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 minimum of 2 business days late cancellation/no show fee policy as we are unable to schedule appointments for families on the waitlist on short notice. Please note that weekends and public holidays are not counted as business days.

For example, if your appointment is scheduled for a Friday 9am and the preceding Thursday is a public holiday, you would need to cancel before Tuesday 9am to avoid a late cancellation fee. This allows for two full business days’ notice (Tuesday and Wednesday - as Thursday is a public holiday).

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

GP Chronic Condition & Management Plan (GPCCMP)

Under the GP Chronic Condition & Management Plan (GPCCMP) - formerly known as 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 $63.40 per session (updated yearly). This is organised through your General Practitioner and requires a referral letter from your GP for this plan to be established. 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).

Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorder & Eligible Disability

The same rebate is available for Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorder & Eligible Disability plan ( formerly known as Helping Children with Autism Program/Better Start Treatment ). Under this plan , the following diagnosis are eligible :

(a) Sight impairment that results in vision of less than or equal to 6/18 vision or equivalent field loss in the better eye, with correction.(b) Hearing impairment that results in:

a hearing loss of 40 decibels or greater in the better ear, across 4 frequencies; or
permanent conductive hearing loss and auditory neuropathy

(c) Deafblindness(d) Cerebral palsy(e) Down syndrome(f) Fragile X syndrome(g) Prader-Willi syndrome(h) Williams syndrome(i) Angelman syndrome(j) Kabuki syndrome(k) Smith-Magenis syndrome(l) CHARGE syndrome(m) Cri du Chat syndrome(n) Cornelia de Lange syndrome(o) Microcephaly if a child has:

a head circumference less than the third percentile for age and sex; and
a functional level at or below 2 standard deviations below the mean for age on a standard developmental test, or an IQ score of less than 70 on a standardised test of intelligence*

(p) Rett's disorder(q) Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)(r) Lesch-Nyhan syndrome(s) 22q deletion Syndrome*"standard developmental test" refers to tests such as the Bayley Scales of Infant Development or the Griffiths Mental Development Scales; "standardised test of intelligence" means the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) or the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI). It is up to the clinical judgement of the practitioner to determine which tests are appropriate to be used.

This plan can be organised by a paediatrician or a psychiatrist, referred to by a GP. Clients are able to access 8 assessment sessions and up to 20 therapy 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 familiarise 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.

Find Out More

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

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