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Therapy & support
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Therapy & support
Is 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 AnswerOnline vs In-Centre Therapy for Children
For many children, well-delivered online therapy can be as effective as in-centre therapy — particularly for speech, language and parent-coaching goals — when the format suits the child, the goal and the quality of delivery. Some goals, such as hands-on feeding or sensory-motor work, and the initial assessment are best done in-centre, and a blended approach often works best. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs paediatric physiotherapy suitable for babies?
Paediatric physiotherapy is safe and well suited to babies, including newborns. It looks like gentle, play-based positioning and movement support for things like head control, tummy time, muscle tone and torticollis, with parents coached for home. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs paediatric physiotherapy suitable for toddlers?
Yes — paediatric physiotherapy is well suited to toddlers, and these fast-developing early years are often the ideal time for it. It is entirely play-based, supporting movement milestones, strength, balance and coordination with no machines or drills. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs paediatric physiotherapy right for a child with cerebral palsy?
Paediatric physiotherapy is a core, evidence-backed therapy for children with cerebral palsy, targeting movement, tone, posture, balance and function, and protecting growing joints. It works best as part of a coordinated team alongside occupational, speech and medical care. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs paediatric physiotherapy right for a child with DCD?
Paediatric physiotherapy is often a well-suited support for Developmental Coordination Disorder, especially for gross-motor skills like balance, coordination and posture, and works best when paired with occupational therapy for fine-motor and daily-living tasks. The right mix depends on which skills a child finds hardest. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs paediatric physiotherapy the right therapy for a child with Down Syndrome?
Paediatric physiotherapy is one of the most valuable early therapies for a child with Down syndrome, because low muscle tone and flexible joints affect how they build the strength to sit, crawl and walk. It works best as part of a team alongside speech and occupational therapy and medical care. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs paediatric physiotherapy the right therapy for gross motor delay?
For most children with gross motor delay, paediatric physiotherapy is the right first support — it builds the big-muscle skills of head control, sitting, crawling, standing and walking through strength, balance and play. Because motor delay can have an underlying medical cause, a developmental check should confirm why your child is delayed first. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs paediatric physiotherapy the right therapy for a child with hypotonia?
Paediatric physiotherapy is usually the right core support for a child with hypotonia, building strength, postural control and movement skills while working alongside the paediatrician who investigates the underlying cause. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs paediatric physiotherapy right for persistent toe-walking?
For most children with persistent toe-walking, paediatric physiotherapy is the central support — keeping calf muscles and heel cords flexible, building heel-down walking through play, and identifying why the toe-walking persists. Occasionally bracing or a wider team review is needed. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs paediatric physiotherapy right for a premature child?
For children born preterm, paediatric physiotherapy is often a cornerstone support because prematurity most affects movement — muscle tone, posture, head control, sitting and walking. A physiotherapist guides motor milestones, catches tightness or asymmetry early, and coaches parents in daily handling, while working within a wider developmental check. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs paediatric physiotherapy usually one-on-one or in a group?
Paediatric physiotherapy is usually delivered one-on-one, particularly at the start, so the programme can be shaped precisely to your child's body and goals; small group sessions may be added later for motivation, turn-taking and peer-paced play. The right balance is a clinical decision made with your physiotherapist. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs parent-mediated therapy the right therapy for a child with ADHD?
For younger children with ADHD, parent-mediated (behavioural parent training) therapy is often the recommended first-line support, coaching parents in routines, positive attention and calm responses. As children grow, the best results usually combine it with school support and, when a clinician advises, other therapies or medication. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs parent-mediated therapy right for a child with Autism Spectrum?
Parent-mediated therapy is a strong, well-evidenced support for young children with Autism Spectrum, coaching parents to build communication and connection into everyday routines. It usually works best alongside direct therapies like speech and occupational therapy, with the right blend tailored to the child. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerIs parent-mediated therapy right for Global Developmental Delay?
Parent-mediated therapy is often a highly valuable part of supporting a child with Global Developmental Delay, but it works best alongside therapist-led sessions rather than replacing them. Because GDD affects several areas at once, the right balance of direct therapy and parent coaching is decided with a clinician. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
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