Is occupational therapy the same as physiotherapy?

They overlap but have different emphases. Physiotherapy concentrates on movement, strength, posture and gait. Occupational therapy takes those physical foundations and applies them to function — the ability to dress, write, eat, play and manage sensory input. Many children benefit from both, and the two therapists coordinate goals.

My child is very young. Is it too early to start?

Early intervention is generally more effective, not less. The developing brain is at its most adaptable in the early years, and support at that stage is often about shaping how a skill emerges rather than correcting an established pattern later. If you have a concern, an assessment is worthwhile.

Why does therapy look like play?

Play is the medium, not the goal. A swing works on vestibular processing and postural control; an obstacle course works on motor planning and sequencing. Because a child is engaged and self-motivated, they attempt more, repeat more and tolerate more challenge than a drill-based session would allow.

What should my child wear?

Comfortable clothes that can move freely and that you don't mind getting messy. Sessions often involve climbing, swinging, and tactile materials.

How long before we see change?

It depends on the child, the goals and how consistently the home programme is followed. Some regulatory strategies help within weeks; motor skills and handwriting typically consolidate over months. Progress is tracked against your agreed goals so you can see movement rather than guess at it.

Building independence in everyday life

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy helps children take part in the activities that make up their day — dressing, eating, writing, playing and managing sensory input — by building the underlying motor, sensory and processing skills those activities depend on.

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Session: Typically 45 minutes
Setting: One-to-one
Starts with: Functional assessment

The centre's sensory gym, with suspended swings, therapy balls and a ball pit

What it is

Understanding occupational therapy

An occupational therapist is a healthcare professional who helps individuals achieve independence across all areas of their lives using therapeutic techniques and structured intervention. For children, those 'occupations' are the ordinary but essential jobs of childhood: self-care, play, learning and social participation.

Assessment looks at the whole picture — fine and gross motor control, muscle tone and postural stability, sensory processing, visual-motor integration, attention, and the ability to plan and sequence unfamiliar movements. From there the therapist works out which underlying skills are getting in the way of everyday function.

Sessions are play-based by design. A swing, a climbing frame, therapy putty or an obstacle course are not diversions from the work — they are the mechanism through which a child practises regulation, coordination and problem-solving without it feeling like a test.

Occupational Therapists

Assess and treat sensory processing, fine and gross motor skills, and independence in everyday activities such as dressing, feeding and handwriting.

Who it's for

Children who may benefit from occupational therapy

This is not an exhaustive list, and no single item on it means your child needs therapy. The assessment establishes what is actually going on.

01
Sensory processing differences
Children who are overwhelmed by sound, touch, movement or texture, or who actively seek out intense sensory input to feel settled.
02
Fine motor and handwriting difficulty
Trouble with pencil grip, letter formation, scissors, buttons and zips, or hand fatigue that makes school work slow and effortful.
03
Gross motor and coordination delays
Late or awkward sitting, crawling, walking, jumping or ball skills; frequent tripping; difficulty keeping up in physical play.
04
Daily living independence
Persistent difficulty with dressing, feeding, toileting or self-organisation beyond what is expected at the child's age.
05
Attention and self-regulation
Difficulty settling into an activity, staying with a task, or recovering from frustration and transitions.
06
Neurodevelopmental diagnoses
Children with autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome or developmental coordination difficulties who need functional skill support.

Signs to look for

What parents often notice first

Children develop at different rates, and a single item here is rarely meaningful on its own. It is a pattern across several — particularly one that persists — that is worth raising with a professional.

Check developmental milestones

Avoids or is distressed by messy play, certain clothing textures, grooming or food textures
Covers ears at ordinary household or classroom sounds
Constantly moving, crashing, spinning or seeking pressure and movement
Struggles to hold a pencil, form letters, or tires quickly when writing
Clumsy, bumps into things, or is noticeably behind peers in physical play
Needs far more help than same-age peers with dressing, eating or toileting
Finds transitions between activities disproportionately hard
Difficulty imitating actions or planning a new physical task

Benefits

What this therapy works towards

Goals are always individual to the child. These are the areas of change the discipline is designed to produce.

Everyday independence
Dressing, feeding, grooming and toileting become tasks a child can manage with less adult support.
School-ready hands
Improved grip, control and endurance so that writing and classroom tasks stop being a barrier to showing what the child knows.
Better-regulated days
Sensory strategies that help a child stay calm and available for learning instead of overwhelmed or under-responsive.
Confident movement
Stronger balance, coordination and body awareness, which opens up playground and peer play.
Longer attention
The postural and regulatory foundations that let a child stay with a task rather than leaving it.
Strategies parents can use
Practical home adaptations and activities so progress continues between sessions.

The process

How a programme runs, step by step

01
Functional assessment
Standardised and observational assessment of motor skills, sensory processing and daily function, alongside a detailed developmental and family history.
02
Goal setting with parents
Findings are explained in plain language and turned into specific, functional goals that matter to your family — not abstract scores.
03
Individualised therapy plan
A plan setting out session frequency, the activities to be used, sensory strategies, and any equipment or home adaptations.
04
Therapy sessions
Regular one-to-one sessions in a purpose-equipped therapy space, graded so that activities stay just beyond the child's current ability.
05
Home programme
A short, realistic set of activities and adaptations for home and school, so skills transfer beyond the therapy room.
06
Review and re-assessment
Progress is reviewed against the agreed goals and the plan is adjusted as skills consolidate.

What to expect

Inside a session

Session length: Typically 45 minutes
Frequency: Set after assessment, based on need
Setting: One-to-one in an equipped sensory and motor therapy space
Parent involvement: Parents are briefed after sessions and given home strategies

Questions

About occupational therapy

If your question isn't answered here, call the centre — it is usually the quickest way to get a straight answer.

Parent resources

Reading that may help

Framed autism, ADHD and neurodiversity information posters on a wall at the centre

Understanding diagnoses

Understanding Autism: A Parent's Starting Guide

What autism actually is, what the early signs look like, what happens after a diagnosis, and what genuinely helps — written for parents at the beginning of this.

9 min read