What is paediatric occupational therapy?

Paediatric occupational therapy supports children to perform and participate in meaningful activities throughout their day. The occupations of young people are centred around play and learning, and can include; getting dressed, eating, going to school, playing sport, making friends and being part of a club or group. Occupational therapists (OTs) work in partnership with the young person, their parents and other important people in their life, such as their doctor, teacher and other health professionals to achieve goals. OTs have a deep understanding of all occupations (tasks) and the steps, skills and environments required for children to participate in and perform these. OTs use a variety of therapeutic methods to develop motor skills (fine motor and gross motor), social skills and emotional regulation skills within a task, adapting and modifying any given task, as well as making changes to the child's environment the task is performed. These supports are individualised and help your child to achieve meaningful goals that result in a greater reported life satisfaction and improved quality of life.

Our Services

  • Individual Occupational Therapy

    Fun, engaging therapy sessions, drawing from clinical experience and latest practical evidence will support your child to achieve their goals. See more

  • Lego Club

    A fun collaborative play therapy group whereby children work together to build LEGO models. LEGO club therapy has proven evidence to build social competence for children with autism and related conditions. See more

  • Caregiver Consultations

    Using a structured coaching-based framework drawn from (Occupational Performance Coaching), your therapist will guide you to develop goals (that support your child), and help you realise your potential as a caregiver. See more

  • Telehealth- occupational therapy

    Rural/Remote Telehealth

    Pioneering the way for telehealth, these sessions are designed to ensure your child and family have access to quality therapy if you live far away or cannot make it into the city. See more

  • Occupational Therapy Assessment Report

    Standardised assessments can be used to measure your child's motor skills, performance, and participation level in tasks. This can tell you where your child's skill level sits compared to children of the same age. See more

  • Launch Club - School Readiness Group

    Your child will be supported to learn school based skills in a group environment to give them the best opportunity and success when starting school. In a small group of up to six, your child will be supported to making friends, play skills (turn taking, co-operative play, sharing, imaginative play) … See more

  • Workshops and Presentations

    Arc Occupational Therapy offers a range of presentations and workshops that can be tailored to suit your group, event or professional development needs. See more

  • School Holiday Intensives

    Intensive Occupational Therapy sessions are one hour OT sessions across four consecutive days in the school holidays designed to accelerate progress, offer tailored support and strategies, and uplift your child, enabling them to achieve their desired goal. See more

The process at Arc Occupational Therapy is as below:

  1. Visit our booking page here or join our waitlist by contacting us here. You will be emailed an online intake form to complete and once this is submitted you will be called to confirm your session time and appointments.

  2. Caregiver/s are to attend the first session for the initial caregiver only consultation (unless booking for a holiday group and/or group therapy).

  3. One to three occupation based goals are set and agreed upon.

  4. Child/caregiver completes one or two terms of therapy in the Nightcliff practice or school based (includes assessment, goal setting, intervention, and re-assessment) OR child completes holiday group or term group.

  5. When your child achieves their goals we celebrate and discuss ways they can continue their progress.

    Note: Should there be additional goals after two terms of therapy, your family will be provided with a home programme and return to the waitlist so as to ensure early intervention opportunities for other children who are yet to access therapy in the NT.

    Arc wants caregivers to feel confident when supporting their child and invites all caregivers to join in in each session. When caregivers feel informed and confident they create more positive learning opportunities for their child. In addition to this we offer caregiver consultations. This can be 4 to 8 hourly one on one sessions conducted weekly or fortnightly.

“Occupational therapy practitioners ask, “What matters to you?” not, “What’s the matter with you?”

— Virginia Stoffel, PhD, OT, BCMH, FAOTA