The World Federation of Occupational Therapy describes Occupational Therapy in the following way:
Occupational therapy promotes health and wellbeing by supporting participation in meaningful occupations that people want, need, or are expected to do (WFOT, 2025).
Occupational Therapists (OTS) can help people throughout life from babies to very elderly people to achieve functional outcomes. This may involve teaching a child to tie their shoe-laces or recommending a bathroom makeover for someone who has recently needed to use a wheelchair. It could involve helping someone to navigate through stressors in their everyday life or giving memory strategies to someone who has had a head injury. The field of OT is quite broad and very practical.
The versatility of the Occupational Therapist’s role means they practice in an incredible variety of locations. While many OTs work in traditional settings like hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and schools, others focus on specialised community-based care. You might find an OT conducting home modifications for a senior, working in a mental health clinic to develop coping mechanisms and routines, assisting employees in workplace rehabilitation following an injury, or even consulting with local councils on public accessibility design. This diversity stems from the core principle of OT: supporting participation in any environment, ensuring that a person’s physical and social surroundings support their ability to live a meaningful life.
Some of the areas where OTs can help children include:
Fine motor skills (e.g., holding a pencil, using scissors).
Gross motor skills (e.g., balance, coordination for playground activities).
Self-care skills (e.g., dressing, feeding).
Sensory processing issues that affect attention and behavior.
Executive Functioning helping with thoughts, actiona, and emotions to manage in daily life.
Here is a video from McMasters University in Canada that describes Occupational Therapy quite well.
You can be assured; Australia also has a very high standard of Occupational Therapy.
Occupational therapy is founded on a holistic and strengths-based approach. OTs look at the whole person their physical, psychological, social, and environmental context to create a personalised intervention plan.
The central philosophy is that participation in meaningful activity is essential to human health and well-being. By focusing on a person’s abilities rather than their disabilities, OTs empower individuals to be active agents in their own recovery and development.
Occupational Therapy is a 4-year university degree covering biological and social sciences, as well as specialised Occupational Therapy subjects.
OTs in Australia must be registered the Australian Health Professionals Registration Board (AHPRA).
This registration can be removed if the practitioner does not manage to perform to the required standard including a certain number of professional development or training to keep up to date every year.
Occupational Therapy Australia is the professional body representing OTs in Australia. This association offers a service called “Find An OT” which allows you to put in your location and the type of service you want and you will be provided with a number of possible practitioners who could help you.
I hope this article has helped you to understand what Occupational Therapy is and how it may be able to help you and your child. If you would like to find out what Cherrybrook Occupational Therapy can do to help your child in particular you can fill out this contact form and we will get back to you as soon as we can.