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Much like occupational therapy for adults, paediatric occupational therapy is offered to children with physical or intellectual disabilities. It can also be provided to children with developmental delays, sensory issues, mental health conditions, and those who’ve been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or ADHD.

The aim of paediatric occupational therapy is to assist children with disabilities or the aforementioned conditions develop strategies and goals to navigate and manage them. In addition to this, occupational therapists help children develop ways of continuing to engage in the activities and occupations they love while managing their disability.

When a child has a developmental delay, it means they’re experiencing a significant delay in one or more areas compared to their peers. These delays can relate to motor skills, speech, cognitive skills, and social or emotional development. An example of this could include your child reading at a 2nd-grade level while their peers are reading at a 4th or 5th-grade level.

The aim of occupational therapy in this instance is to help a child with developmental delays address the specific area of delay along with helping them improve their daily functioning. For example, if your child’s fine motor skills are delayed, an occupational therapist may introduce different exercises and activities that help improve fine motor skills more broadly.

If it’s an emotional developmental delay, they may teach your child some techniques for managing their responses during instances of emotional dysregulation. As with all forms of occupational therapy, the specific plan will be customised to suit the needs of your child and what they’re comfortable trying.

Occupational therapy can help children with a range of disabilities and conditions. These include:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Global developmental disorder
• Cerebral palsy
• Learning and intellectual disabilities
• Physical disabilities
• Mental health disorders and conditions
• Behavioural, social, and emotional concerns

Autistic children can face unique challenges as they aim to navigate a world that is not in line with how they sense and perceive the external environment around them. As a neurological condition, autism can present in subtle or substantial ways, and a child on the spectrum could have low, moderate, or high support needs.

Autistic children may have very restricted and inflexible patterns of behaviour, hyper-focused interests and activities, and may struggle in social situations due to misinterpreting or not understanding social cues.

Occupational therapy can help autistic children develop strategies and approaches that assist them in becoming more aware of broader social cues and behaviours. It can help them make sense of things that might’ve otherwise been confusing or confronting in the past, while still embracing the unique characteristics of their mind and how it allows them to see the world differently.

Paediatric occupational therapists can also help autistic children regulate their emotions, find healthy outlets for expressing themselves, and partake in the activities they love freely.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by inattention (struggling to focus, distractability), hyperactivity (heightened energy levels and fidgetiness), and impulsivity (doing something suddenly without forethought). It can also inform related challenges such as sensory overload or emotional dysregulation.

Through occupational therapy, children with ADHD can learn invaluable skills and techniques that help them develop better focus and have better control over their hyperactive and impulsive behaviours.

The aim is to engage with and educate your child so they are better equipped to navigate the challenges that childhood ADHD can present.

The first paediatric occupational therapy session is all about gaining a deeper understanding of your child’s disability or condition, what their individual goals are, and developing a strategy to achieve them.

We’ll sit down with you and your child and present the different approaches available to help them be better equipped to manage their day-to-day and achieve meaningful milestones. At the end of the day, we want your child to feel more confident, optimistic, and engaged with the world.

The information we gather during the first session provides the groundwork for mapping out and putting an occupational therapy plan into action.

For children who have difficulty processing multiple sensory inputs at once, sensory integration therapy is designed to help them adapt and be better equipped to manage their responses to sensory overwhelm.

Autistic children, children with ADHD, and children with sensory processing disorders can all benefit from sensory integration therapy. It provides them a safe space to slowly be exposed to multiple inputs that engage all five key senses at once - sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.

As sensory overstimulation can be a genuine challenge for some children, this therapy can be invaluable in helping them navigate sensory overload.

This depends on your child’s disability and the specific needs they have - there is no set rule on this front. We’ll discuss the best approach with you and your child during the first session, including how many future sessions they should attend and at what frequency.

If you need an occupational therapist for your child, Conscious Healthcare SA can help. We’re a registered NDIS provider with certified paediatric occupational therapists who’ve collectively worked in the industry for decades.

Our occupational therapists can provide their services in-clinic or at your home or child’s school if you live within the metro Adelaide area. They travel to see patients between Gawler, Aldinga, and Mt Barker. Our two clinics are located in the north of Adelaide (Mawson Lakes) and south (Seacliff).

To get started with Conscious Healthcare SA, you can Refer & Book, call us on (08) 8166 4700, or email enquiries@chcsa.com.au today.