuss the level of coverage you have.

We frequently travel to our clients, whether for an assessment or for treatment. There is an additional charge for travelling. 

We also provide services remotely (via telehealth). Recent developments have made providing services via telehealth much more effective. Some of the benefits of telehealth include:

• No travel times
• You can access therapy from remote places
• Therapy occurs within your home environment
• You can use resources that are available to you at home

In order for telehealth to be effective, you will need: 

• The Use of Good Audio And Video
• Reliable internet

Many children experience difficulties accessing the curriculum, for a variety of reasons, such as hearing impairments, visual impairments, physical disabilities or learning disabilities (e.g. dyslexia, dysgraphia, general leaning disabilities). Often, assistive technology can allow a child to access the curriculum. In order to access the grant, which is submitted through the school SENO (Special Education Needs Organizer) , the equipment must be deemed essential for the child to assess the curriculum. This determination is often made through an Occupational Therapy assessment.

Please reach out to one of our team if you have questions about the application process or if you would like to schedule an assessment.