During these difficult and disruptive times, Ability Action Australia remains open and committed to providing ongoing home visits for children following strict COVID safe protocols.
Our dedicated and experienced occupational therapists work with children in the comfort and familiarity of their home environment, while complying with health and safety guidelines to keep families safe.
Occupational therapy in the home is a crucial support for families during COVID-19, especially when many other in-home supports that parents rely on have become unavailable, placing stress on families of children with disability.
Our work makes everyday life easier for children with disability living with conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, developmental delays, neurological disorders, genetic disorders and mental health conditions.
Reaching Finn’s goals
In this video from our New South Wales team, you can watch a great example of home-based occupational therapy in action, and see how a child responds to therapy in this environment.
Finn’s occupational therapy is being performed in the familiar surroundings of his family home as a crucial step to reaching his goals of being able to write his own name and get his shoes on by himself.
Our senior Occupational Therapist, Rachel Ownsworth knows that Finn feels most relaxed and comfortable in his own home, and able to learn. She works with him using praise and encouragement to improve both his fine motor skills and gross motor skills.
After a few sessions Finn has now mastered the skill of tracing his name, and Rachel is slowly moving him on to being able to write his name on a piece of blank paper.
She’s using play-based therapy as a fun way to target the skills that Finn needs to develop to reach his goals. She uses pipe cleaners and beads to work on his fine motor skills, which are important for many of his daily tasks, such as putting on his shoes, doing up zips and buttons, and handwriting.
Finn enjoys Rachel’s verbal praise to celebrate his small successes and is motivated to keep on trying hard to improve his skills and reach his goals.
Rachel, meanwhile, can see that even the smallest progress for Finn is a great victory for his family, and she loves to celebrate these heart-warming moments.
Why home-based therapy works
At Ability Action Australia, we understand that many children respond well to therapy when feeling relaxed and calm, and in familiar surroundings.
Like Rachel, our therapists are able to get to know a child well in their family environment, leading to a strong bond with the child and great developmental outcomes.
We also know that it can sometimes be difficult to get out to one of our offices with so many time-poor families leading busy lives, so home-based sessions mean parents or caregivers don’t have to stop what they’re doing and can continue with their schedule, uninterrupted.
Our Occupational Therapists are local allied health professionals and can visit a home to learn about and assess a child’s unique challenges and needs, discuss therapy goals and activate an evidence-based therapy program.
Working closely with families and support workers, our therapists can help your child thrive.
If you would like further information or to speak to us, please contact our friendly concierge service on 1800 238 958 or complete the request contact form and we will contact you at a time that suits you best.
