If you or anyone involved in your child’s care—such as teachers, speech pathologists, doctors, or paediatricians—has noticed that your child is having a hard time with certain daily activities or routines, Occupational Therapy (OT) can offer meaningful support.

"Daily activities" can include anything from tying shoelaces, making connections with peers and joining in with sports, to managing toileting, getting through mealtimes with ease, or navigating life at school. OT supports children in building the skills they need to participate in everyday life in a way that feels more manageable and enjoyable for them.

Your child might benefit from OT if they’re finding some of the following areas tricky:

• Movement: They might seem uncoordinated, trip often, or find it hard to join in with activities like throwing, catching, or team sports.

• Hand Skills: They may find it challenging to cut with scissors, draw shapes or figures, or use small items like beads, LEGO®, or marbles.

• Social Communication Differences: They may prefer different ways of connecting with others, find reading body language unclear, or feel unsure about the unspoken “rules” in social settings.

• Eating: They might have strong preferences around food and find new tastes, textures, or smells hard to tolerate.

• Writing: They may struggle to hold a pencil comfortably, form letters or numbers, or write full sentences.

• Emotional Regulation: They might have big emotional responses, find it hard to adapt to changes, or need support to feel calm and safe in certain environments.

• Self-Care: They might need support with dressing, organising their belongings, using cutlery, or managing other day-to-day tasks independently.