Frequently Asked Questions

 Occupational therapy is therapeutic intervention to support individuals to develop the skills they need to function in day to day life (at home, at school or in the community).  

Occupational therapists work with children, adolescents, their families, educators and other professionals to enhance an individual’s ability to engage in occupations they want to, need to and are expected to do.  

For children, some occupations that they may want to do include playing and having friends, need to do include eating, sleeping etc, expected to do include talking kindly to others, holding a pencil correctly, getting dressed etc). 

 If you feel that your child is not reaching their developmental milestones or if you have any concerns about their development, you should make an enquiry with an Occupational Therapist. 

Some common areas of difficulty:

• Self care skills 
  • Dressing
  • Using cutlery
  • Organising self
    
• School tasks
  • Handwriting
  • Drawing
  • Cutting
  • Keeping up in class
  • Remembering and following a set of instructions
  • Copying from the board
    
• Gross motor
  • Participation
  • Balance and coordination
    
• Easily distracted, poor attention and concentration
  
• Hyperactivity or low energy
  
• Prefers to play alone or repetitive play
  
• Independent living skills
  
• Life skills beyond adolescents
  
• Job readiness skills

No you do not need a referral to see an Occupational Therapist. 

 Once a referral has been made, a phone consult will occur between the parent and therapist to gather all relevant information. 

An assessment will be completed. A formal report and recommendations will be provided based on the assessment results and clinical observations. 

If therapy is recommended and parents would like for their child to engage in therapy, a suitable time will be organised. Goals are established in collaboration with the parents prior to the first session. 

Discussions with parents and teachers will be conducted throughout the process to monitor the child’s progress.