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Occupational Therapy
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Therapy & support
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Therapy & support
How to Support Sensory Development with Speech and Language Delay
Support sensory development through rich, predictable everyday play — movement, oral-sensory games, touch, textures and listening — paired with warm, responsive talking. A regulated child is more available for communication. Best done alongside a speech-language therapist, with assessment if sensory or speech concerns persist.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Support Sensory Development in Stereotyped Movement Disorder
Support sensory development in a child with Stereotyped Movement Disorder by understanding what the repetitive movements provide — calming or alerting input — and offering safe sensory alternatives within a predictable, soothing routine. The goal is to meet the underlying need and widen comfortable experiences, ideally with an occupational therapist's guidance.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Support Sensory Development with Tourette Syndrome
Support sensory development in a child with Tourette Syndrome by honouring sensory signals, building a daily 'sensory diet' of calming movement and input, and reducing overload rather than suppressing tics. The goal is a regulated, understood and confident child — with occupational-therapy support and tic care guided by your medical team.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Support Sensory Development in a Child with Visual Impairment
Support a child with visual impairment by enriching the other senses: narrate daily life, speak before you touch, use sound to invite reaching, offer varied textures, give plenty of safe movement, and keep a predictable home layout so your child builds a confident inner map. Eye care continues alongside play-based developmental support.
Read the answer AnswerHow common is cerebral palsy in children?
Cerebral palsy affects roughly 2 to 3 children in every 1,000 births, making it the most common physical disability of childhood; it is non-progressive and slightly more common in preterm or low-birth-weight infants. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow common are Sensory Processing Differences in children?
Sensory processing differences are common in childhood, with estimates ranging from roughly 1 in 20 to 1 in 6 children showing differences significant enough to affect daily life, and many more showing milder sensitivities. They are especially common alongside autism and ADHD but often occur on their own. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerChecking your child's adaptive development
Adaptive development is checked by noticing how independently your child manages everyday self-care — feeding, dressing, washing and toileting — and whether new skills appear steadily over time. There is no single home test; age-based milestone guides help, and a structured developmental check gives clarity if progress stalls. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I check if my child's motor development is on track?
You can check your child's motor development by watching gross motor skills (rolling, sitting, crawling, walking, running) and fine motor skills (grasping, pincer grip, scribbling, stacking) against age-friendly milestone ranges. Milestones are a guide, not a fixed timetable, and steady forward progress matters most. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I check if my child's sensory development is on track?
You can check your child's sensory development by observing how they respond to sound, touch, movement, light and taste in everyday life, and whether the overall pattern over time fits their age. Strong, consistent seeking or avoiding of sensations that disrupts daily life is worth a structured check. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I choose the right therapy for a child with Cerebral Palsy?
The right therapy for a child with Cerebral Palsy is chosen around their individual functioning profile and goals, not a label — usually combining physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapy matched to what matters most. Start with a structured clinical assessment, set meaningful goals, and review progress regularly. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I choose the right therapy for a child with Sensory Processing Differences?
Choosing therapy for a child with Sensory Processing Differences starts with a clinician-led assessment of the child's unique sensory profile, with occupational therapy usually the core support, matched to real-life goals and family routines and reviewed as the child grows. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I explain Cerebral Palsy to my child?
Explain Cerebral Palsy to your child in calm, age-appropriate, strengths-first words: the brain–muscle message pathway works a little differently, so some movements need more help — and it is nobody's fault and not catching. Lead with what they CAN do, welcome questions, and frame therapists and aids as helpful teammates. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I explain Sensory Processing Differences to my child?
Explain Sensory Processing Differences to your child in warm, simple, strengths-first language matched to their age: their brain notices some sensations more or less strongly, and that is just how their body works, with clever tools and caring grown-ups to help. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I find a good provider of feeding therapy for my child?
Choose a feeding therapist who is a qualified speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist with paediatric feeding training, works within a team alongside a paediatrician and dietitian, uses gentle low-pressure responsive methods, assesses carefully and coaches parents. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I find a good provider of occupational therapy for my child?
A good occupational therapy provider for your child has qualified, registered paediatric therapists, a proper initial assessment, child-led play-based sessions, clear goals with progress tracking, and genuine parent coaching. Look for transparency, experience with your child's age and needs, and a multidisciplinary team. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I find a good provider of paediatric physiotherapy?
A good paediatric physiotherapy provider employs therapists specifically trained in children, works within a wider developmental team, sets clear measurable goals, keeps therapy playful and child-led, and coaches parents for home practice. Ask about qualifications, relevant experience, how progress is tracked, and team coordination. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I find a good provider of sensory integration therapy?
A good sensory integration provider is a qualified paediatric occupational therapist with sensory integration training, who assesses first, sets clear goals with you, partners with parents, works in a safe registered setting, and tracks progress honestly. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I prepare my child to manage toileting at school?
Preparing a child to manage toileting at school is about rehearsing a reliable independent routine at home — recognising the urge, managing clothes, wiping, flushing and hand-washing — then transferring it with easy clothing, a spare kit, a taught way to ask the teacher for help, and a calm no-blame attitude to accidents. If toileting stays genuinely hard, a developmental check can build the specific skill. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I prepare my teenager with Cerebral Palsy for adulthood?
Prepare a teenager with Cerebral Palsy for adulthood by planning early across four areas: transitioning from paediatric to adult health and therapy services, building daily-living and self-care skills, exploring education or work pathways, and growing self-advocacy. Start around age 14, build on strengths, and aim for the greatest possible independence and choice.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I support the siblings of a child with Cerebral Palsy?
Siblings of a child with Cerebral Palsy are supported through honest age-appropriate explanations, protected one-to-one time, permission to feel every emotion, fair sharing of responsibilities, and peer support — never becoming junior carers. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I support the siblings of a child with Sensory Processing Differences?
Support siblings of a child with sensory processing differences by explaining things in age-friendly words, protecting regular one-to-one time, allowing all feelings without guilt, and never making them a 'mini-therapist'. Most siblings adjust well with warmth and honesty; seek extra support if a sibling seems persistently withdrawn or anxious. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I teach my child to dress themselves?
Children learn to dress through small steps, plenty of practice and patient encouragement. Start with undressing, use backward chaining so your child finishes the last step, choose loose simple clothes, and add tricky items like buttons and zips gradually. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I teach my child to eat independently?
Children learn to eat independently through hands-on practice with finger foods and a spoon, accepted mess, shared family mealtimes, and calm, low-pressure offers that let the child lead the pace. Most begin self-feeding around 8–10 months and grow into spoon and cup use across the toddler years. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I toilet train a child with developmental delays?
Toilet training a child with developmental delays works best by following developmental readiness rather than age, breaking the skill into small repeatable steps, and using a calm, consistent, reward-rich routine with visual supports and sensory adjustments. Most children get there with more time and practice. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
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