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Paediatric Occupational Therapy Melbourne
In-Person in Carnegie | Telehealth Across Melbourne and Australia
PotentialMe offers paediatric occupational therapy for children from birth to adolescence, with in-person sessions available in Carnegie and surrounding suburbs, and telehealth available across Greater Melbourne and beyond. Our paediatric occupational therapists work alongside both the child and their family to build the skills, confidence, and independence that children need to thrive at home, at school, and in the community.
We support children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Intellectual Disability (ID), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), developmental delays, sensory processing difficulties, and a range of other challenges that affect a child's participation in daily activities. Whether a family is seeking early intervention support or ongoing therapy for an older child or teenager, we are here to help.
Play-Based, Child-Centred, and Family-Focused
How Our Paediatric OT Sessions Work
Paediatric occupational therapy supports children to develop the foundational skills they need for the daily activities that matter most in their lives: playing, learning, socialising, and looking after themselves. Nearly 1 in 4 Australian children were found to be developmentally vulnerable in 2024, highlighting just how many families are navigating these challenges. Early, targeted support can make a meaningful difference to a child's trajectory.
Our paediatric occupational therapists use play-based activities to engage children in therapy sessions in a way that feels natural, enjoyable, and age-appropriate. Sessions are built around the child's individual needs and goals, reflecting our holistic approach to paediatric care. Therapy goals are designed collaboratively with families, and parents and carers are actively involved throughout the process so that progress made in therapy sessions carries through into everyday routines at home and school.
PotentialMe's paediatric OT is available in person in Carnegie and the surrounding suburbs, and via telehealth for families across Greater Melbourne, regional Victoria, and Australia.
Our paediatric OT services include:
- Fine Motor Skills, Coordination, and Handwriting
Improving grip strength, pencil control, scissors use, and the fine movements needed for school and self-care.
- Sensory Processing and Sensory Integration Therapy
Supporting children who are over- or under-sensitive to sensory input to manage their environment and respond with greater ease.
- Emotional Regulation and Behaviour Support
Helping children understand and manage their emotions, reduce meltdowns, and build coping strategies for everyday situations.
- Self-Care Skills and Daily Living Independence
Building capacity for dressing, feeding, grooming, toileting, and other self-care tasks appropriate to the child's age.
- Social Skills, Play, and Communication
Supporting children to engage in play, build social interaction skills, connect with peers, and develop the communication skills needed for positive relationships.
- School Readiness and Learning Support
Preparing children for the academic, social, and sensory demands of school, supporting academic performance and overall well being through targeted skill-building.
- Early Intervention for Children Under Six
Targeted support during the most critical window for development, when therapeutic input has the greatest long-term impact.
- In-Person Sessions in Carnegie and Surrounding Suburbs
Home visits and in-person sessions available in Carnegie (3163) and nearby areas including Caulfield, Glen Huntly, Bentleigh, Ormond, and Murrumbeena.
- Telehealth Paediatric OT Across Melbourne and Beyond
Secure video sessions available for families across Greater Melbourne, regional Victoria, and throughout Australia.
Building Skills for Every Area of Life
How Paediatric OT Supports Your Child
Our paediatric occupational therapists work across all the key developmental areas that shape how children learn, grow, and participate in daily life. Below are the core areas we address.
Fine Motor Skills and Handwriting
We build the hand strength, coordination, and pencil control children need for writing, drawing, cutting, and other precise tasks at school and home.
Sensory Processing and Integration
We use sensory integration therapy to help children who struggle with sensory processing, whether they are overwhelmed by input or seeking more of it, to regulate and engage with their environment.
Emotional Regulation
Emotional regulation and self regulation are key areas of focus in our paediatric work. We help children name, understand, and manage their emotions so they can navigate challenges without becoming overwhelmed.
Self-Care and Independence
We build capacity for everyday self-care tasks including dressing, feeding, grooming, and personal hygiene, supporting children to grow in confidence and independence across their daily activities.
Gross Motor Skills and Coordination
We address balance, body awareness, spatial coordination, and the child's physical development, building the gross motor skills that underpin play, sport, and confident movement in the world.
Social Skills and Play
We support children to engage in play, take turns, read social cues, build friendships, and develop the communication skills that make peer relationships possible.
School Readiness and Learning
We prepare children for the cognitive, sensory, and social demands of the classroom, addressing the areas that most commonly affect a child's ability to participate fully in school life.
Behaviour and Attention
We work with children who face challenges with attention, impulse control, learning difficulties, or behaviour that affects relationships and day-to-day functioning.
Early Intervention
For children under six, early intervention is the highest-impact window for therapeutic support. Our paediatric occupational therapists provide focused early intervention therapy to help children develop new skills and address developmental concerns before they become entrenched.
Our dedicated occupational therapists work with you to achieve your goals. We can develop a customised intervention plan with strategies tailored to your needs.
Child-Led, Family-Centred, and Goal-Focused
How Our Paediatric OT Sessions Work
Every child we work with is different, and our therapy sessions reflect that. Paediatric OT at PotentialMe is play-based and child-led. We meet children where they are, using activities that feel engaging and natural rather than clinical or pressured. Sessions are designed to build skills in a way that makes sense for each child's age, stage, and personality.
Our paediatric OT process typically includes:
- An initial assessment to understand your child's developmental profile, strengths, challenges, and your family's priorities and goals
- A therapy plan developed collaboratively with you, built around your child's unique needs and aligned with any NDIS goals where applicable. Your occupational therapist will work closely with you to set meaningful, achievable goals
- Regular sessions using play-based activities, sensory experiences, and skill-building tasks suited to your child's current level
- Parent and carer involvement throughout: you are briefed after each session and given practical strategies to implement at home between appointments
- Home programs and parent education so that therapeutic strategies become part of your child's daily routines, not just something that happens in a session
- Collaboration with teachers, school staff, support workers, and other health professionals involved in your child's care. Our occupational therapists work closely with other professionals to keep everyone working toward the same goals
In-person sessions are available in Carnegie and surrounding suburbs. Telehealth sessions are available for families across Greater Melbourne, regional Victoria, and throughout Australia.
Who Can Benefit From Paediatric Occupational Therapy?
Paediatric OT at PotentialMe is appropriate for children and young people who are experiencing challenges with:
Fine or gross motor skills, including handwriting difficulties, poor coordination, or delayed physical development
Sensory processing, being oversensitive or undersensitive to touch, sound, movement, or other sensory input
Emotional regulation, including frequent meltdowns, difficulty managing frustration, or intense emotional responses
Self-care tasks such as dressing, feeding, or personal hygiene that are significantly behind age expectations
Social skills and play, including difficulty engaging with peers, sharing, turn-taking, or reading social situations
Attention, concentration, or behaviour that affects learning and daily participation
School readiness or difficulties keeping up with the demands of the classroom environment
Developmental delays or concerns raised by a paediatrician, GP, or early childhood educator
We support autistic children and children with Intellectual Disability (ID), ADHD, developmental delays, anxiety, sensory processing disorder, and other conditions that affect daily functioning. We also welcome families who have noticed their child is facing specific challenges but do not yet have a formal diagnosis.
Explore Our OT Services
Does your child need an NDIS functional capacity assessment? Our occupational therapists complete thorough FCA reports to support planning, funding, and review processes for paediatric NDIS participants.
Prefer online sessions? We offer secure telehealth paediatric OT for families across Greater Melbourne, regional Victoria, and Australia-wide. No travel required.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is paediatric occupational therapy?
Paediatric occupational therapy supports children from birth through to adolescence to develop the skills they need for everyday activities: playing, learning, self-care, socialising, and participating in school and community life. A paediatric OT works with children and their families to identify developmental challenges and build targeted skills through evidence-based, play-based therapy.
At PotentialMe, our paediatric occupational therapists take a child-centred, family-focused approach. Rather than treating challenges in isolation, we work to understand each child as a whole, their strengths, their sensory profile, their environment, and their goals, and build a therapy plan from there.
What ages do you support?
PotentialMe supports children from birth through to adolescence. This includes infants with early developmental concerns, toddlers and pre-schoolers accessing early intervention, primary school-aged children working on learning and social participation, and teenagers building independence and self-management skills.
For children under six, early intervention is particularly significant. This is the window when the brain is most responsive to therapeutic input, and when targeted support can have the greatest long-term impact on development.
What does a paediatric OT session look like?
Sessions are play-based and child-led, designed to feel engaging and natural rather than clinical. Your child will not sit at a table doing worksheets. Our occupational therapists use purposeful play, sensory activities, games, and movement to build the skills your child is working toward. The specific activities vary depending on your child's age, goals, and what they find motivating.
Parents and carers are briefed after each session and given practical strategies to practise at home. This is a key part of how paediatric OT works. Skills built in sessions are most effective when they are reinforced consistently in everyday routines.
Why is play-based therapy used in paediatric OT?
Play is the primary way children learn. When therapy is built around activities a child finds enjoyable and meaningful, they engage more fully, retain skills more readily, and build confidence in the process. Play-based therapy allows an occupational therapist to target fine motor skills, sensory processing, coordination, social skills, and emotional regulation through activities that feel rewarding rather than difficult.
It also reduces the anxiety that can come with formal, structured tasks, particularly for children with ASD, sensory sensitivities, or emotional regulation challenges. A child who is engaged and at ease will make faster progress than one who feels anxious or pressured.
What is early intervention and why does it matter?
Early intervention refers to therapeutic support provided during the earliest years of a child's life, typically before age six, when the brain is developing most rapidly and is most responsive to targeted input. Research consistently shows that early intervention improves outcomes across motor skills, cognition, emotional regulation, social skills, and long-term independence.
Children under six with developmental concerns can access early supports through the NDIS without requiring a formal diagnosis. From October 2026, the Australian Government's Thriving Kids program will begin rolling out to support children aged 8 and under with low to moderate developmental delay or autism. From January 2028, these children may access support through Thriving Kids rather than through an individualised NDIS plan.
Children with higher support needs will continue to be supported through the NDIS. If you have noticed that your child is not meeting developmental milestones, or a GP, paediatrician, or early childhood educator has raised concerns, reaching out early gives your child the best possible start.
Do children need a referral or diagnosis to access paediatric OT?
No. You do not need a referral to access paediatric OT at PotentialMe for private clients. If your child has an NDIS plan, you can access our services directly through that funding. If you are self-funding, you can contact us directly and book without a GP or specialist referral.
A formal diagnosis is also not required to begin therapy. Many families come to us with concerns about their child's development before a formal diagnosis has been made, and we are experienced in working with children in this situation. If a diagnosis is being pursued, OT support can begin alongside that process.
How are families involved in paediatric OT?
Family involvement is central to how paediatric occupational therapy works at PotentialMe. Occupational therapists collaborate with parents and carers to develop each child's therapy plan, and parents are involved in sessions where this is appropriate and helpful. After each session, your therapist will brief you on what was covered and provide practical strategies and home programs to carry progress into daily routines.
This approach means the skills built in therapy are reinforced consistently across your child's day, not just during the session itself. Research shows that family involvement significantly enhances children's therapy outcomes and builds the child's confidence across all areas of development.
Can paediatric OT be funded through the NDIS?
Yes. NDIS funding is available for paediatric occupational therapy. It is typically funded under the Capacity Building budget, within the Improved Daily Living category. The NDIS Early Childhood Approach supports children under 9 with developmental delay or disability. Children under six can access this pathway without a formal diagnosis, while children aged six to eight generally require a confirmed diagnosis or evidence of significant developmental delay.
If your child has an existing NDIS plan, our therapists can work within that plan to set and pursue OT goals. If you are in the process of applying for the NDIS, our occupational therapists can also complete functional capacity assessments to support your child's access request.
From October 2026, the Australian Government's Thriving Kids program will begin rolling out for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay or autism who have low to moderate support needs. These children may access early intervention support through Thriving Kids rather than through an individualised NDIS plan. Children with higher or more complex support needs will continue to access the NDIS under existing arrangements. Contact PotentialMe if you are unsure which pathway applies to your child.
Do you offer telehealth paediatric OT?
Yes. PotentialMe offers telehealth paediatric occupational therapy for families who prefer online sessions or cannot easily access in-person appointments. Telehealth sessions are conducted via a secure video platform and can be just as effective as in-person sessions for many therapy goals, particularly for parent coaching, strategy sessions, and working with older children who are comfortable with technology.
For younger children or those with more complex sensory or motor needs, we may recommend a hybrid approach, combining telehealth sessions with in-person visits. All you need is a device with a camera and microphone and a reliable internet connection. Our telehealth service is available to families across Greater Melbourne, regional Victoria, and throughout Australia.
What conditions do you support?
Our paediatric occupational therapy team supports children with a wide range of conditions and developmental challenges, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Intellectual Disability (ID), ADHD and attention difficulties, developmental coordination disorder (DCD), sensory processing disorder, anxiety and emotional regulation difficulties, global developmental delay, and cerebral palsy.
We also work with children who do not have a formal diagnosis but are experiencing challenges with fine or gross motor skills, self-care, social participation, school readiness, or behaviour. If you are unsure whether paediatric OT is the right fit for your child, contact us and we will help you work that out.
How is paediatric OT different from adult OT?
Paediatric occupational therapy focuses on the developmental milestones, activities, and life skills that are specific to children and young people: play, school participation, peer relationships, self-care routines, and family life. The approach is play-based and highly family-centred, with parents and carers playing an active role in sessions and in carrying strategies into daily life.
Adult OT, by contrast, tends to focus on independence in work, community participation, aged care, mental health, and managing complex daily living tasks. At PotentialMe, our therapists have expertise across both paediatric and adult OT, and our services are available to NDIS participants of all ages.
Why choose PotentialMe for paediatric occupational therapy?
Our paediatric occupational therapists bring significant clinical experience across a wide range of childhood conditions and developmental profiles. We understand that every family's lived experience is different, and we take the time to understand your child before developing a therapy plan. Our occupational therapy services are designed to empower children to build independence, capability, and the skills they need to participate fully in everyday life.
Will my child's occupational therapist work with their school or other providers?
Yes. Your child's occupational therapist will communicate regularly with other health professionals involved in your child's care, including paediatricians, speech pathologists, psychologists, and school staff. This collaborative approach helps to create consistency across all the settings your child spends time in and allows each professional to build on the progress being made in occupational therapy.
