BABIES & TODDLERS
Early motor development
Your baby might benefit from physio if they:
Dislike tummy time
Favour turning head to one side
Have a flat spot / mis-shapen head
Bottom shuffles or not crawling
Delayed walking
Lower limb alignment concerns
Sometimes babies will take a little longer to reach their milestones or sometimes they will perform these movements in an awkward manner. This can be caused by a number of reasons. Once these are identified, we then teach handling and positioning techniques as well as play strategies to promote the use of the correct combination of muscles.
Encouraging optimal early motor development is very important as it forms the foundations for later development. Symmetrical crawling on hands and knees is important to assist in developing a child's pelvic, shoulder, trunk and wrist stability. Developing this stability is important for a child's postural control, as well as the development of fine and gross motor skills. The opposite arm and leg motion used in the crawling action helps a child to integrate the brain hemispheres, thereby promoting better coordination of the two sides of their body and other skills. This integration is important in the development of overall learning, especially reading skills.
PRESCHOOLERS
Helping them become school ready
We can assist preschool age children with their school readiness. These early years are important to develop the foundations required for starting school. Preschool age children are often referred for the following reasons:
difficulty sitting still on a chair and on the floor
reduced core strength
appearing clumsy or tripping over
undecided hand preference
difficulty establishing a functional pencil grip
avoidance of fine motor and drawing tasks
difficulty cutting with scissors
immature drawings
difficulties with planning and organisational skills
PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN
Setting them up for success
Children in primary school are often referred for the following reasons:
letter or number reversals
messy handwriting
difficulty keeping up with written work (reduced handwriting speed)
difficulty transitioning from printing to cursive writing (late primary school)
restrictive or awkward pencil grasp
difficulty using scissors, cutlery and/or tying shoelaces
difficulty sitting still in class (e.g. slumping on the table, fidgeting, frequently standing up)
difficulty with gross motor skills e.g. balance, ball skills, riding a two-wheel bike and swimming
pigeon toeing, out-toeing or flat feet.
Handwriting Sample
An amazing improvement after 5 months working with our physios and occupational therapists.
ADOLESCENTS
Helping your child excel academically
Handwriting difficulties can have significant impact on the academic performance of high school students, contributing to illegible handwriting and impaired handwriting speed. This is detrimental to the student in both classroom and exam situations.
Students with handwriting difficulties often have difficulty completing class and exam work in the set time frame. Students with illegible handwriting frequently miss out on valuable marks due to difficulty deciphering what the student has written.
Our therapists are experienced in assessing and treating high school students with handwriting difficulties, assisting them to improve their skills and written output.
We can also assist adolescents who may be experiencing joint pain (e.g. knees, hips, back) and those with postural or gait concerns.
FEET
Lower limb alignment assessment & orthotic prescription
Does your child have:
flat feet
pigeon toeing or out-toeing
knock knees or bow- legged
repetitive ankle sprains
awkward running style
poor balance
leg pains
avoid physical activity
Poor biomechanics may be the cause. Increased flexibility in ligaments allow arches to roll in or pronate. Such alignment issues can cause undue stress on ankles, knees and hips. It can affect balance and coordination as well as gait and running style. Further postural problems, leg pain and sometimes back pain and scoliosis can develop. Our physios can assess these problems and help to address all of these concerns.
Conditions such as Sever's and Osgood Schlatters Disease are common growth related disorders which may be compounded by poor foot alignment.
NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME
We are proud to be a fully NDIS registered practice and can treat children of all ages. We accept:
Self managed clients
Agency managed clients
Plan managed clients
We provide assessment and treatment for children with various disabilities and learning problems including; Autism, ADHD, Cerebral Palsy, Developmental Delays, Fragile X Syndrome and Down Syndrome.
We love working with long term NDIS clients helping them reach their potential and improve their fine and gross motor skills. We have the capacity to offer regular therapy to these clients.
If you are looking into applying for the NDIS, we can assist you with writing up therapy reports that are needed when creating a NDIS plan.
SCHOOL VISITS
Therapy sessions at your child's school
The purpose of a school visit is to assess how your child is functioning within the school and classroom environment. The therapist would assess the following:
Seating position
Handwriting
Distractions in the room
Visual disturbances
Playground safety
Postural assessment
Through a school visit, the therapist can optimise your child's learning environment and offer recommendations to the school to optimise this.
A number of our therapists perform school visits regularly to provide a child's therapy in the school environment. Please reach out to us if this is something you are interested in as places are limited.
TRAINING & IN-SERVICES
Knowledge is power
We are committed to enhancing the knowledge of health professionals, teachers and educators. We offer in-services on:
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school readiness
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when to refer to physio/ occupational therapy
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how to improve a classroom environment to be more conducive to learning
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impact of posture and core strength on fine motor skills
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baby motor milestones and encouraging purposeful play at home
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and much more!
ONLINE
SERVICES
At Therapy and Learning Centre, we offer alternative online services.
Our online services consist of:
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Telehealth physiotherapy sessions
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Telehealth occupational therapy sessions
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Parent consultations
Online services are a great option for:
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When you or your child is unwell
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When you or your child are unable to attend in clinic
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Continuity of supports e.g. if you have moved locations
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Flexibility
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Allowing your therapist to observe your child in their natural environment
Flexible Access to Therapy
WELCOME
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BOT 2 Assessment
Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2)
Our therapists are skilled in administering the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2) to assist with the diagnosis of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). The BOT 2 is an assessment tool that measures fine and gross motor proficiency.
If this is something you would like to explore with your child, please contact us at bellavista@therapyandlearningcentre.com.
It is highly recommended to complete our traditional occupational therapy and physiotherapy screeners before completing the BOT 2 assessment.