Paediatric Occupational Therapy near Annandale
Skills, confidence and independence, one session at a time.
Guiding your child's progress
Wherever your child is on their development journey, our team is here alongside you. Whether they have a developmental delay, a disability, are neurodivergent, or simply need a little extra support, our engaging occupational therapy sessions encourage your child to work towards greater independence.
Here at Inner West Paediatrics, we bring experience supporting children across a wide spectrum of abilities and disabilities. These include autism, global developmental delay, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, genetic differences, learning difficulties, ADHD, social-emotional difficulties, trauma, and behavioural differences.
Where our occupational therapists make a difference
We support your child to build the key skills needed to take part in meaningful daily activities, such as play, attending school, and self-care like feeding, dressing, and toileting.
These skills cover fine and gross motor abilities, strategies to support attention and concentration, play and social interaction skills, and regulation strategies across emotional, sensory and behavioural areas. We also provide a range of ways to access care, including:
In-person OT
Mobile occupational therapy
Online OT
How we help skills grow
Fine and gross motor skills
Our therapists consider the underlying motor skills at play, such as strength and endurance, stability, balance, coordination, and motor planning. From there, we develop strategies to support your child to take part joyfully in the activities they enjoy.
Self-care tasks and activities of daily living
We break down daily living tasks such as dressing, toileting, eating, sleeping, and personal hygiene to help your child perform them with increased independence.
Play and social interaction
We spend time learning your child’s interests, sensory preferences and aversions, interaction skills and play skill level. We also explore the skills and level of understanding of family and other important people. Then, we develop fun play ideas and strategies to help your child engage in meaningful social connections and interactions through daily routines and build the capacity, skills and confidence of important people around the child to engage in meaningful play.
Regulation (Emotional, Sensory, Attention)
Our occupational therapists help your child develop strategies to support their emotional regulation, sensory regulation, and attention so they can engage in important activities as comfortably and independently as possible. We also support you and other important people in your child’s life to learn strategies and skills, and how to modify tasks and environments that help them 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.
Not sure where to start with your child's support?
Our paediatric occupational therapists collaborate with families to deliver personalised support that suits your child’s particular strengths and needs.
Our evidence-based OT techniques
- 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 aims to help people achieve independence and improve their quality of life by addressing physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges.
What sorts of things can an occupational therapist assist with?
Occupational therapy can help to address a wide range of issues, including difficulties with fine motor skills, coordination, and self-care tasks, as well as social skills, emotional regulation, and attention.
How do I know if my child needs occupational therapy?
If your child is struggling with everyday tasks, like getting dressed, holding a pencil, managing emotions, or engaging with peers, it may be worth exploring OT support. If you’re unsure, get in touch, and our team will help you determine what they may benefit from.
How do your OT therapists approach intervention?
Our occupational therapists first work with you and your child to understand what matters most to you and to set meaningful goals. Intervention then builds around activities that grow the skills your child needs, while adjusting tasks, environments or routines where suitable to support participation in everyday life.
What speech and occupational therapy services are available?
- 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 give parents and carers resources for home?
Yes. Our therapists share practical resources and strategies with parents and carers to support their child’s development between sessions, since meaningful progress happens in everyday life rather than in the clinic.
What funding is available for occupational therapy support?
What areas do you service?
We service areas around:
And more!
Support your child beyond OT
What sets Inner West Paediatrics apart?
Thoughtfully matched support
Using the information you provide, we carefully match a therapist to your child and family through a thorough triage process, so you receive the right support from the very start.
Centred on family
Our team works to build the confidence and skills of parents and carers, empowering them to support their child's independence over the long term.
Local and independent
As an independently owned, locally operated practice, Inner West Paediatrics provides community-first care that puts your family first.
Your children's OT in Annandale
We believe all children should have the tools to grow and learn with confidence, and that’s why we offer tailored OT support in Annandale. If daily activities are proving a challenge for your child, reach out to our dedicated team today.