Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Where do you work? Do you have a clinic room?

We see clients face-to-face in schools / kindergartens / homes in and around Upwey, Belgrave, Tecoma, and Ferntree Gully. We also offer tele-health services Australia-wide. This service can be particularly helpful if you are after a few consultations or parent coaching, or are on a lengthly waitlist with a local OT service and looking for some support in the interum.

What ages do you work with?

We offer school, home, and kindergarten-based services for children aged 2 - 11 (or until the end of Year 6). There is some flexibility around this, and is dependent on the child or young person’s individual needs, preferences, and policies around visitors attending local schools. A hybrid model with some face-to-face and some tele-health can also be implemented.

What can an Occupational Therapist (OT) do to help my child?

OT’s support children to participate in their daily 'occupations' to the best of their ability. For a child, their 'occupations' refer to play, education, social and leisure activities. For a child with ASD this may mean supporting them with sensory processing difficulties, forming meaningful relationships, motor skill development, anxiety management, and supporting them / the adults around the child to develop the skills they need to access the curriculum within their educational environment.

We offer a highly individual approach to working with every child. We can begin by looking at your child's developmental history, medical conditions, behaviour, and their coping strategies in their day-to-day life. Together we can identify areas of difficulty and set some specific and measurable goals to get started. Our therapeutic approach is to first form a positive relationship with the child, and utilise their strengths and interests to engage them in building skills and confidence.

We never seek to change who your child is, as we love to celebrate each person’s unique personality, interests, strengths, and passions, while also supporting them to live a meaningful life which can look different from person-to-person.

How are you different to other OT practices?

We believe that in order for each child to reach their potential, we also need to support the development of their confidence, self-esteem and ability to manage day-to-day tasks. This can include how they solve problems and cope with challenges. The specific areas of concern will of course be the focus, however, the way in which the child or young person perceives themselves and their confidence is always a key factor. We place a high level of importance on the mental health of each young person, and address their ability to manage their anxiety to feel confident and live a fulfilling life.

What are your fees?

Please see the Funding section of the website for details on our current fees.

My child does not have a diagnosis, can they still be referred?

Of course! The symptoms and difficulties that the child is experiencing is more important than a diagnosis or label when it comes to Occupational Therapy support. By working with your child's individual learning profile and strengths, we can support them with areas in which they are experiencing difficulties. Regardless of whether or not your child has a diagnosis, therapy will be approached in the same way, which is through an individualised plan. We will start with an intake session where we discuss all the important aspects of your child's development from birth. This will enable us to gain an understanding of your child's difficulties and strengths now and historically. This can also be useful to identify what has and has not been tried or worked for your family in the past. Together we can identify key goals for your child's therapy. It is often such a difficult time for a family when they are working out how to help their child, so ensuring that you are well supported and have strategies to implement at home is a big focus of our therapeutic approach.

Do I need a referral from a doctor to access OT services?

You do not need a referral to access OT services with Happy Kids Occupational Therapy. Sometimes your child’s Paediatrician, GP, Speech Pathologist or Psychologist may refer you, however self referrals are always accepted. Simply fill in the online form on the Contact Us page to get in touch.