Occupational therapy
Welcome to Playsense occupational therapy, we provide assessment and intervention for:
Handwriting, Fine motor skills, Gross motor skills, Visual perception, Learning difficulties, Gross motor integration, Autism, Aspergers, ADHD, ADD, Oppositional defiance disorder, Social skills, Developmental coordination disorder, Motor planning (praxis), Motor coordination, Postural strength, Finger and hand strength and coordination, Lateral integration, Sensory integration, Sensory regulation, Attention, Attachment and behaviour difficulties and Sensory processing.
We are a family centred practice and welcome parents to be involved in therapy sessions. As parents are the most important people in shaping children's lives, we work to involve parents so they can continue activities at home.
We create home programs to support therapy and we loan therapy equipment weekly in order to do this.
We assess and create individual intervention programs for each child and work hard to ensure that occupational therapy fits within each individual families circumstances. We build close relationships with the families we work with and we have mutual trust and respect.
Children's self esteem is central to all our interventions and is fostered by taking a collaborative rather than instructive approach. We ensure that all children have a sense of ownership over the therapy process which motivates them and engages them in reaching their goals.
Children's wellbeing is at the centre of everything we do. We work with children of all ages in the clinic and at school. We have a background in psychology and we regularly attend workshops, seminars, in services and read journals to ensure that we are abreast of the latest research findings in our field.
We are a trauma informed and trauma reactive practice. We understand the neuroscience and evidence behind adverse childhood events and their long term impact on children and families. We use a Theraplay and Circle of Security informed approach which are evidence based interventions to foster secure attachment between parent and child. All our therapist's have an understanding of these approaches, which is vital for children who have experienced trauma to heal.
Behaviour therapy
As well as providing occupational therapy, Playsense provides assessment and intervention for behaviour, emotional and social skills. We have worked for many years in the behaviour field , we combine the strengths of many approaches with a long history of practical experience.
We work closely with families to understand the strengths and barriers they face. We understand that all behaviour is communication and teaching children appropriate ways of expressing emotion, regulating arousal, and calming themselves has a huge impact on their lives as well as their family's.
The ability for children to manage their emotions impacts on learning, social skills, attention and self esteem.
We understand that children need more than simple behaviour approaches. We look at relationships, connection, self esteem and environment to ensure that our therapy has a long lasting impact rather than being a short term solution. We help parents to validate all their children emotions whilst setting boundaries in a kind and respectful way. As well as managing behaviour we focus on helping families to experience joyful play with their children.
We work closely with psychologists and ensure that when children come to OT they get the felt experience of regulation rather than just learning about it as a concept.
We have presented at numerous schools and preschools to inform teachers and educators about approaches to behaviour management that foster long term social and emotional health. We are involved in long term projects within particular preschools to ensure the frameworks are implemented in day to day interactions with the children.
We have helped many families over the years to gain greater levels of connection and regulation with their children and thus less behaviour outbursts. It is rewarding work!
We also offer behaviour therapy online by providing practical strategies to implement at home and activities to foster connection and build relationships within the home environment.
Online supervision
In order to support the OT community more widely, Playsense OT also offers online supervision and mentoring to paediatric occupational therapists and new graduate therapists. Our OT's have over 10 years experience and are able to offer mentoring on OT theory and corresponding practical activities.
With a background in psychology, our clinic specialises in the area of behaviour and attachment however also have extensive experience in the following areas :
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Fine Motor and Handwriting
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Gross Motor Coordination
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Sensory Processing
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Self-care i.e. feeding, toileting, dressing and sleep
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Social Skills
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Visual Processing
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Engagement
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School skills i.e. attention and following instructions
For all enquiries, please email us at play@playsenseot.com.au.
Telehealth and Home programs
Playsense OT offers comprehensive assessment and intervention online. We work with your family to determine the most suitable therapy approach and provide intervention via video conferencing or in the form of a comprehensive home program. All home programs are personalised to cater to your child and family's needs.
Our specialisation in behaviour management, regulation, relationships and self-esteem has been particularly successful over this online platform, as we are able to work with children and their families within their home environment and where they feel most safe and secure. We provide parents with practical strategies to implement at home and activities to foster connection and build relationships.
Our home programs are specifically designed to develop children's skills and promote their independence and engagement at school, in social interactions, leisure activities and self-care tasks . Therefore, we offer intervention in the areas of fine motor and handwriting, gross motor coordination, sensory processing, toileting, sleep, feeding, dressing, social skills, visual processing, engagement and all school skills.