Occupational Therapy Services for Children & Youth

As part of a multidisciplinary service, the OT will work with the important people in your child’s life (for example family, teachers and other therapists) to share goals, progress and strategies. Our OTs can also provide opportunities to link in with other members of our expert team if the need arises.

By working together, we can gain a better understanding of your child’s strengths and challenges, and provide them with consistency so that progress can be achieved beyond the therapy setting

Your child may benefit from Occupational Therapy if they have difficulty with functional skills that underpin their ability to learn, play, socialise and complete daily routines.

The OT can work with you and your family, to support your child to build new skills and develop strategies for the following:

• Fine motor skills involve the refined coordination of smaller muscles in the body, such as those in the hands and fingers, and are essential for your child’s independence with self-care (e.g. fastening buttons, using cutlery) and learning (e.g. drawing/writing, cutting).
• Gross motor skills involve the use of larger muscles in the body, such as those in our torso and limbs, and are important for whole body activities such as running, climbing, ball games and seated posture.
• Sensory processing is the foundational way in which your child receives, processes and responds to information from their sensory environment (e.g. touch, sight, sound, taste, smell, movement).
• Executive functioning enables your child to manage their thoughts, emotions and actions as they plan and perform daily activities.
• Self-care involves a number of essential tasks in your child’s daily routine, such as toileting, dressing, eating and sleeping.
• Social skills are important for relating and communicating meaningfully with others. These skills involve appropriate use and understanding of verbal and non-verbal cues, such as spoken/written language, facial expression and whole body gestures.
• Play is an important part of your child’s learning, development and socialisation. It provides a meaningful platform through which your child learns to plan and sequence activities, interact with others, and acquire important life skills across all areas of development.

The Occupational Therapy service provides tailored programs which are centred around the persons goals and can include:

• Education on strategies to assist with everyday function and activities
• Assessment and therapy to improve upper limb strength and movement
• Assessment and therapy for any difficulties with memory, concentration and thinking skills
• Upper limb therapy to improve sense of touch – including discrimination of different textures and recognising objects by touch.
• Assessment of any changes to vision and therapy to assist with using vision more effectively to manage daily tasks.

Our services are flexible and family-centred and may be funded through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Rebates are also available via Medicare with a health plan referral, as well as private health cover. For more details, please feel free to discuss with our administrative staff.

In addition to providing you with valuable client care, the Service delivers quality clinical education to UniSA students - our next generation of healthcare professionals. Educated in state-of-the-art facilities, students gain invaluable practical experience and exposure to a wide range of client needs.

Telehealth is the use of telecommunications technology such as videoconferencing, telephone consultation and/or email to deliver long distance clinical services to client. Telehealth provides a solution that allows for clients and families to still have access to allied health support without having to attend in-person.

For more information on Telehealth and how we protect your privacy, please click here

Telehealth appointments are available for Physiotherapy, Exercise Physiology, Podiatry and Occupational Therapy for Children.

Please contact our friendly reception staff to book a telehealth appointment.