Help your child build skills and confidence
Our Occupational therapists work with children to ensure they can fulfill their everyday activities including self-care, social skills and learning.
Paediatric occupational therapy is goal-focused intervention to teach strategies or adaptations, change environments and educate individuals involved in the child’s life.
Your child will benefit from a holistic approach to intervention, that considers their unique underlying abilities which impact task performance e.g. motor skills, cognition, sensory, personal, and emotional factors.
No matter where your child is at – developmental delay, disability, neurodivergent or just needing extra support – we can help. Our occupational therapists have experience supporting children with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. Explore the support we offer at each stage: Early Childhood (0–6), School Aged (7–12), and Teenagers (13–16).
Our occupational therapists assess and treat the full range of paediatric sensory, motor, and self-care difficulties.
For children who are overwhelmed by everyday sounds, textures, or movement — or who constantly seek intense sensory input.
For children approaching kindergarten who need support with the physical, sensory, and self-care skills school requires.
For children whose pencil grip, handwriting, or classroom fine motor tasks are behind their peers.
For children with big meltdowns, difficult transitions, or who struggle to calm down and recover.
For children whose toilet training, dressing, or daily self-care routines have stalled or need extra support.
Our assessment reports are designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of a child’s development, with a particular focus on motor skills and daily functioning.
– PEDICAT (domains assessed: daily living, mobility, social, cognitive, responsibility)
– Vineland 3 (communication, daily living skills and socialisation)
Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Third Edition: (Age range: 3 to 25 years). Used to assess Manual Dexterity, ball skills, Balance &Locomotion. Additionally gathers gather views from parents/teachers/self and gauge emotional/motivational impact of motor challenges.
Sensory Profile 2: (Age range: Birth to 14 years and 11 months). Provides you with standardised tools to help evaluate a child’s sensory processing patterns in the context of everyday life. It can assist in determining how sensory processing may be contributing to or interfering with the child’s participation in activities.
Beery Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration 6th Edition: (Age range: 2-adult) assesses how well a child can coordinate their visual perception and motor (hand) movements, such as copying shapes and patterns. It helps identify difficulties that may impact everyday tasks like handwriting, drawing, and other classroom or play-based activities
McMasters Handwriting Protocol: Handwriting Assessment Protocol (3rd Edition) (grade range: Preschool – year 6): designed to identify the specific areas in which achild is having difficulty with handwriting and to help occupational therapists determine whether and where to intervene.
Brown Executive Function/Attention Scales: (Age range: 3+) assess a child’s executive functioning skills, including attention, emotional regulation, memory, organisation, and impulse control. This tool helps identify how challenges in these areas may affect daily functioning at home, school, and in social settings.
A Functional Capacity Assessment completed by an occupational therapist provides a comprehensive overview of a child’s ability to participate in daily activities across home, school, and community settings. It consolidates information from all allied health professionals involved (where applicable), ensuring a holistic understanding of the child’s needs to inform goal setting, service recommendations, and NDIS planning.
The Children’s Occupational Self Assessment (COSA) is a child-friendly tool designed for children aged approximately 8 years and older, or younger children with strong language and cognitive abilities. It supports children to reflect on how well they complete everyday activities and how important those activities are to them. Through structured questions and simple rating scales, children can express their own perceptions, preferences, and priorities. Involving children in goal setting in this way helps develop motivation, ownership, and engagement in therapy, leading to more meaningful and effective outcomes that are aligned with what truly matters to them.
(Age range: 2 years to 18 years 11 months). Provides standardised scores to evaluate a child’s ability to perform daily activities, helping identify strengths and areas of need to inform service planning, educational supports, and living arrangements.
Ly leads the Occupational Therapy Department at The Bridge Effect, supporting children from early childhood through adolescence. She is trained in the SOS Approach to Feeding and is Better Access to Mental Health (BAMH) endorsed, allowing eligible families to access Medicare-rebated occupational therapy sessions with her under a Mental Health Treatment Plan.
Melanie is a Senior Occupational Therapist supporting children aged 0–13 with developmental delay, autism, ADHD and sensory processing differences. Her family-centred, play-based approach helps build self-regulation, motor skills, self-care and school participation. Melanie is fluent in English, French and Creole.
Cherrie is an Occupational Therapist supporting infants, toddlers and young children up to age 6. She partners with families to build everyday skills in self-care, play, feeding, emotional regulation and school readiness, using a collaborative, play-based approach. Cherrie speaks English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
Our occupational therapists believe parents know their children best. By working closely with you during sessions, we ensure the goals are practical and achievable. Professionals may come and go, but families are the constant support in a child’s life.
Good partnerships between therapists and parents ensure that support and learning continue at home, leading to better outcomes for your child. This is because evidence shows that most of a child’s learning happens between therapy sessions. We give you the skills and strategies to make it happen.
At the initial consultation, we will work with you to decide the best approach for your child’s needs. This includes information gathering and observation through to standardised assessments. Our goal is to determine your child’s strengths and needs. From here, you and your therapist will set individualised therapy plan.
To foster engagement and enjoyment, we centre activities around your child’s interests and focus on building and maintaining a trusting therapeutic relationship.
Therapy may take place in our outdoor play space or personalised therapy rooms. At every session we will discuss outcomes and provide parent support and guidance.
Rebates may be available through Medicare and Private Health Insurance. Services can be self-funded and with your child’s NDIS package.
Group programs are developed in response to client demand and identified needs, ensuring that each group is tailored to meet the specific goals of families. We prioritise individualisation by matching peers based on age and abilities to maximise engagement and therapeutic outcomes.
We understand that therapy is a significant investment, and we want to make it as accessible as possible. Most families use NDIS, Medicare, private health insurance, or a mix of the three to help fund occupational therapy — here’s a quick summary of each, with full detail on our Funding Options page:
Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorder Treatment and Management Plan
For a person under 25 with a suspected or diagnosed complex neurodevelopmental disorder (such as autism) or another eligible disability, the Item 135 pathway provides up to 8 assessment and 20 treatment allied-health sessions per lifetime, shared across professions. Ask your GP, paediatrician or psychiatrist whether your child is eligible.
Better Access Mental Health Treatment Plan for OT
Where emotional regulation or mental-health-related support is part of your child’s OT goals, up to 10 individual (and 10 group) sessions per calendar year may be claimable under a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan — occupational therapy only, and only with an OT registered with Medicare to provide Better Access focused psychological strategies. Ask your GP about a referral. More detail: Medicare Rebates page.
Many private health insurance policies with extras cover include an occupational therapy benefit. The amount varies by fund and level of cover, and Medicare and private health rebates can’t both be claimed for the same session. Contact your insurer to confirm your entitlement before your first appointment — we can provide receipts in the format required for health fund claims. Full detail: Private Health Insurance page.
Families who are not funded through NDIS or Medicare are welcome to attend as private clients. Our current fee schedule is available on request — contact us or ask at the time of booking. Not sure which pathway fits your family? See our full Funding Options guide or get in touch.
We invite you to learn more about how the The Bridge Effect can make a significant difference in your family’s life. Whether it’s about taking the first steps or continuing the journey, we’re here to support you every step.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and begin a new chapter in your child’s developmental story.
Looking for support closer to home? Find occupational therapy near your suburb.
