Paediatric Occupational Therapy near Balmain
Supporting your child to grow their everyday skills and self-belief.
Nurture your child's growth
No matter what stage your child is at in their development journey, we are here to support you. Whether they have a developmental delay, disability, are neurodivergent, or need extra support, our fun occupational therapy services help your child move toward independence.
At Inner West Paediatrics, our team has experience working with children who have a broad range of abilities and disabilities. This includes autism, global developmental delay, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, genetic differences, learning difficulties, ADHD, social-emotional challenges, trauma, and behavioural differences.
The role our occupational therapists play
We help your child develop the important skills for joining in meaningful day-to-day activities, from play and school to self-care such as feeding, dressing, and toileting.
These skills include fine and gross motor skills, developing strategies to support attention and concentration, play and social interaction skills, and regulation strategies (emotional, sensory and behavioural). We also offer a variety of ways to access care, including:
In-person OT
Mobile occupational therapy
Online OT
The thinking behind our skills work
Fine and gross motor skills
Our therapists explore the motor skills that sit beneath everyday movement, including strength and endurance, stability, balance, coordination, and motor planning. We then build strategies to support your child to engage happily in the activities they love.
Self-care tasks and activities of daily living
We break daily living tasks such as dressing, toileting, eating, sleeping, and personal hygiene into manageable steps to support your child to carry them out with greater independence.
Play and social interaction
We take the time to get to know your child’s interests, their sensory preferences and aversions, their interaction skills and their play skill level. We also look at the skills and understanding of family and other important people in your child’s life. From there, we create fun play ideas and strategies to support your child to build meaningful social connections and interactions through everyday routines, while growing the capacity, skills and confidence of the important people around them to join in meaningful play.
Regulation (Emotional, Sensory, Attention)
Our occupational therapists support your child to develop strategies for emotional regulation, sensory regulation, and attention, so they may take part in important activities as comfortably and independently as they can. We also work with you and other important people in your child’s life to build strategies and skills, and to adapt tasks and environments that help your child thrive.
Functional Capacity Assessments
An FCA provides clear, evidence-based recommendations to support NDIS applications or reviews, advocate for the right supports, and guide therapy planning and collaboration with schools and other professionals. We spend time with you and your child to gather all the necessary information and create a comprehensive report about your child’s abilities. We may also recommend therapies, accommodations, assistive technology, and next steps.
Community and School Participation
Our occupational therapists can help you and your child pinpoint the school and community activities that are important to them, and build strategies to support taking part.
Looking for the right support for your child?
Our paediatric occupational therapists collaborate with families to deliver personalised support that suits your child’s particular strengths and needs.
Therapy approaches grounded in evidence
- DIR Floortime principles
- SCERTS®
- Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP Approach)
- Learn to Play approach
- Occupational Performance Coaching
- Handwriting Without Tears programs
- Toileting interventions
- Sleep interventions
- Zones of Regulation
- Alert Program
- Autism Level UP
- Regulation and sensory supports
- Upper limb programs including CIMT & bimanual skill programs
- Cognitive interventions
Frequently asked questions about occupational therapy
What does occupational therapy involve?
Occupational therapy works to help people gain independence and enhance their quality of life by addressing physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges.
What sorts of things can an occupational therapist assist with?
Occupational therapy can assist with many different areas, from fine motor skills, coordination, and self-care tasks through to social skills, emotional regulation, and attention.
How can I tell if my child might need occupational therapy?
If your child finds everyday tasks challenging, such as getting dressed, holding a pencil, managing emotions, or connecting with peers, it may be worth exploring OT support. If you’re not sure, reach out, and our team can help you work out what they may benefit from.
How do your OT therapists plan intervention?
Our occupational therapists begin by getting to know you and your child so we can understand your priorities and establish meaningful goals. From there, intervention focuses on activities that develop the skills your child needs, adapting tasks, environments or routines where appropriate to support taking part in everyday life.
What types of speech and occupational therapy do you provide?
- Hanen Programs (It Takes Two to Talk, More Than Words, Target Word, Talkability, Learning Language and Loving it)
- DIR Floortime Principles
- Learn to Play approach
- Key Word Sign
- Paediatric Autism Communication Therapy (PACT)
- SOS Feeding Approach
- Responsive Feeding Approach
- The Lidcombe Program
- Sounds~Write
- Meaningful Speech for Gestalt Language Processors
- Occupational Performance Coaching
- High and Low Tech AAC assessment, trial and intervention
- Handwriting Without Tears programs
- Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP Approach)
- Toileting interventions
- Zones of Regulation
- Alert Program
- Regulation and sensory supports
- Upper limb programs including CIMT & bimanual skill programs
- Cognitive interventions
Do you provide resources for parents and carers to use at home?
Yes. Our therapists provide parents and carers with practical resources and strategies to support their child’s development between sessions, because meaningful progress happens in everyday life, not in the clinic.
How can OT support be funded?
What areas do you service?
We service areas around:
And more!
Support your child beyond OT
The Inner West Paediatrics difference
Thoughtfully matched support
We carefully match a therapist to your child and family based on the information you provide, through a thorough triage process, so you get the right support from the very start.
A family-centred approach
Our team helps parents and carers build their confidence and skills, supporting them to nurture their child's long-term independence.
Locally operated
As an independently owned, locally operated practice, Inner West Paediatrics provides community-first care that puts your family first.
Local occupational therapy your family can count on in Balmain
Every child deserves the tools to grow and learn with confidence, which is why we offer tailored OT support to families in Balmain. If your child is struggling with everyday activities, connect with our committed team today.