WHAT IS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AND HOW CAN IT HELP MY CHILD?
Occupational Therapy (or ‘OT’) helps people to go about their day-to-day activities more easily. For children and teens struggling with any part of their development, this can range from their handwriting to making new friends, to concentration, to longer-term challenges such as being on the autism spectrum. Whatever it is, Occupational Therapy aims to develop your child’s skills to help them live more enjoyable and independently.
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILD NEEDS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY?
If you or anyone supporting your child’s health or education (e.g. teacher, speech and language therapist, public health nurse, doctor, paediatrician) is concerned about your child’s development.
If your child is struggling with any of their daily activities, call us to see how we can help.
‘Daily activities’ can range from focusing and learning at school, tying their shoelaces, making new friends, participating in sports, toileting, doing their homework, eating dinner without having a meltdown — any normal part of their daily life.
Things to look out for:
• Movement: Clumsy, trips often, seems a bit uncoordinated, finds it hard to throw and catch a ball or participate in organised sports activities
• Writing: Finding it hard to form letters or numbers or write sentences
• Hand skills: Struggling to cut basic shapes, draw simple figures or play with small objects (like beads, LEGO® or marbles)
• Behaviour: Meltdowns, finds it hard to cope with change
• Social skills: Finding it hard to make new friends, pick up on body language or understanding social settings
• Independence and self-care: Struggling to get dressed by themselves, use cutlery correctly or organise themselves
• Eating: Fussy Eater
WHAT KINDS OF THINGS DO YOU HELP WITH?
We help children with a whole range of developmental challenges. Here are just some of the things we help with:
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Dyspraxia
• ADD / ADHD
• Sensory Processing Disorders
• Handwriting and fine motor skills
• Body and movement coordination
• Social skills and self-regulation
• Self-care skills
• Feeding skills
Please see What We Can Help With for more detail. Please contact us to see how we can help your child.
DOES MY CHILD NEED A REFERRAL?
No, you don’t need a referral for us to help you. Please link with us to organise your child’s OT Assessment or first session. Alternatively, you can email us to organise a convenient time to call. When you talk to us, you can share your concerns about your child’s development and we’ll explain the next steps and book an appointment time for you.
WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE AND DURING THE ASSESSMENT?
BEFORE
After we’ve received your confirmation to start the assessment process with Kids Power OT, you will be asked to complete and return a pre-assessment questionnaire. Please complete these forms before your child’s Initial Assessment and send them back by email or bring them with you. If your child is at school, you will also be asked to give a questionnaire to your child’s teacher. It needs to be completed by his/her teachers. Please bring samples of their school work with you.
ON THE DAY
The Assessment will take approximately one hour. When you arrive at the clinic, the Occupational Therapist will come and meet you both in the waiting room. From there, they’ll welcome you into the clinic room. Your child’s OT will then run about five different tests (selected from a range of standardised and non-standardised tests around your child’s needs). For your child, this will probably just feel like doing some activities that are similar to those at school (e.g. drawing, hopping, catching a ball, writing etc.). During the Assessment, you can sit in our waiting area or wait elsewhere. you will be given feedback after completing this assessment (immediately).
AFTER
At the end of your child’s Assessment, you’ll be able to book your child’s first session with OT. There is also the opportunity to share some of her initial observations, feedback and discuss your child’s development with you. After the Assessment, an Occupational Therapist will evaluate all of the test results and details in the personalised Assessment Report. A detailed report outlining presenting concerns, assessment findings and recommendations will be sent to parents approximately three to four weeks after the assessment. If you have any questions or concerns about the report please contact us within the next 21 days. Your assessment process is completed at this point.
We are not able to add new recommendations on the assessment report a few months from the assessment, without re-administering at least some components of the assessment.
If I need a letter of support following the assessment/ therapy service?
This letter is a one-page clinical letter requested by the parent or another third party to state the current clinical need and professional recommendation. It will be charged separately for each letter.
E.g. Letter for DCA purposes, letter to school for additional supports or referral letter to another professional.
We would always recommend confirming with the person asking you for a Letter of Support for your child exactly what information they are looking for.
If the intention for the letter is to get access to funding or is part of a package required to access additional services, they may often need more details than can be contained in a letter. In these cases, we will recommend a Summary report instead.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING O.T. SESSIONS?
At your child’s first OT session after their Initial Assessment, Occupational Therapist will develop goals with you and your child that will guide their sessions. OT sessions are tailored to these goals by using a variety of activities to build their skills in the area they are working on.
This can often involve fun activities like jumping, obstacle courses or playing games. But every activity — including the fun ones — are helping your child develop their skills.
Occupational Therapist may also recommend they join our group programmes to help reach their goals.
HOW MUCH DO ASSESSMENT/ SESSIONS COST?
Assessment: €550; The cost of your child’s Assessment is a fixed fee that covers the preparation, reports review (if your child is seen by other health professionals), parental interview, assessment session, test analysis and reporting. This cost is non-refundable and non-transferable after completing your assessment session. Please refer to our cancellation policy for more details.
OT Screening Session (if your child has an OT assessment within the past 12 months): €175; This option is for the children who have an OT report / MDT team report that includes OT assessment already/ requesting the therapy service only. It includes preparation, reviewing your child’s previous reports, clinical observation, discussing the child’s needs and plan for the next therapy session. It can take up to 60-70 minutes ( face-face) and does not usually require a report. The therapist will give you tips and strategies that you can use immediately. You also will be given information on the different therapy equipment requires to carry out the OT program in your home environment.
One-on-one sessions/ school visit/ teletherapy/ consultation (school/parents): Fees may vary depending on the length of your child’s session. Sessions are charged in 15-minute increments thereafter. Please contact us (prefered by email) to find out our current rates.
Non-face to face time including liaison (phone calls, emails etc) with parents, caregivers, schools /kinder /daycare/ external agencies – billed in 15-minute increments at the hourly therapy rate.
Fees are chargeable for administrative services e.g. letters of support, referrals, emails, issue of duplicate reports, adding a new information/recommendation (after 4 weeks issuing a report), reissue of standardised assessment forms and assistance with DCA/DARE forms.
HOW LONG WILL MY CHILD NEED O.T. SESSIONS FOR?
Our long-term aim is for your child to not need our services, so we only ever recommend your child comes for the sessions they need.
How long we recommend your child comes for sessions will vary on their goals and how quickly they are progressing. However, the choice is always yours — you are not locked into bringing your child for a set time as we believe you know what’s best for your family.
HOW LONG DO O.T. SESSIONS GO FOR?
45 minutes. Each session includes 40 minutes face to face therapy time and 5 minutes for feedback/ discussing the home program with the parents. Sessions are charged in 15-minute increments thereafter.
END OF THERAPY
The end of therapy should be a positive experience with a long-lasting impact on both the child and the therapist. The length of your child’s therapy sessions and the timing of the eventual closure will depend on the specifics of the child’s needs/ treatment plan and the progress he/ she achieves.
If you terminate therapy, for any reason, we require at least 2 to 3 weeks of sessions’ prior written notice in order for the therapist to transition the child out of therapy and complete closure.
We reserve the right to terminate our services to a child at any time. Reasons for termination include, but are not limited to, untimely payment of fees, failure to comply with treatment recommendations, conflicts of interest or failure to participate in therapy etc
ARE SESSIONS COVERED BY PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE?
Whether your child’s sessions with us are covered by private health insurance will depend on your provider and your level of cover. All health funds are different, however, many of them do offer cover for Occupational Therapy. We recommend you check with your private health fund about what rebates you’re entitled to.
The Practice has a Zero Tolerance Policy on Violent/Aggressive Behaviour towards Staff.
Families attending this practice are treated with respect and we ask the same in return. We ask that you treat the therapist and members of the public within the practice spaces courteously – without violence, abuse or harassment. Occupational Therapists and administrative staff have the right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused.
Any behaviour (verbal, physical or in written/electronic format) which causes staff to feel uncomfortable, embarrassed or threatened, will not be accepted.
The practice’s Zero Tolerance policy includes aggression or threats made in person, over the telephone/video link or in written or electronic communication.
Instances of abusive, threatening or intimidatory behaviour will be documented and families involved may be removed from the practice list.
We trust you understand that proper behaviour is absolutely necessary for our staff and members of the public, and that non-observance will not be accepted.