Occupational Therapists

Occupational Therapy for Children

Our occupational therapists help children so they can develop skills that help them navigate a broad range of environments.

Many of the children who come to us have a physical or cognitive difficulty. For example, we help children with birth defects, traumatic injuries, sensory processing disorders, development delays, autism spectrum disorders and ADHD just to name a few. We also help fussy eaters, children with toileting troubles and sleep disturbances etc.

Occupational therapy is about working with both the physical and social aspects of the child’s life so therapy is likely to involve parents, siblings or other family members, schools and other professionals in the child’s life. This way the occupational therapist can develop a plan to improve functioning in a way that is meaningful in everyday life.

While Occupational therapists use educational exercises and games in session we have listed below a number of ways they help make a difference in children’s lives:

• Developing attention skills;
• Learning to play with others;
• Improving motor skills needed for everyday self-care tasks;
• Improving fine motor skills;
• Improving low muscle tone and/or eye-hand co-ordination;
• Helping children with sensory processing issues manage in the classroom;
• Helping fussy eaters become more flexible.

If you would like further information about our occupational therapy services please contact the team at YoungMinds.

Please click to make an Appointment or contact us on (07) 3857 0074.

Getting into Gear – How does your Engine run?

This is a six session program designed to help children gear themselves up to focus on activities at school, follow routines at home and to play with others.

It uses the principles of the internationally recognised “Alert Program” that aims to each self-regulation strategies.

Our program aims to provide an opportunity for children to:

• Meet other children of a similar age who are facing similar challenges;
• Develop strategies to calm themselves down when over-active;
• Develop strategies to rev their ‘engines’ when lethargic, tired or inattentive.

The program includes a 30 minute parent discussion at each session so that the skills taught can be discussed and embedded across the home, community and school environments.

Handwriting Help

This is a four session program designed to focus on the specific skill required for handwriting.

The aim is to help problem solve the difficulties each child is having with handwriting. It includes a focus on fine motor skills, grasp development, letter formation and other basic elements of handwriting.

The group will provide opportunity for children to:

• Meet other children of a similar age having similar challenges;
• Develop strategies to manage their specific difficulties;
• Build handwriting skills;
• Learn motor exercises to help with flexibility and muscle tone.