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Adaptive
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Therapy & support
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Therapy & support
Is occupational therapy the right therapy for a child with ADHD?
Occupational therapy is often a valuable part of supporting a child with ADHD — helping with focus, self-regulation, sensory processing, motor skills and daily routines — but it usually works best alongside paediatric care, behavioural strategies and parent coaching rather than on its own. The right mix depends on your individual child. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs occupational therapy the right therapy for a child with Autism Spectrum?
Occupational therapy is often a valuable and appropriate therapy for autistic children, supporting sensory regulation, fine-motor and self-care skills, play, attention and emotional regulation — but it usually works best as part of a wider team shaped around the child's individual profile. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs occupational therapy the right therapy for a child with Cerebral Palsy?
Occupational therapy is usually one of the right therapies for a child with Cerebral Palsy, helping with hand skills, daily living, seating and participation, and works best alongside physiotherapy, speech therapy and medical care. The right blend depends on each child. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs occupational therapy the right therapy for a child with DCD?
Occupational therapy is a recognised first-line support for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), helping them build everyday motor skills like handwriting, dressing and play through goal-driven, task-focused strategies, often alongside physiotherapy. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs occupational therapy the right therapy for a child with dysgraphia?
Occupational therapy is often the right core support for a child with dysgraphia, because handwriting depends on fine-motor control, hand strength, pencil grip, motor planning, posture and visual-motor coordination — all areas an OT builds. Where the difficulty is mainly about organising and expressing ideas in writing, a speech and language therapist or special educator may work alongside. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs Occupational Therapy Right for Feeding & Eating Difficulties?
Occupational therapy is often a right therapy for feeding and eating difficulties, especially when the trouble is sensory or linked to self-feeding and posture — usually working alongside a speech-language therapist, paediatrician and dietitian. The best starting point is an assessment of why your child struggles. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs Occupational Therapy Right for Fine Motor Delay?
For most children with fine motor delay, occupational therapy is the most fitting support — it specifically targets hand and finger skills like grasp, drawing and self-care, finds why the skill is slow, and builds it through play. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs occupational therapy the right therapy for a child with hypotonia?
Occupational therapy is often a central, effective therapy for children with hypotonia, building postural strength, fine motor and self-care skills through playful, graded activities. It usually works alongside physiotherapy and paediatric review rather than alone, since hypotonia is a sign with many causes. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs occupational therapy the right therapy for motor planning difficulties?
Occupational therapy is usually the most fitting therapy for a child with motor planning difficulties, directly targeting praxis — thinking of, organising and carrying out new movements — through playful, graded activities. Depending on the cause, OT may work alongside speech therapy or physiotherapy. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs occupational therapy right for Sensory Processing Differences?
For most children with Sensory Processing Differences, occupational therapy is the leading, best-fit support — therapists use playful, graded sensory activities and daily-life strategies to help a child's nervous system regulate and join everyday activities. The right therapy still depends on your child's individual profile, so a clinical assessment comes first. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs occupational therapy usually one-on-one or in a group?
Children's occupational therapy is most often one-on-one, especially at the start, so activities can be tailored to your child's needs and pace. Small-group sessions are sometimes added later to practise sharing, turn-taking and social play. The right mix is a clinical decision shaped around your child. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs Picky Eating a Normal Part of Child Development?
For most children aged roughly one to five, picky eating is a normal, common developmental phase driven by slower growth, a bid for independence and natural wariness of new foods, and it usually eases with patience and low-pressure mealtimes. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs Stool Withholding a Normal Part of Child Development?
Stool withholding is a very common, usually normal phase in toddlers and preschoolers, often starting after one painful poo and reinforced as the child holds on to avoid discomfort. It is highly treatable with gentle support. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs there a special diet that helps a child with ADHD?
There is no special diet that treats or cures ADHD, but balanced family nutrition — regular meals, enough protein, iron and omega-3 rich foods, and limiting sugary, ultra-processed snacks — supports focus, sleep and mood. Restrictive or elimination diets should only be tried under medical supervision, and good nutrition is one supportive piece alongside behavioural support, not a replacement. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs there a special diet that helps a child with Autism Spectrum?
There is no special diet that treats or cures autism, and restrictive diets such as gluten-free/casein-free are not supported by evidence and can risk nutrition gaps. Balanced nutrition matters, and diagnosed allergies, reflux or constipation should be treated medically. Narrow eating is usually a sensory/feeding issue best helped by gentle feeding therapy. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs There a Special Diet for Childhood Epilepsy?
For some children with epilepsy, a medically supervised ketogenic diet or its variants can reduce seizures, especially when medicines have not fully worked. It is a prescribed treatment started and monitored by a paediatric neurologist and dietitian, not a home diet. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs there a special diet for Feeding & Eating Difficulties?
There is no single special diet that fixes feeding and eating difficulties for most children; calm, pressure-free mealtimes and skill-building feeding therapy matter far more. Targeted diets are used only when a paediatrician or dietitian identifies a medical reason such as allergy or reflux. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs there a special diet for Sensory-Based Feeding Selectivity?
There is no single special diet that resolves Sensory-Based Feeding Selectivity, and restrictive elimination diets are not recommended. What helps is gentle, low-pressure feeding therapy that respects your child's sensory responses to texture, smell and taste, builds from trusted foods, and works alongside paediatric and dietitian care to protect nutrition. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs there medication for a child with ADHD?
Yes, medicines can help children with ADHD, but they are one tool among several and are prescribed only by a paediatrician or child psychiatrist after proper assessment. For younger children, behavioural and skills-based therapy comes first; for school-age children medication often works best alongside therapy and school support. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerMedication for Childhood Anxiety
Yes, medication exists for childhood anxiety, but it is rarely the first step. Talking therapy, especially cognitive behavioural therapy, is recommended first, and medication such as SSRIs is only considered by a doctor for moderate-to-severe, persistent anxiety, usually alongside therapy. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerMedication for Childhood Epilepsy
Yes — childhood epilepsy is treated mainly with anti-seizure medicines prescribed by a paediatric neurologist, and most children gain good seizure control. Epilepsy is a medical condition needing a doctor's care first; developmental therapy supports any learning, speech or motor needs alongside medication. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs there medication for a child with sleep difficulties?
There is no everyday sleep medicine for children — sleep difficulties are best supported first through consistent routines, a calming wind-down and addressing the underlying cause. Any medicine, including melatonin, is used only in specific situations, short-term, and only when prescribed and supervised by a paediatrician. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs there medication for a child with Conduct-Dissocial Disorder?
There is no medication that treats Conduct-Dissocial Disorder itself; the foundation is evidence-based parent and behavioural therapy. Medication is used only, and carefully, to manage co-occurring conditions like ADHD or severe irritability, decided by a paediatrician or child psychiatrist alongside therapy. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs there medication for a child with Oppositional Defiant Disorder?
There is no medication that treats Oppositional Defiant Disorder itself — the evidence-based first-line support is behavioural: parent-management training and child therapy. Medication is considered only for a co-occurring condition such as ADHD, anxiety or low mood, prescribed by a paediatrician or child psychiatrist alongside therapy. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
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