What is OT?

Paediatric occupational therapists (OTs) are interested in what babies and young children do in their day-to-day life. OT’s help children develop the skills required to complete
the activities and daily routines they need or want to do.
OTs focus on the:
  • Activities a child needs to do for their learning and development. 
  • Daily activities parents need to do to care for their child. 
  • Activities children want or are trying to do.

Occupational Therapy at Little Peeps Paediatric OT

Our therapists have extensive experience in childhood development and a strong understanding of how development influences what children can or cannot do.  We provide therapy to:
  • Babies born prematurely or with a low birth weight
  • Babies and young children with complex medical conditions
  • Babies who have difficulty in settling for daily routines
  • Babies who are delayed in reaching early developmental milestones
  • Babies or young children with a diagnosis of a disability including Down Syndrome, Cerebral palsy, stroke, Prader-Willi syndrome  
  • Children with learning and motor difficulties 
  • Children who need help to transition into primary school
  • School aged children with handwriting and functional difficulties
For babies, areas we work on include:
  • Learning how to play with toys
  • Interacting with people
  • Positioning for play and interaction 
  • How to set up the home environment to maximise learning and development 
  • Helping parents to develop daily routines needed to care for their baby. e.g. nappy changes, dressing and bathing
  • Baby settling techniques and developing feed, play and sleep routines
  • Helping parents carry out family routines such as going to places outside the home. We help parents find the right equipment for daily routines. e.g. bouncers, prams, bath seats or slings

For young children, areas of development we work on include:
  • Learning how to play with toys and pretend play
  • Developing independence in daily routines. e.g. toileting, dressing, feeding self 
  • Fine motor skills e.g. cutting, drawing, pre-writing skills 
  • Learning skills e.g. problem solving, memory, organisation, attention

For Kinder and school aged children we work on:
  • School readiness
  • Fine motor skills e.g. handwriting, scissor and ruler skills
  • Gross motor skills e.g. clumsiness/co-ordination difficulties
  • Organisational and time management skills
  • Independence with functional activities. e.g. cutlery use, dressing
  • Learning skills e.g concentration and self-regulation