What to expect
Initial Assessment
Standardised/non-standardised tests will be completed to assess various areas for learning. Test includes auditory and visual processing, fine and gross motor coordination, memory, processing speed, sensory processing, behaviour etc. For more information on our assessment, please visit our Assessments page.
Feedback
After the assessment, we provide one on one consultations or feedback from initial findings we gather from the assessment with parents/caregiver.
Report
A full Occupational Therapy Assessment report will be completed for parents, schools or relevant organisations.
School Meeting
After the report, we will organise a school meeting if necessary with teachers/teacher aide/SENCO. This will give the school recommendations as to what they can offer in the classroom setting to cater for your child’s learning needs. Our recommendations are school-friendly as we know that teachers are busy with other children too.
Therapy Sessions
Based on the recommendations in the report, Occupational Therapy sessions are designed specifically for your child. They are designed to be interactive and fun. Weekly sessions can be completed at school or at home. Sessions are usually in the course of 20 weeks and each session is 45mins-60mins.
Re-assessment
We recommend that a re-assessment takes place after 20 weeks. The re-assessment gives us an indication of how the sessions are going and for adjustments to take place with new findings.
Assessments
When to Get an Assessment?
An Occupational Therapy assessment is recommended when children are having difficulty with specific learning tasks such as reading, remembering verbal / written information, poor focus / behavioral issues, fine / gross motor delays, poor handwriting, having trouble putting their ideas onto paper, gross / fine motor delays, difficulties with initiating and finishing tasks and having difficulty with organization.
Duration
The duration for our Occupational Therapy assessment is approximately 60-90 minutes. This includes using valid and reliable standardised testing to test for various areas listed below:
- Visual processing i.e perception, tracking & visual memory
- Handwriting and letter formation
- Dyspraxia
- Eye hand coordination
- Gross Motor / Fine Motor skills
- Auditory processing / listening skills
- Working memory
- Processing speed
- Sensory Processing Disorder
- Identification for diagnosis i.e. ASD / ADHD / ADD and anxieties.
Apart from using standardised testing to address the above areas, we also perform clinical observations to address how your child responds to different tasks / activities. Identification will be on behavioral and emotional challenges such as anxieties, low self esteem, social skills, focus/concentration as well as motivation.
Location
We understand that parents can have a very busy schedule. Therefore, to make it easier for transportation, we are a mobile service. We can come to your home / school to do the assessment.
Sessions
After an assessment has been completed, we also highly recommend weekly 45minute – 1 hour occupational therapy sessions to be followed through to address the underlying areas stated in the assessment. Our Occupational Therapy programmes are designed specifically for your child based on the recommendations in the assessment findings.
Duration of Sessions
Occupational Therapy usually takes between 2-3 terms to complete, depending on the child’s receptiveness and responsiveness towards Occupational Therapy input and how many areas are needed to be addressed.
Location
Individual therapy sessions are completed either at home or at school. Weekly home programmes will be given to establish what has been covered in the therapy session. It is essential for home programmes to be completed during the week. Our programmes are designed to be fun to keep the child engaged in the process.
What we treat
OT4Kids is a private paediatric Occupational Therapy practice based in Auckland. We understand that this process can be daunting for many parents. Therefore, we aim to provide a family and children friendly service and pride ourselves on providing a holistic approach.
- Dyslexia/Dysgraphia
- Developmental Delays (Gross motor and Fine motor)
- Auditory Processing Delays (APD)
- Visual Processing Delays i.e tracking, perception, visual memory
- Dyspraxia
- Cognitive Issues i.e Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)
- Learning Difficulties (memory delays i.e long-term/short-term/working memory)
- Behavioural/Emotional issues
- Genetic Disorders
As we all know, there’s no straight paths to learning. So if you find your little one is having trouble with one (or more) of the above – consider Occupational Therapy with OT4Kids.
FAQ
How do I know whether my child needs to be assessed?
We believe that parents know their child the best. Many parents come in often saying “I have a feeling that he/she have been struggling.” Well done for identifying and addressing your feelings! These are some tips to help you confirm your feelings or observations:
- Difficulty with maintaining focus and attention. Often appear to be the “class clown” or labelled the “naughty one” in class.
- Hyperactivity – can’t seem to sit still or sleep for long.
- Finds external noises too loud. Can’t filter external noises.
- Picky eater.
- Difficulty regulating their emotions. Huge tantrums and outbursts over minor details, often impulsive, moody or frustrated.
- Difficulty with recognising letters and writing them i.e. letter reversals, hard to read, different sizes or spacing.
- Difficulty with reading. Often skipping words or lines or reading words in reverse. Having trouble with remembering words, no matter how many times you go through the same word with them.
- Difficulty with spelling. Poor phonical awareness, spelling words backwards or missing letters out in a word.
- Difficulty remembering and not understanding what has been said. Often talking off topic.
- Difficulty with daily tasks such as buttoning, zipping, tying shoe laces or holding onto a pencil correctly.
- Difficulty with planning and organising their own day. Not remembering what day it is.
- Difficulty with playground equipment and sports i.e climbing, swinging, hanging from monkey bars, kicking a ball, swimming, etc.
- Appear to be clumsy – often bumping into things. Have poor spatial awareness.
- Fatigues easily.
- Hard to make and maintain friendships.
These are only some tips to help you. There are many other areas that have not been mentioned. If this is the case, please still contact us to make sure that your child have no other issues.
Will OT4Kids travel to us?
Yes! Most certainly. We understand that juggling with family priorities can be difficult. We try our best to accommodate and integrate into your daily plans to avoid extra hassle. We are a mobile service, therefore, you can either choose to do OT sessions at home or at school.
Do I need a referral from other medical practitioners?
No you don’t. However, if your child had assessments completed by other health practitioners, it will be beneficial to send the relevant reports through to us to give us a better understanding of the underlying concerns.
What age range do you deal with?
We mainly deal with children from pre-school (starting at 2) all the way to high-school. However, we offer consultations, assessments and workshops for adults in university or working life as well.
Can I use government or school funding?
Yes, depending whether the government or school gives us permission to use the funding in this area. However, we are a private service. That means generally our service is paid for by the client.