Paediatric Occupational Therapy near Summer Hill
Giving your child the skills and confidence to thrive.
Support your child’s development
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.
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
We work with your child on essential skills for participating in meaningful everyday activities, including play, going to school, and self-care (feeding, dressing, and toileting).
These areas span fine and gross motor skills, strategies to encourage attention and concentration, play and social interaction skills, and emotional, sensory and behavioural regulation strategies. There are also a variety of ways to access our care, including:
In-person OT
Mobile occupational therapy
Online OT
How we help skills grow
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 invest time in learning about your child’s interests, their sensory likes and dislikes, their interaction skills and where they’re at with play. We also explore the skills and understanding of family and other key people in their world. With this in mind, we shape fun play ideas and strategies that support your child to engage in meaningful social connections and interactions through daily routines, while building the capacity, skills and confidence of the important people around them to share in meaningful play.
Regulation (Emotional, Sensory, Attention)
Our occupational therapists help your child build strategies for emotional regulation, sensory regulation, and attention, so they may join in important activities as comfortably and independently as possible. Alongside this, we support you and other important people in your child’s life to develop strategies and skills, and to modify tasks and environments that allow your child to thrive.
Functional Capacity Assessments
An FCA provides clear, evidence-based recommendations designed 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 alongside you and your child to collect all the information required and develop a thorough report about your child’s abilities. We may also recommend therapies, accommodations, assistive technology, and suggested next steps.
Community and School Participation
Our occupational therapists can support you and your child in identifying the school and community activities that are important to them and in developing strategies to support their participation.
Every child deserves support that fits them.
Our paediatric occupational therapists work together with families to provide tailored support that reflects your child’s unique 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
Occupational therapy FAQs
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 support a wide range of areas, including difficulties with fine motor skills, coordination, and self-care tasks, as well as social skills, emotional regulation, and attention.
When should I consider occupational therapy for my child?
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 approach 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 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 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
Matched care
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.
Family at the centre
Our team is focused on growing parent and carer confidence and skills, so they feel equipped to support their child's long-term independence.
Locally operated
Inner West Paediatrics is independently owned and run locally, providing community-first care that puts your family first.
Your children's OT in Summer Hill
We believe every child deserves the tools they need to grow and learn with confidence, which is why we provide tailored OT support in Summer Hill. If your child is finding daily activities difficult, get in touch with our committed team today.