During your child’s initial 70-minute appointment (50mins face to face and 20mins for clinical documentation), your occupational therapist will discuss your areas of concern and goals. Over several sessions, they’ll conduct an informal, play-based assessment so they can offer some recommendations (which may include a written report).
Your OT’s report can be used to provide families, care providers, and educators with insights they can put into practice in any environment, whether at home, at school, or in the community. These reports can also be valuable evidence for NDIS meetings and plan reviews.
Most of our OT clients attend regular appointments at the same time every week or fortnight. This consistency is helpful for all our clients, but especially our autistic kids, as it helps them integrate therapy sessions into their routine, while making steady progress towards their goals.
Regular occupational therapy sessions run for 70 minutes (50mins face to face and 20mins for clinical documentation) and involve engaging your child in therapeutic, play-based activities as we work on specific goals. During the appointment, we may use a range of approaches, such as DIR Floortime, Therapeutic Listening, Trauma-Informed Care, Wilbarger’s Brushing Protocol, Sensory Integration, Parent Coaching, and Animal-Assisted Therapy. But most importantly, we meet your child where they are at, work on building a genuine relationship with them, and continually respond to their feedback and input.
Group programs and 2-to-1 peer sessions are a great way to integrate social skills, make new friends, and bring an added layer of fun to therapy!
Our occupational therapists offer limited spaces for group programs and paired peer sessions, with a mixture of regular sessions and holiday programs available.
We offer a range of funding options. Many of our clients have NDIS funding (we accept self-managed or plan-managed funding only). If you do not have an NDIS plan, you may be able to get a GP referral to help cover the cost of therapy through a Mental Health Care Plan which can attract a Medicare rebate for up to 5-10 sessions per year. We also accept GP Medicare Plans (often known as Team Care Arrangements), as long as your plan has at least three sessions nominated to one of our therapists. You may also be entitled to rebates on your Health Fund. All of our fees are in line with the current NDIS pricing guide. We welcome all enquiries about pricing.
Occupational Therapists see everything a person does as an occupation and that engagement in meaningful activities supports health and wellbeing.
Occupational Therapy is tricky to describe because ‘meaningful activities’ can look different for everyone. It’s tailored to meet your child’s goals. And every session is as unique as your child — and never the same the next week.
We always meet your child where they’re at and support them with a range of activities and challenges, depending on their interests, abilities, and goals (which may change week to week). This tailored approach helps them achieve their physical, emotional, and social best. We are all about supporting children and parents to be their authentic self by creating an environment where it feels safe to do this.
An Occupational Therapist can help your child build skills and confidence around:
Our paediatric occupational therapists work with children of all ages, from newborn through to 17! We can work with a range of challenges and conditions, but we’re particularly focused on supporting neurodivergent kids with autism, ADHD, and trauma.
Your Occupational Therapist will show you new ways you can support and connect with your child. They can help you create a home environment that supports positive behaviour, independence, and greater harmony (for your whole family). You can also request parent coaching sessions where your Occupational Therapist can offer a listening ear and specific advice on any challenges.
You’ll set and work on specific goals, together with your Occupational Therapist — these will look different for everyone. But here are some examples of benefits you might experience:
Note that not every appointment will come with a breakthrough. And at times, therapy can put you and your child out of your comfort zone. At Inside Out, we aim to do this in the context of a supportive and encouraging relationship where you feel safe to explore challenges and grow from them.
Most of our OT appointments are held in one of our two north Brisbane clinics (Kallangur for ages 0-9; Burpengary for ages 0-17), but where appropriate, we may also offer mobile visits to your school or home, or telehealth parent sessions.
