kids health
Our team of paediatric physiotherapists and occupational therapists are the movement and development specialists
Our paediatric physiotherapists and occupational therapists are movement and development specialists for babies, children and adolescents, who treat conditions and disabilities affecting kids from birth to 18 years of age. They aim to create a treatment approach which is fun, challenging and motivating for your child and is individually tailored to fit your lifestyle and goals. Paediatric physiotherapists and occupational therapists use play, movement training, strengthening, stretching, motor learning and education techniques.
What makes us different
Helping children is quite different from helping adults. Our treatment rooms are colourful, full of toys, equipment and music. We find this ‘play based’ approach keeps your child happy, engaged and co-operative. There are options for home visit, school or even the park consultations.
Paediatric physiotherapist
A paediatric physiotherapist is a movement specialist for kids from birth to 18 years of age. They treat many conditions including developmental delay, musculoskeletal, post surgical and neurological, with an approach that is fun, challenging and motivating for your child and is individually tailored to fit with your family’s lifestyle and goals. Paediatric physiotherapists use treatment methods such as play, movement training, strengthening, stretching, motor learning and education.
Paediatric occupational therapist
A paediatric occupational therapist (OT) provides targeted therapy (skill development, problem solving) support to help children and young people participate in everyday activities. Paediatric OTs also work with family members, carers and education staff to encourage building of skills and participation.
1. You want to optimise your baby or child’s development:
- You have concerns about your child’s development, particularly their achievement of movement, play or social skills
- Your baby feels ‘floppy’ or ‘stiff’ to hold
- Your baby or child has delayed, or is not meeting, fine or gross motor milestones
- Your baby was born prematurely and you would like help to support their developmentYour baby was born prematurely and you would like help to support their development
- You are noticing something unusual in your child’s posture through their back, hips, knees or feet (such as toe walking, slouching, ‘w-sitting’)
- You have noticed your child has difficulties responding to information that comes in through the senses (such as clothing feeling too scratchy, lights too bright or food textures make them gag)
- Your child seems clumsy or to have frequent trips or falls, has poor posture or balance, or is having difficulty throwing, catching, skipping or using play equipment
2. You have concerns about your baby’s or child’s muscles, joints or bones:
- Your baby has a flat spot on the back of their head
- Your baby always lies with their head turned to one side
- You are concerned about the alignment, shape or position of your baby or child’s feet, knees or legs
- Your child complains of pain in their joints or muscles
- Your child needs rehabilitation following an injury, fracture, surgery or medical procedure (such as Botox injections)
- Your child has been diagnosed with a musculoskeletal condition such as scoliosis, Osgood Schlatters or Sever’s disease
3. Your baby or child has a diagnosed developmental, social, neurological or musculoskeletal issue which is causing social, emotional or movement difficulties.
1. Comprehensive assessment and analysis of your baby or child’s movement, play, sensory or social difficulties
2. Provide you with detailed information and education about how your baby or child can be helped
3. Prescription of aids and equipment, such as wheelchairs, home modifications and vehicle modifications
4. Deliver evidence based interventions and play based therapies to help your baby or child to achieve their full potential
- Individualised and family therapy – To enhance engagement and work towards your child’s goals
- Hands on therapy – To help improve your child’s ability to move
- Home exercise and activity programs – To help reinforce and consolidate what your child has learnt during their therapy session
- Coordination and strengthening programs – To help your child write, move or play to the best of their abilities
- Programs to promote independent living skills – To assist your child to learn skills that build autonomy, such as toileting, tying shoelaces, dressing, eating, bathing/showering and doing household chores
- Rehabilitation programs following injury, fracture or medical procedure – To help your child get back to their best as quickly as possible
- Community visits to the home, school or local park – To ensure our therapy sessions best meet your child and your family’s needs
- Play and social development programs – To encourage sensory play, pretend play, turn taking and cooperative play with other children
- Programs to assist in the development of self-regulation skills, understanding emotions and support to manage behaviour(s) that cause concern
FAQs
We are more than happy to help make the process of beginning physiotherapy or occupational therapy as smooth as possible for your child. Our environment is much more casual than a doctors office and we have a room purposefully set up to appeal to young eyes. We can structure our initial sessions in a way that your child has time to get to know us and our space in order to build trust with our team to make therapy a success.
Yes, we are able to attend schools providing the school has given permission for external therapists to enter. We can complete school assessments for safety within the school, planning for particular sports, excursions, camps as well as complete regular school based therapy as required.
Yes, our paediatric physiotherapy team are able to provide post Botox therapy for both upper and lower limb botox as well as serial casting post Botox to the calf.
The paediatric therapist will take a thorough history and discuss your child’s development – this might include information relating to your child’s birth, health, key developmental milestones (such as when they sat, crawled or walked), as well as their interests, goals and family life. The therapist will also want to discuss what concerns you have, so it might be a good idea to bring notes about these. Following this, the therapist will complete a detailed assessment of all relevant areas and formulate a treatment plan that is directly related to you, your child and your family’s goals.
If you are new to the NDIS, it can all be a bit overwhelming, so we’re here to help! You can learn more about the NDIS here, or contact us by emailing ndis@flexout.health and our team will be able to guide you on how your baby or child can access funding to achieve their full potential.
Yes, all of our clinics are registered to provide services under the NDIS. We can also readily assist with letters of support to help with new funding applications. If you are not currently covered by the NDIS, or you’re unsure if you’re eligible, click here to find out more.
No, if you have a letter or information relating to a diagnosis that can be useful for our therapists to have prior to your initial appointment, but it is not necessary to have a referral.
Although children grow and develop at their own pace, there are some key milestones that mark the average age most children learn specific tasks. The typical pattern for motor milestones for example, is rolling over, then sitting, pulling up, standing, walking, and climbing. Small, fine motor skills, such as grasping objects, putting blocks in a cup, and scribbling are important milestones, too. Physical developmental delay is a term used to describe when children are not meeting certain key physical milestones in the first months and years of life. If your child is not sitting by nine-months, not standing by 12-months, or not walking by 18-months, it is important to talk with your doctor or paediatric therapist to discuss their development in more detail.
Available at these clinics:
