Occupational Therapy
YOUR FIRST APPOINTMENT
Start with an occupational therapy assessment.
Book a first occupational therapy assessment for your child or adolescent at our TTDI centre.
This booking is for the initial assessment. Ongoing therapy and follow-up appointments are arranged separately with our team.
Book an OT assessment
ABOUT OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
Supporting participation in everyday life.
Occupational therapy (OT) helps people take part in the everyday activities that matter to them. For children and adolescents, these include getting dressed, eating, playing, learning and spending time with others.
An occupational therapist considers the young person’s strengths and goals, the tasks they find difficult and the surroundings in which those tasks take place. Support may involve building skills, adapting an activity or adjusting the environment to make participation easier.
Who can benefit from occupational therapy?
At WeCare, our occupational therapy service primarily supports children with special needs, developmental differences and medical conditions that affect participation in everyday life. This includes children and adolescents with:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) — support with daily routines, play, sensory needs and participation at home or school.
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — support with organising tasks, managing routines and participating in everyday activities.
- Developmental delays in daily living skills — support with developing independence in dressing, eating, toileting and other everyday routines.
- Handwriting and school participation difficulties — support with handwriting tasks, using classroom materials, organising work and managing routines that affect participation in learning.
- Fine and gross motor skill difficulties — support with hand use, coordination, balance and movement needed for self-care, school tasks and play, including difficulties associated with developmental, neurological or other medical conditions.
Support is tailored to the individual child’s strengths, needs and goals. The assessment looks at how any difficulties affect daily life and which practical strategies, skills or adaptations may help.
Areas occupational therapy may support
The focus depends on the child’s needs and the activities they want or need to do.
Daily living skills and self-care
Developing skills and independence in dressing, managing buttons and zips, using cutlery and taking part in toileting routines, including when these skills are delayed.
Play and social participation
Exploring play activities, joining games and participating in hobbies and shared activities with others.
Handwriting and school tasks
Support with handwriting, using scissors and classroom materials, organising work and following task routines when these difficulties affect academic participation.
Fine and gross motor skills
Fine motor skills such as grasping and handling small objects, and gross motor skills such as balance, posture and whole-body coordination, as they relate to play, self-care and school activities.
Sensory needs and regulation
Understanding how sensory experiences affect participation, and finding strategies or adjustments that support everyday routines.
Growing independence
Developing routines, planning everyday tasks and participating more confidently, with support that fits the young person’s needs.
Support built around your child and family.
Goals are based on what is important to your child and family. An assessment helps identify what is working well, barriers to participation and where support may be useful.
Where appropriate, the therapist may suggest practical strategies for daily routines and work with parents, carers or educators to support participation across different settings.