What Is Occupational Therapy? A Parent-Friendly Guide
Many parents first hear about occupational therapy when a teacher, GP or other health professional suggests their child may benefit from some extra support. But what does an occupational therapist actually do, and how can occupational therapy help a child?
Paediatric occupational therapy (OT) helps children develop the skills they need to participate more confidently and independently in everyday life. This can include fine and gross motor skills, sensory processing, emotional regulation, handwriting, self-care, play, attention and participation at school.
At Grow & Tell, our paediatric occupational therapists support children and families across Sydney, including from our Crows Nest/St Leonards clinic on Sydney's Lower North Shore and our Rhodes clinic in Sydney's Inner West.
So, What Is Occupational Therapy?
For children, their important everyday “occupations” include playing, learning, getting dressed, eating, participating at school, making friends and becoming increasingly independent.
Occupational therapists look at the activities a child needs or wants to participate in and consider what may be making those activities difficult. Therapy can then focus on developing skills, adapting activities or environments, and providing strategies that make everyday participation easier.
Rather than focusing on just one individual skill, paediatric occupational therapy considers the whole child and how their motor, sensory, emotional, social and everyday living skills affect their participation at home, preschool, school and in the community.
Learn more about our paediatric occupational therapy in Sydney and how our team supports children and families.
Key Takeaways
Occupational therapy helps children develop skills for everyday activities and greater independence.
A child's “occupations” include play, learning, self-care, social participation and everyday routines.
Paediatric OTs can support fine and gross motor skills, sensory processing, emotional regulation, handwriting, self-care and participation at school.
Occupational therapy is tailored to the individual child's strengths, needs and goals.
Grow & Tell provides paediatric occupational therapy across Sydney through our clinics and mobile therapy services.
Understanding a Child's Occupations
When we meet families for the first time, one of the first things we explain is that a child's occupations are very different from an adult's.
For children, some of their most important jobs are to play, learn, explore, interact with others and gradually develop independence. Everyday activities such as getting dressed, using cutlery, drawing, playing at the park, participating in the classroom and joining games with other children can all be considered occupations.
Sometimes a child may find particular activities more difficult because of their motor skills, sensory processing, attention, emotional regulation or other developmental differences.
Occupational therapy aims to understand what may be affecting the child's participation and identify practical ways to help them become more confident and independent in their everyday life.
What Can a Paediatric Occupational Therapist Help With?
At Grow & Tell, we work with children with a wide range of developmental needs. Every child is different, so occupational therapy is tailored to their individual strengths, challenges, interests and goals.
Sessions are generally play-based and may work on several developmental areas at the same time.
Developing Fine and Gross Motor Skills
Fine motor skills involve the smaller movements of the hands and fingers that children use for activities such as drawing, handwriting, cutting with scissors, using cutlery, doing up buttons and manipulating toys.
An occupational therapist may use activities such as threading beads, using tweezers, drawing, craft, construction activities or playing with putty to help develop hand strength, coordination and dexterity.
These skills can become increasingly important as children prepare for preschool and school, where activities such as pencil control, handwriting and managing belongings become part of their everyday routine.
You can learn more about developing these foundational skills through our school readiness programs.
Gross motor skills involve larger body movements and include balance, coordination, strength, jumping, running and navigating playground equipment.
An occupational therapist might use obstacle courses, balancing activities, climbing, throwing and catching games or other movement-based activities to develop these skills in an engaging way.
Improving Sensory Processing and Regulation
Children constantly receive information through their senses, including touch, sound, sight, movement and body awareness. The brain needs to organise and respond to this information so a child can participate comfortably in everyday activities.
Some children can become overwhelmed by particular sensory experiences. They may be particularly sensitive to noises, clothing textures, busy environments or certain types of movement.
Other children may actively seek additional sensory input and appear to be constantly moving, jumping, crashing or touching objects.
Occupational therapists can help families better understand a child's sensory needs and develop strategies that support participation and regulation.
Depending on the child's individual needs, therapy might incorporate movement, sensory play, environmental changes and strategies that can also be used at home or school.
Supporting Emotional Regulation
Learning to recognise and manage emotions is an important developmental skill.
Some children experience particularly strong emotional responses or find it difficult to recover when they become frustrated, overwhelmed or upset. Others may have difficulty recognising the signals their body is giving them before their emotions become difficult to manage.
Occupational therapy can help children develop greater awareness of their emotions and body signals while building practical strategies for regulation.
The aim isn't to prevent children from experiencing emotions. Instead, therapy can help children gradually develop the skills they need to understand their responses and participate more confidently in everyday situations.
Building Independence and Self-Care Skills
Becoming more independent is an important part of childhood, but everyday self-care activities can involve many different skills.
Children may need coordination, fine motor skills, planning, attention and sensory processing to complete activities such as getting dressed, managing buttons and zips, using cutlery, brushing their teeth or organising their belongings.
An occupational therapist can break these activities into manageable steps and identify which underlying skills may need additional support.
Therapy can then provide opportunities for the child to practise these skills and gradually become more confident completing everyday routines independently.
Enhancing Social Skills and Play
Play is one of the primary ways children learn.
Through play, children develop communication, problem-solving, imagination, flexibility and the ability to interact with other people.
Some children may benefit from additional support developing skills such as turn-taking, sharing, flexible thinking, understanding other people's perspectives or participating in group activities.
Occupational therapy can incorporate these skills into engaging play-based activities that allow children to practise social participation in a supportive environment.
You can also learn more about our social skills programs for children.
Supporting School Participation
School requires children to manage many different skills at once.
A child may need to sit and attend to classroom activities, follow routines, use pencils and scissors, organise belongings, move around the playground, regulate emotions and interact with classmates.
Difficulties in one or more of these areas can sometimes make participating in the school day harder.
Occupational therapists can identify the skills affecting a child's participation and work with the child, family and, where appropriate, educators to develop strategies that support them at school.
Signs Your Child May Benefit From Occupational Therapy
Parents often contact us after noticing that particular everyday activities seem consistently more difficult for their child.
Some reasons families may seek advice from a paediatric occupational therapist include:
Difficulty with handwriting, drawing or pencil grip
Challenges with coordination, balance or gross motor activities
Difficulty using scissors or completing fine motor activities
Sensitivity to particular sounds, textures or environments
Frequently seeking movement or sensory input
Difficulty with emotional regulation
Challenges participating in classroom routines
Difficulty dressing or managing buttons and zips
Challenges using cutlery or completing other self-care activities
Difficulty participating in play with other children
Delays in developing age-appropriate independence
Every child develops differently, and experiencing one of these challenges does not necessarily mean that a child requires occupational therapy.
If an everyday activity is consistently difficult or affecting your child's participation at home, school or in the community, an occupational therapist can help you understand what may be contributing and whether additional support could be beneficial.
What Does a Paediatric OT Session Look Like?
Parents are sometimes surprised by how much occupational therapy looks like play.
A typical session may include movement activities, obstacle courses, sensory play, fine motor tasks, craft, games or activities designed to develop social and emotional skills.
Although the activities may be fun, they are selected according to the child's individual goals. An occupational therapist can adjust the level of challenge as the child's skills develop.
Therapists can also work with parents and caregivers to identify practical strategies that can be incorporated into everyday routines outside the therapy room.
Paediatric Occupational Therapy in Sydney
Grow & Tell provides occupational therapy for children and families across Sydney.
Children can attend occupational therapy at our Crows Nest/St Leonards clinic on Sydney's Lower North Shore or our Rhodes clinic in Sydney's Inner West.
Our clinic environments provide space for play, movement and exploration, allowing our occupational therapists to tailor activities to each child's developmental needs and therapy goals.
Families may also be able to access mobile occupational therapy, with our therapists supporting children in environments such as their home, preschool, school or community.
How Do I Know if Occupational Therapy Is Right for My Child?
You don't need to know exactly what type of therapy your child needs before contacting an occupational therapist.
Often, the first step is simply discussing the activities your child is finding difficult and how those challenges are affecting everyday life.
An occupational therapist can learn more about your concerns, your child's strengths and the activities that are important to your family. From there, they can help determine whether an occupational therapy assessment or intervention may be appropriate.
Begin Your Child's Journey With Grow & Tell
If you're wondering whether occupational therapy may help your child, our team can talk with you about your concerns and the support options available.
Grow & Tell provides paediatric occupational therapy in Sydney, with clinic-based services in Crows Nest/St Leonards and Rhodes, as well as mobile occupational therapy across selected areas.
We support children with a range of goals, including motor development, sensory processing, emotional regulation, self-care, school participation, play and independence.
Families using NDIS funding may also be able to access our NDIS occupational therapy services, including for self-managed and plan-managed participants.
