Paediatric
occupational therapy

Privately paying and funded clients are welcome at BillyLids Therapy. Our occupational therapists all have Medicare provider numbers for parents accessing therapy via Enhanced Primary Care Plans (EPC) or Chronic Disease Management Plans. We also provide therapy for NDIS clients who are plan managed or self managed. See our Fees & Funding page for more information.

While it can differ from child to child, our process generally looks like this:

1. A discovery call. We’ll arrange a 15 minute complimentary discovery call to discuss your child’s needs, match them with the right therapist and book in your appointment times. Most children benefit from routine, and visit us at the same time each week or each fortnight.

2. Parent/carer initial appointment. The first formal appointment will be between you, the parent or carer, and your child’s therapist. This is an opportunity to discuss your child’s needs in detail, review their development, reflect on any previous therapy and to set goals together. You’re welcome to visit us at the clinic or we can meet over Zoom.

3. Your child’s initial appointment. Our first appointment is all about building rapport and making your child feel comfortable in the clinic. We’ll observe and make non-formal assessments to guide our next appointments. The main goal here is for them to have fun with us and look forward to their next appointment!

4. Formal assessment. During appointments 3 to 5, we typically make our formal assessments. While there’s structure to these appointments, we still focus on making them fun for your child.

5. Intervention. Generally from appointment 5, we start our interventions. Our therapies support your child’s goals, including physical skills, social skills and help your child to master everyday tasks. While it sometimes looks like it’s all play, there’s always a well-planned therapeutic goal at the heart of everything we do. Our paediatric occupational therapists are experienced working with kids, so they’re constantly finding new ways to play and learn.

Absolutely – many of our clients do! One of our goals was to create a multidisciplinary clinic exclusively for kids. As mums and healthcare professionals, we know the challenges that can come with accessing care for children. We wanted to make it easier. We can discuss your needs during our initial discovery call.

No – many of our clients don’t have a formal diagnosis. Some may be working towards receiving a diagnosis and require formal reports, while others just need some additional support for sensory, social or physical challenges.

A referral isn’t required to see an occupational therapist. However, if your child is eligible for a Medicare rebate, you will need to get a referral from your GP. A referral is not required to see an occupational therapist if you are privately paying or utilising NDIS funding. However, if your child is eligible for a Medicare rebate, you will need to get a referral from your GP.

Your child may be eligible for an Enhanced Primary Care plan [EPC] which gives them access to up to five subsidised visits to allied health practitioners, such as Speech Pathologists and Occupational Therapists, per calendar year. Please see your doctor or GP who will assess your child’s eligibility. For further information please see our blog post: Navigating Funding Options for Children’s Allied Health Services