Therapy
at OTFC
Therapy
OT for children is on display via ‘clinic’ based therapy as our ‘core therapy’
Individual clinic-based therapy
OT for children through to young adulthood. Individual therapy sessions are conducted across all our OTFC Group sites within Adelaide, South Australia.
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OT for children - Will the assessing therapist be my child’s treating therapist?
The Assessment team consists of senior occupational therapists who perform all assessments, including ot for children. The assessing occupational therapist then allocates your child to the most appropriate treating occupational therapist in order to maximise the relationship between the therapist and child to achieve the most positive outcome. There are times when the assessing occupational therapist could be the treating occupational therapist, but this depends on location, availability and most importantly, “fit”.
How long will each occupational therapy session last?
Each OT for children session lasts approximately 50 minutes comprising of 1:1 time your child and providing feedback to your family. This hands-on therapy time does not take into consideration the time required for the occupational therapist to plan the session, write clinical notes following the session, administration time to comply with legislation for those accessing Government Funds (such as Medicare and NDIS) as well as any other correspondence to other health professionals or teachers.
How many sessions will my child have?
At the outset of your child’s ‘block’ of therapy, a set of goals will be set by your therapist in collaboration with you and from recommendations by the assessing occupational therapist. These goals will underpin the choices the therapist makes to focus on during each session.
OT for children can vary, but depending on your child’s needs, you will have between 5 and 20 sessions before a break from occupational therapist is suggested. A break is needed to gauge how your child performs without occupational therapy intervention and to monitor their progress. Decisions regarding further occupational therapy will be suggested by the therapist, otherwise an appointment for a review will be suggested in 6-12 months’ time.
What is the cost of each occupational therapy session?
OT for children - Do I attend the sessions with my child?
You are encouraged to attend with your child during their occupational therapy session, however depending on each unique circumstance there may be times where the treating therapist may request that you remain in the waiting room. OTFC Group has installed CCTV cameras in all of the Treatment and Assessment Rooms so you can watch everything your child is doing even when you are not in the room.
Do you liaise with my child’s teacher and other professionals about ways to support my child?
Your child’s teacher/carer will be invited to attend an information evening held at OTFC Group or sent a link to watch an Information Session. If they have further questions or would like to set up a phone consult to discuss your child this is also an option. If you or child’s therapist believes more correspondence is required, or a school visit would be of benefit, this too can be organised (school visits are an additional cost (please discuss this with your OT if this is required).
School based therapy
OTFC Group has developed ‘clinic’ based therapy as the ‘core therapy’ offered and has sustained this approach for nearly 30 years. In order to meet the demands of client services and to continue to evolve, school-based therapy has developed as one of our extended services.
To provide the level of therapy that has been integral in establishing OTFC services ‘school based’ therapy has been negotiated between the school and OTFC Group. Each school that offers services in conjunction with OTFC Group has developed a ‘sensory room’ that meets specific requirements in order to ensure that therapy at school is comparable to what is offered in the clinic.
If you would like OTFC Group to come into your school, please email admin@otfc.com.au to discuss this further.
Teletherapy
We’re reaching you far and wide with OTFC Group teletherapy services
Enjoy our honest and purposeful teletherapy
Our teletherapy online platform allows our families to access therapy across the nation, globally and also most importantly within their homes.
Telehealth sessions provides our clients the opportunities to work directly on transferring the skills we practice within the clinic into everyday life. Our occupational therapy Adelaide team provide clear direction and demonstrations of activities from within our therapy space that will allow your child to undertake these within your own lounge room or even outside. As long as you have access to a computer, tablet or phone as well as a free space that you can utilise this form of therapy may appeal to you.
Providing your family with telehealth allows our therapists to connect with your child weekly over the internet to carry out occupational therapy sessions appropriate to their needs.
We use the platform Zoom to carry out our teletherapy sessions, which is an easy-to-use program downloaded off App Stores or Google onto any electronic device with a camera and microphone.
You can purchase our OTFC Group ‘Therapy Box’ of items here and as long as you have a free space (approximately 3 metres by 3 metres) that you can allocate to your child’s therapy, then you are ready to go. Therapy boxes are available in our online store here.
Please visit our FAQ’s section here for more information on our teletherapy services. (Mark to hyperlink/anchor link to below)
Teletherapy
Frequently asked questions about teletherapy
OTFC Group’s teletherapy service is available to young people living regionally, who are needing access to occupational therapy services.
To access teletherapy within your home you will require the following:
- Internet access
- Access to the zoom app
- One of the following technology devices
- Computer
- Laptop
- iPad or tablet
iPhone or smart phone
You can access Zoom by downloading this from your phone’s app store and installing this onto your phone or tablet directly. Alternatively, you can also access Zoom here (Mark to hyperlink) or by Googling this via your internet browser and following the prompts given.
You will be sent a meeting invitation from your treating therapist via email. Within this invitation, it will have your scheduled meeting time as discussed with your occupational therapist or OTFC admin support person prior to your session booking.
You will then be required to click on the link within the invitation when it is time for your child’s session. From here your occupational therapist will appear and join you for your child’s session.
In order for your child to get the most out of their teletherapy session we recommend you have a minimum space of 3.0 x 3.0m for your child to move within. A cleared lounge room floor would be perfect for most activities that will be completed with your occupational therapist. In addition, your treating therapist may also ask for you to have access to a table for some activities.
We are aware that not all families will have access to ample equipment. Our therapists will ask you about equipment available and plan the session accordingly; most activities can be completed with small house hold items.
We do however strongly recommend having access to some particular pieces of equipment in order to get the most out of the online sessions. We have these items available in our OTFC “Therapy Boxes”. Items include: bean bags, balloons, chalk, masking tape, paper, shaving cream, gym ball, scooter board, skipping rope and bowling pins. These boxes also contain activity handouts with ideas to assist in the use of these items. Please contact admin should you wish to purchase a “Therapy Box”. They will also assist with navigating funding options for the purchase.
Depending on the option deemed most appropriate for Teletherapy, we aim to provide 1 hour of consult/treatment time. This is broken into caregiver consultation, treatment and client admin required for the session. The option chosen will dictate time spent on consultation and therapy.
As a guide, a standard Teletherapy session will involve approximately 5 minutes of discussion at the beginning with the guardian to discuss challenges that have arisen over the past week. We will then aim to deliver 35 minutes of therapy to your child. At the conclusion of the session there will be a further 5-minute discussion with the parent to discuss homework for the coming week and plan for the next session. The therapist will then complete admin relative to the client.
We will always work towards your child’s goals as effectively as possible. Even if engaging in Teletherapy, we will aim to deliver sensory integration-based therapy wherever possible. At the OTFC Group, we have collected data within the team which indicates Teletherapy is an excellent tool for caregivers to gain confidence in working with their child therapeutically outside of sessions. This opportunity for relationship building with your child will lend itself to increasing functional outcomes as you begin to see the potential for everyday situations to become sensory-based learning opportunities.
Provided your child is able to access the Zoom app from their device outside and there is sufficient space and equipment available, Teletherapy sessions can be completed anywhere. Please let your treating therapist know if you require them to liaise with other adult supports to facilitate Teletherapy for your child.
It is necessary that a trusted adult is available at all times to support the child where needed during Teletherapy sessions. We suggest that where possible all distractions be removed to allow for your child to receive the most from their online session.
Yes, teletherapy works the same as our OTFC face to face sessions. You will be provided with activities to do during the week to maximize progress and positive outcomes for your child.
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