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FAQ
Starting occupational therapy can feel like a big step.
Here are some of the questions parents, teachers and
caregivers ask us most often.
Questions?
We’ve got answers.
Occupational Therapy, explained.
Not sure what OT actually involves? You're not alone. Here are some of the basics.
What happens in OT?
Curious about what to expect? Here's what a typical assessment and therapy journey looks like.
Paediatric occupational therapy helps children develop the skills they need to participate in everyday activities — such as playing, getting dressed, using cutlery, drawing, writing, managing classroom tasks and interacting with others.We look at the skills underneath the difficulty and work with your child to make everyday activities feel more manageable, successful and enjoyable.
We look at the whole picture — your child’s development, movement, sensory processing, fine motor skills, attention, coordination, independence and participation.Depending on what your child needs, we may assess specific skills, provide individual therapy, support sensory processing, work on handwriting or fine motor skills, or give parents and teachers practical strategies to use at home and school.
We work with children from 18 months to 12 years.The type of support we provide will depend on your child’s age, developmental stage and individual needs.
You don’t need to know before you contact us.If you’ve noticed that something is making everyday activities, play or school more difficult for your child, we can talk through your concerns and help you work out whether an occupational therapy assessment or intervention would be appropriate.
We support children experiencing difficulties with areas such as:Fine motor skills and handwritingCoordination and movementSensory processing and regulationAttention and participationDevelopmental skillsIndependence with everyday activitiesSchool-related skillsEvery child is different, so we start by understanding what is getting in the way for your child.
Therapy should be purposeful and engaging.We use play, movement and activities that are meaningful to your child while working towards specific goals. Sometimes we may challenge your child with something that is difficult, but we aim to make therapy feel positive, achievable and relevant to their everyday life.
Every session is different because therapy is planned around your child's individual goals.A session may include movement activities, fine motor tasks, handwriting, sensory-motor activities, games or everyday functional activities.We aim for children to be actively involved in their therapy and to understand that they are there to learn and practise skills — while still having fun.
This depends on your child's needs, goals and response to intervention.After assessment, we'll discuss our recommendations with you. Therapy frequency may change over time as your child develops and their needs change.
There is no standard number of sessions.Some children need support for a relatively short period, while others benefit from longer-term intervention. We regularly consider progress and whether therapy is still needed.Our goal is always to help your child become as independent and confident as possible.
Yes, when appropriate.We believe therapy works best when the skills being developed are supported in everyday life. We may suggest simple activities, strategies or environmental changes that can be incorporated into your normal routine.
When appropriate and with your permission, we can work collaboratively with teachers and other adults involved in your child's day-to-day life.This may include sharing practical strategies or recommendations to help your child participate more successfully at school.
That's something we'll work through together.We take time to build a relationship with your child and understand what makes participation difficult. Therapy can then be adapted to your child's interests, strengths and needs while still working towards their goals.
Assessments and screenings
Find out more about our assessment process and how we identify your child's needs.
Sensory integration
Questions about sensory processing and SI? You're in the right place.
Not always.Depending on your concerns, we may recommend a full assessment, a developmental screening or an initial consultation to help us understand what your child needs.We’ll discuss the most appropriate starting point with you.
An assessment usually involves gathering information from you, observing your child and looking at the specific skills that may be affecting their participation.Depending on your child's needs and age, this may include looking at fine motor skills, visual-motor skills, handwriting, coordination, sensory processing, motor planning, attention and everyday functional skills.We then use this information to understand your child’s strengths and areas that may need support.
The length of an assessment depends on your child's age, the concerns being investigated and the type of assessment required.We'll let you know what to expect when your assessment is booked.
A developmental screening is a shorter look at a child's development to identify areas that may need further attention.It does not provide the same level of detail as a full assessment, but it can be a useful way of identifying whether further assessment or support may be helpful.
No.An assessment is about understanding your child's strengths and challenges and deciding what support, if any, would be appropriate.Sometimes the outcome is therapy, sometimes it is a home or school programme, and sometimes reassurance and practical strategies are all that are needed.
Yes. We can look at skills that contribute to successful participation in the classroom, including fine motor skills, visual-motor skills, gross motor skills, attention, coordination and independence.School readiness is about much more than being able to write your name, so we look at the broader skills your child needs to participate confidently at school.
Sensory processing is the way our nervous system receives, organises and responds to information from our senses.This includes information from the environment as well as from inside our bodies.When sensory processing is difficult, a child may become overwhelmed, seek out certain types of movement or touch, have difficulty staying regulated, or find everyday activities harder than expected.
Sensory Integration is an approach used in occupational therapy to help children whose ability to participate is affected by difficulties processing and responding to sensory information.Therapy may involve carefully selected sensory-motor activities designed around the individual child and their goals.
No.Sensory processing difficulties can look very different from child to child, and not every child requires the same type of intervention.We first consider what your child is struggling with and how it affects their everyday participation, then determine what type of support may be appropriate.
It can be, but there may be different reasons why a child finds certain experiences difficult.Rather than assuming that a particular behaviour is sensory, we look at the broader picture — including when it happens, what triggers it, how your child responds and how it affects their participation.
Sensory Integration therapy is often active and play-based. Depending on your child's needs, activities may involve movement, climbing, swinging, balancing, pushing, pulling, jumping or other sensory-motor experiences.The activities are selected with a therapeutic purpose rather than simply being play.
School & home
We believe in a team approach and love working with families and schools.
Yes.Occupational therapy can support skills that affect classroom participation, such as handwriting, fine motor skills, visual-motor skills, coordination, attention, regulation and independence.We can also provide practical strategies that can be used in the classroom.
Yes, depending on the child, school and type of support required.We work with children in school environments and can collaborate with teachers where appropriate.
Yes.When appropriate, we can provide practical recommendations based on your child's individual needs. These may relate to seating, handwriting, classroom setup, sensory regulation, movement breaks or ways of supporting participation.
Absolutely.We prefer home activities to be simple, realistic and relevant rather than giving families a long list of exercises.Where appropriate, we'll suggest activities that fit naturally into your child's everyday routine.
Yes.Children can behave and participate very differently in different environments. A child may cope well at home but find the sensory, motor, social or academic demands of school much more challenging.Looking at the environment as well as the child can help us understand what may be contributing to the difficulty.
Got questions about left-handed children?
Visit the Lefty Hub for practical guidance, tips and support.
Have a lefty? We've got you.
No. If your child has naturally developed a preference for using their left hand, there is no need to encourage them to switch to their right hand.Left-handed children can learn, write, draw, cut and complete everyday activities successfully. What they often need is the opportunity to learn strategies and positioning that work well for a left-hander.If your child is still young and hasn't developed a clear hand preference, that's different. Rather than choosing a hand for them, give them plenty of opportunities to use both hands and observe which hand they naturally prefer for different tasks.
Not necessarily.Hand preference develops gradually, particularly in younger children. Some children will continue experimenting with both hands while their skills and hand dominance develop.Rather than constantly reminding a young child to use one particular hand, we want to give them plenty of opportunities to explore different activities and observe their natural preferences.If a child is older and continues switching hands frequently during tasks such as drawing or writing, or seems to struggle with establishing a consistent working hand, it may be worth exploring why.
No.Steady Strides provides paediatric occupational therapy for children with a range of developmental, sensory, motor and learning needs.The Lefty Hub is a specialist area of the practice because supporting left-handed children is something I'm particularly passionate about — and as a left-hander myself, I understand some of the practical challenges first-hand.
Handwriting involves many skills working together, including pencil control, visual-motor integration, posture, hand strength, coordination and the way the paper and writing hand are positioned.Left-handed children also have to approach the page differently because they are pushing the pencil across the page rather than pulling it in the direction that comes naturally to most right-handers.Small changes to positioning, paper angle, pencil grip and writing setup can make a meaningful difference.
A hooked wrist can be one way a left-handed child tries to see what they are writing while avoiding dragging their hand through the words.It isn't automatically a problem, but we can look at the child's overall writing position and help them find a more comfortable and efficient setup.
Left-handed scissors can make cutting much easier for a left-handed child.With standard right-handed scissors, the blades are positioned in a way that can make it difficult for a left-hander to see the cutting line and achieve a clean cut.We also teach children how to position their hands and paper so that cutting feels more natural.
Not necessarily.The most important thing is usually how the paper is positioned, where the writing hand sits and how the child approaches the page.Depending on the child, small adjustments to paper position, writing angle and seating can make handwriting much more comfortable.
Start with the basics:Give them space to develop their natural hand preference.Make sure they have tools that work for a left-hander where appropriate.Pay attention to paper positioning during writing.Avoid constantly correcting them to use their other hand.Let them develop their own comfortable way of completing tasks.For more practical left-handed tips, visit the Lefty Hub.
Steady Strides Occupational Therapy is based in Bryanston, Johannesburg.We provide paediatric occupational therapy for children from 18 months to 12 years.
The easiest way is to get in touch with us through our Contact page.You don't need to know exactly what your child needs before contacting us. Tell us a little about what you're noticing and we'll help you work out the next step.
We'll let you know if there is anything specific we need before your appointment.It can also be helpful to bring along any relevant reports, school feedback or information from other professionals involved in your child's care.
Yes. When appropriate, we believe in working collaboratively with the other professionals involved in a child's care.With your permission, we may communicate with teachers, psychologists, speech therapists or other relevant professionals so that everyone is working towards the same goals.
We operate as a cash practice, so after paying us, you can submit the invoice to your medical aid. You would need to find out from your medical aid what portion they cover.
That's completely okay.You don't need to have a diagnosis or know exactly what is wrong before contacting us. Tell us what you're noticing, and we'll help you work out whether an occupational therapy assessment or another next step would be appropriate.
Absolutely.If you're unsure about something your child is doing or you're wondering whether occupational therapy could help, you're welcome to get in touch.You don't need to have all the answers before you contact us — that's what we're here for.
Practical questions
The important details, all in one place.
Still have questions?
You don't need to figure it all out on your own. We're happy to help.
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