Child Occupational Therapy (OT), also known as Paediatric Occupational Therapy, is a specialised area of healthcare that focuses on helping children develop and improve the skills necessary for daily living, learning, and play. We are university-trained professionals who aim to help children participate and engage in their everyday lives, including developmental, sensory, motor, cognitive, and emotional challenges that can affect their ability to participate fully in activities and achieve age-appropriate milestones.

We provide a diverse holistic approach that caters to children, adolescents and young adults’ individual needs to foster their independence and collaborate closely with you and the individual to establish goals to enhance their self-sufficiency and performance of day-to-day life. 

Your OT will support your child/young adult to develop skills such as self-care responsibilities such as dressing, feeding, toileting, sleeping, and grooming. Additionally, we support skills necessary for school, play and household responsibilities, including emotional regulation, concentration, handwriting, behaviour management strategies, communication and social skills, chores, etc. 

Occupational Therapy aims to cultivate your child’s distinct strengths and capabilities, fostering a more satisfying and self-reliant way of life.

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We see clients between the ages of 0 and 24 years. The locations where Explore and Soar provide services can vary. We primarily offer services within your home or at community locations within the Hunter Valley from Scone/ Muswellbrook through to Newcastle areas, including the Cessnock and Rutherford regions. We may offer school and daycare appointments. However, this will depend on the client’s needs and an OT’s clinical recommendations and may incur additional costs.

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We would love to add your child or yourself to our waitlist. You do not require a referral to see our Occupational Therapist. 

Contact our Client Support Team to discuss your child’s needs. You can call us on 0477 708 217, email us at admin@exploreandsoar.com.au or visit our contact page and fill in the waitlist form.

Once you are on our waitlist, Explore and Soar will keep your information on file, and you will be contacted when an appointment becomes available in your location. 

If you no longer require our service, we request that you email our Client Support Team to remove your child from our waiting list. 

Please understand that as we are a mobile service, we can not provide a timeframe of how long your child will be on our waiting list. This is dependent on when an appointment becomes available in your location.

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Background information is essential for therapists to comprehensively understand the child’s needs, medical history, and family dynamics. This information helps tailor Therapy to support the child’s development best and remains confidential.

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The need for an assessment depends on your child’s circumstances and the goals of therapy. Assessments gather information about a child’s strengths and areas where your child may need support. 

Explore and Soar believe an assessment is necessary to create an effective therapy plan. Therefore, we will require an assessment appointment if your child has not had an OT assessment in the past 12 months.

The assessment appointment is a 2-hour appointment in which our therapist will talk with you, observe your child and complete various standardised assessments. During the assessment, we ask that you are available to discuss your main concerns and review the questionnaire that you have provided before the session. Our therapist uses toys and games as resources to ensure the assessment is fun and engaging for your child.

We may request permission to contact your child’s teachers and other service providers to ensure our therapist sees the whole picture and works alongside other services in your child’s life.

After the assessment, Explore and Soar’s therapists will analyse the results and develop a personalised therapy plan tailored to your child’s needs. This plan will outline therapy session goals, interventions, and frequency. You will work closely with the Therapist to implement the plan and track progress over time. A comprehensive report will be provided within 5-6 weeks of the assessment, and an appointment will be scheduled to discuss the findings will be provided.

Occupational Therapists can not diagnose any condition or disability nor prescribe any medication; please refer to your General Practitioner (GP) for this support.

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The frequency of therapy appointments will depend on your child’s needs and goals, as determined in consultation with Explore and Soar’s therapists. Generally, most children will benefit from fortnightly appointments.

Some children only need a few Occupational therapy sessions; others benefit from more extended ongoing therapy. We will discuss your child’s needs with you regularly to ensure we continue working towards your child’s goals and develop the skills and knowledge needed long after they have completed therapy with us.

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As our therapists are mobile and do not have a clinical setting, they schedule their days to be in different locations each day; therefore, they are limited to days based on location. Your appointments will be booked based on the days the clinician works in your specified location.  Changes to appointments can occur, but accommodations can be limited due to the clinician’s availability. 

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– Regular appointments are ongoing Occupational Therapy sessions scheduled at regular intervals (e.g., fortnightly, monthly). These sessions focus on addressing specific therapeutic goals over an extended period. These appointments occur on a school term basis and following the NSW Department of Education term weeks. 

– Intensive therapy sessions involve more extended and concentrated treatment periods, generally five sessions during a week of school holidays. To book intensive appointments, discuss with your therapist or our Client Support Team. 

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Explore and Soar may offer school appointments; however, this depends on the client’s needs and is on a case-by-case basis to best meet your needs and the client’s goals. Please note some schools have strict rules and regulations on therapists entering the school for therapy sessions; therefore, we may only sometimes be able to accommodate specific days, times, etc.

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Yes, we offer group programs during the January and July school holidays. We run different programs for school readiness and social and resilience groups. See our website or like our Facebook page to keep up to date on when these sessions will be available and how to book.

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An Occupational Therapist is a trained healthcare professional with specialised knowledge and skills in assessing and treating individuals who face challenges in performing everyday activities due to physical, cognitive, emotional, or developmental issues. Your OT develops a personalised treatment plan to address specific goals, promote independence, and improve the individual’s overall quality of life. Therapy may include various interventions, exercises, and strategies tailored to the individual’s unique circumstances.

A Therapy Assistant, on the other hand, is a support professional who works under the supervision of an Occupational Therapist. They provide assistance and support to individuals undergoing Therapy. Therapy Assistance sessions involve helping individuals carry out exercises, activities, or interventions prescribed by the OT. These sessions are intended to facilitate the implementation of the Therapist’s treatment plan. Therapy Assistants play a supportive role in the therapy process, ensuring that individuals receive guidance and assistance as needed during therapy sessions.

The two roles work collaboratively to help individuals achieve their therapy goals and improve their well-being.

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The time for administrative work can vary, so it’s best to inquire directly with Explore and Soar about their specific timelines for report generation and communication. 

In general, an OT assessment report will be provided within 5 to 6 weeks following the assessment.

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Consent forms are required to ensure that Explore and Soar can communicate and collaborate with other healthcare professionals or services in your child’s care. This provides coordinated and holistic support.

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We would love to chat with you. We have a few ways you can contact us:

Phone: 0477 708 217

Email: admin@exploreandsoar.com.au

Website: www.exploreandsoar.com.au

Facebook: www.facebook.com/exploreandsoarhunter

We look forward to supporting you and your child through your OT journey.

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After your appointment, Explore and Soar will provide an invoice for service to be paid within seven (7) days per the terms of trade. The invoice will be emailed to your designated biller on a Monday and Thursday (may vary periodically in the event of public holidays, etc).

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If you need to cancel, contact your therapist and/or the Client Support Team as soon as possible. Cancellation fees may be applied to cover costs incurred when an appointment is cancelled without a minimum of 24 hours. These fees are outlined in the service agreement, and help compensate for the therapist’s time and resources.

Ongoing cancellation can result in losing your child’s ongoing appointment slot.

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A CDMP (Chronic Disease Management Plan, previously known as an EPC – Enhanced Primary Care) and MHCP (Mental Health Care Plan) are obtained through your child’s general practitioner (GP) when they have determined your child meets the criteria. 

CDMP can provide funding rebates for up to 5 sessions in a calendar year.

You will be invoiced from Explore and Soar after your appointment, which you must pay in full via bank transfer to Explore and Soar. Once Explore and Soar have received payment, you can obtain a Medicare rebate by submitting your paid invoice to Medicare directly. Medicare does not cover the entire appointment cost; therefore, there will be a gap.

At this stage, we can only accept an MHCP for a select few of our therapists; therefore, this option may not be available, so it is best you contact our Client Support team to discuss further.

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Medicare and private health insurance may cover some therapy services. The specific coverage and payment processes will depend on your insurance provider and the services received. Please ensure you inform us of both, and we can support you further in receiving reimbursements where applicable.

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