Paediatric Occupational Therapy near Ashfield
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.
How our occupational therapists can help
Together with your child, we focus on the everyday skills that matter most, including play, participating at school, and self-care tasks such as 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
The thinking behind our skills work
Fine and gross motor skills
Our therapists will look at underlying motor skills, including strength and endurance, stability, balance, coordination, and motor planning. We develop strategies to support your child so they can engage joyfully in the activities they love.
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 understanding what your child enjoys, their sensory preferences and aversions, how they interact, and the level of play they’re at. We also consider the skills and understanding of family members and other important people. We then develop enjoyable play ideas and strategies to help your child form meaningful social connections and interactions through daily routines, and to build the capacity, skills and confidence of the important people around your child to take part in meaningful play.
Regulation (Emotional, Sensory, Attention)
Our occupational therapists guide your child in developing strategies to support emotional regulation, sensory regulation, and attention, helping them engage in important activities with as much comfort and independence as possible. We also support you and the other important people in your child’s life to learn practical strategies and skills, and to adjust tasks and environments so your child may 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.
Every child deserves support that fits them.
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
Questions we're often asked about occupational therapy
What does occupational therapy involve?
Occupational therapy aims to support people to build independence and improve their quality of life by addressing physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges.
What areas can an occupational therapist support?
Occupational therapy can address a broad range of areas, such as fine motor skills, coordination, and self-care tasks, along with social skills, emotional regulation, and attention.
How do I know if my child needs 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 occupational 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 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 offer 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.
What funding is available for occupational therapy support?
What areas do you service?
We service areas around:
And more!
Support your child beyond OT
Why families choose Inner West Paediatrics
Thoughtfully matched support
Through a thorough triage process, we carefully pair a therapist with your child and family based on the details you share, so the right support is in place from day one.
Centred on family
Our team is focused on growing parent and carer confidence and skills, so they feel equipped to support their child's long-term independence.
Local and independent
Inner West Paediatrics is independently owned and locally operated, offering community-first care that puts your family first.
Where Ashfield families turn for children's OT
We believe all children should be given the tools they need to grow and learn with confidence, which is why we offer tailored OT support in Ashfield. If your child is struggling with daily activities, reach out to our committed team today.