Common Queries

We understand that bringing your child for therapy can be overwhelming, so we have put together these frequently asked questions to help families settle in, feel comfortable and informed.

A Paediatric Occupational Therapist is a healthcare professional who helps children develop the necessary physical, cognitive, and social skills to effectively engage in daily activities such as self-care, play, and school tasks, promoting their overall development and independence. Through personalized assessments and interventions, they work to address challenges and support children in reaching their full potential.

Upon contacting our administrative team, they will guide you through the procedure. They will either schedule an appointment if a slot is available, or if there's a waiting list for your time & day preference, they will collect your information to expedite the booking process once a vacancy arises. Our scheduling involves weekly or fortnightly appointments, organized on a term-by-term arrangement. An alternative way is to fill up the Contact Us form on our website. When we receive the information, we will put your child on the waiting list and will contact you when an available appointment arises.

Our comprehensive occupational therapy assessment complements other diagnostic evaluations as we assess various developmental areas such as sensory processing, motor planning, oculomotor, oral motor, gross motor, fine motor, cognition, emotional regulation and daily living skills. Our assessment helps us understand your child’s functional abilities and identifies any underlying sensory-motor delays that may affect their behavior and independence. It provides a broader view of your child’s needs, allowing us to create a more personalized therapy program tailored to your child's specific challenges and goals.

Appointments are usually offered on the same time and day to suit family’s commitments. Therefore, we have a 48 hours late cancellation/no show fee policy as we are unable to schedule appointments for families on the waitlist on short notice.

Our cancellation fee is crucial for the continued operation of our practice. All Hope Kids OT team are permanent staff members and are paid regardless of client attendance. Thus, your comprehension of the necessity for a cancellation fee is greatly appreciated.

When you reserve a time with us, we allocate resources specifically for your appointment. If you're unable to attend, the slot typically goes unfilled. Informing us ahead of time enables us to make alternate arrangements and prevents your therapist from needlessly preparing for a session that won't take place.

The early childhood approach helps children younger than 6 with developmental delay or children younger than 9 with disability and their families to access the right support when they need it. Children younger than 6 do not need a diagnosis to get support through the early childhood approach where there are concerns about their development.

You can find more information here: https://www.ndis.gov.au/understanding/families-and-carers/early-childhood-approach-children-younger-9

Under the Chronic Disease Management (CDM) or Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) plan, clients are eligible for 5 Allied Health sessions per calendar year and receive a rebate of $60.34 per session. This is organised through your General Practitioner and requires a Team Care Arrangement to be established. The client must need at least two allied health professionals to be eligible for this plan. Children with learning difficulties and motor or developmental delays are often eligible here if they meet the criteria. The sessions can be made up of five of one type of service (e.g. OT) or a combination of different types of service (eg. 1 dietician, 1 speech pathology and 3 OT sessions).

The same rebate is available for Helping Children With Autism plan , where it is organised by a paediatrician or a psychiatrist. Clients are able to access up to 20 sessions per lifetime.

Hope Kids OT operates as a pay-on-the-day clinic. For our private clients and NDIS self-managed clients, we kindly ask that you settle the invoice upon the completion of your appointment. For sessions conducted offsite ( telehealth, kinder/school visit), we request that the invoice is taken care of within 7 days.

For NDIS plan-managed clients, please send us your plan manager email address and we are able to send the invoice directly to your plan manager upon completion of your session for payments.

*Please note , we are unable to service NDIA / Agency managed clients at the moment.

Occupational Therapy assessments may involve specific assessments that are unique to our profession such as the Sensory Processing Measure or the Sensory Profile. Our comprehensive approach in every initial assessment ensures that we address the root causes of difficulties, therefore increasing the likelihood of effective interventions and better outcomes. Our detailed assessment report is easily understood by other allied health professionals and facilitates better collaboration and continuity of care across different services.

To help make your first appointment as smooth as possible, please:

Review Social Story: A social story about our clinic as well as parking details are provided in your appointment booking details via email. Reviewing this with your child can help familiarize them with our environment and reduce any anxiety about the visit.
Read Through Our Welcome Pack: Our welcome pack, which is also sent via email, includes important information about our clinic policies, fee schedule, therapy approaches, and other useful information. Reviewing this beforehand will help you understand our procedures and what to expect.
Bring Necessary Documents: Please bring any relevant documents or previous assessments that may provide additional context about your child's needs.

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Explore how our occupational therapy services can empower your child to reach their goals.

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