What is Occupational Therapy?
Types of Occupational Therapy services we offer:
In Clinic Therapy
Leaps & Bounds provides intervention in our clinic to help children address functional skills or underlying capacity concerns. Individual therapy involves working directly with your child on activities that promote their skill level, build their confidence and are fun.
Our therapists provide intervention based on current evidence based therapy.
All therapists are trained to assess and provide intervention for a range of different tasks that your child may be finding challenging. This includes investigation of and intervention for motor, social, sensory, cognitive, interpersonal and intrapersonal underlying capacities. Our therapists are trained to find your child’s strengths and develop an individualised therapy plan to suit your child’s needs.
School Based Therapy
School-based therapy is beneficial for the child as it allows for a direct relationship between the therapist and the teacher. Being involved in a child’s school or pre-school environment allows us to liaise with teachers and stay in touch with what they are learning at school. It also allows the therapist to see whether what the child is learning during their therapy sessions is carrying over to the classroom. Our Occupational Therapists love working in schools that promote the team approach towards a child’s learning and value the contribution made by all those involved with the child.
Home based therapy
We understand that getting to a clinic setting for therapy may not be the best option. Therefore, we are happy to come to you! We are able to offer home visits on a regular basis, or as a one off consultancy based visit to help set up strategies for your home environment.
Telehealth sessions
With COVID-19 changing the way many businesses operate, we now have the choice of online therapy in addition to clinic and school sessions. We feel really excited about offering this and feel it is really suited to our profession and service. A large part of occupational therapy is about considering a person’s natural environment and it is wonderful to have the opportunity to work with children and their families in their homes, virtually. We also love to brainstorm resources and tools to assist in developing children’s capacities that are everyday household items – and there has never been a better time to be thinking like this!
Group Programs
Leaps & Bounds run group programs every school holidays and during the school term. These include school readiness programs, Motor Skills groups, Handy Handwriting groups and social skills groups. For more information regarding our groups keep an eye out on our social media pages or give our team a call.
Contract work with schools
Leaps & Bounds have worked with a number of local schools to design and set up sensory gyms, tailored group sessions or 1:1 therapy sessions for students and offer screenings for students. An Occupational Therapist will come to you on site, and screen each child across a range of developmental areas (Sensory, Fine Motor, Gross Motor, Visual Perceptual skills). A report is then written which is sent to the parents with recommendations & suggestions. Post-screening offers include group therapy, resource recommendations, parent education & teacher professional developmental workshops.
Teacher Training Programs
Leaps & Bounds offers in-services, workshops and information sessions to teachers and parents at schools/preschools and also in our clinic. We are focused on research and evidence based practice when working with children.
Teacher workshops can be tailored to meet your needs. Topics may include Sensory Based Strategies for the classroom, School Readiness, or general education on how Occupational Therapy may benefit children. Enquire for more information.
The primary goal of Occupational Therapy is to maximise a child’s potential in all of their activities. This includes activities at home, school, and in social situations. Occupational therapy will enable a child to participate fully in all the things that they should do as children, including all of the things that are important and meaningful to the child and their family.
Some areas that occupational therapists commonly assist with are:
- Independence with self-care, such as eating, mobility, communicating, and toileting
- Social and play skills
- Cognitive and school skills, including handwriting and sequencing
What is it like working with Leaps and Bounds?
At Leaps and Bounds we offer a wide range of occupational therapy programs with a variety of goals and methods. We can create a program to meet any of the goals that you and your child may have. Most of these programs involve key skills and abilities that are important to being a child:
- Sensory Integration
- Handwriting
- Gross Motor Skills
- Fine Motor Skills
- Balance
- Social Skills
- Play Skills
At Leaps and Bounds we are dedicated to serving you and your child. In order to best meet your needs and the needs of your child we offer all of our programs in several locations. We have brand new therapy rooms at our centre in Wetherill Park. Our team are also able to able to create programs for your child at their school. To suit you we also offer all of our OT programs in your home.
As part of an Occupational Therapy evaluation, your therapist will determine a child’s strengths and capabilities. The child’s family will actively participate in identifying areas of concern for the child. Your therapist may also identify problems that may contribute to a child’s limitations, including muscle weakness, difficulties with spatial relationships or other perceptual concepts, difficulty sequencing tasks, or a short attention span.
Therapy at Leaps and Bounds is always child-centred. Goals focus on activities that are most important to a child. Activities that we use in therapy are meaningful, engaging, and are directed by the child.