Occupational Therapy
An occupational therapist uses comprehensive neuro-affirming approaches to develop skills required to engage and be independent in everyday functions. These include:
- Our team is qualified and efficient to retrieve apt details reflected in our high quality reports. Our team is experienced to associate appropriate clinical justification to our recommendations so that you receive the support you need easily.
- We understand the eligibility of simple to most complex support you or your loved one needs, be it assistive technology (sensory regulation device, learning/ communication apps, adaptive devices -modified cutlery, shower and commode chairs, wheel chair, powered scooter) or home modification (grab rail installation at the most appropriate height, ramp installation, wheelchair friendly homes).
- Our team expertise in effective assessments and report writing for your loved one transitioning from early childhood (EACH) to NDIS supports, so that you or your loved one have required funds to access the services you/they need.
- Our strength lies in assessing participants with complex living needs and providing detail-oriented reports for Supported Independent Living (SIL), Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDO) or Individualized Living Option (ILO).
Sensory processing systems enable receiving, transmitting and interpreting different stimuli in the environment to produce an adaptive response. It means that everything an individual sees, hear, feel, smell, taste, movement in and around us is transmitted and filtered by the brain as safe or unsafe, mild or adverse, requires attention or can be inhibited and accordingly a response of accepting, over responding or rejecting a stimulus is generated.
Some individuals with neurodiversity process these stimuli differently, the sound of an aircon in the background can be too loud for some while some would love movement, spinning to make their sensory processing system work just right!
Some occupational therapists at Ability Now are certified in sensory integration therapy while some are specialized in developmental disabilities to be an expert in understanding these sensory systems, their development, integration and environmental modification so that an individual can function just right and participate in their everyday activity with minimal difficulties.
Sensory integration can help an individual with optimal arousal, behavioural, sleep, attention, planning, motor (physical), limited food-cloth-toy choices, social and communication difficulties.
Occupational therapist at ability now identify interest, most meaningful tasks, strengths of an individual and implement strategies to overcome barriers to enable an individual perform their everyday skills as appropriate to the age equivalence including:
- Selfcare (feeding, drinking, brushing, grooming, dressing, toileting, shower and more)
- Household chores (organize routine, cleaning-washing, meal preparation, laundry, access community, finance management and more)
- Work (ergonomic assessment and modification, physical and mental capacity to engage in productive work, environmental modification, work simplification)
- Leisure (develop skills to engage in recreational activities of interest)
- Play (most important occupation of kids! Object level, physical and cognitive plays, imaginative, constructive, cooperative play).
Occupational therapist at ability now adopt creative fun ways and apply a combination of evidence based traditional and contemporary OT approaches to improve handwriting and other academic skills including but not limited to:
- Letter decoding, sound-symbol association
- Fine motor, gross motor training
- Visual-motor integration to develop pencil control
- Developing muscle memory for letter formation
- Igniting comprehension and composition associated with handwriting.
Occupational therapist at ability now expertise in developing various manipulation, fine/gross motor strengthening, developing control and precision to successfully complete the following tasks:
- Use different cutlery and tools to feed and drink
- Use fastners such as buttons, laces on shoes, velcros and zippers
- Operate different open-close, turn-screw mechanism as required to close water bottle, brush teeth, use lock and key, pick-drop specific coin from-into purse.
Developing understanding of social rules, body language, turn taking and waiting in a subtle, play-based way is enjoyed by the majority of our clients!
Children and adults who have worked with our therapist boost confidence and self-esteem as we work together to build ability for perspective taking, problem solving, paying attention, gently communicating the need for a break or request to simplify task/ conversation, asking for more information to improve understanding, strengthening concentration and memory abilities to list a few.
Our team adopts experience based, play based medium to understand simple to complex emotions of self and others, expected behaviours associated with different emotions, strategies to cope with pleasant and unpleasant emotions and expression of emotions in safe and acceptable way.
Our team collaborates with family, educators and other professionals to understand the complexity, multiple factors contributing to an undesired behaviour and strategies to manage the cause, intensity, frequency, right response for a behaviour. Our team uses a reward system, lots of positive assurance, encouragement, specific praises highlighting the desirable/ acceptable behaviours.