Occupational Therapy for ADHD
OT for children with ADHD — practical strategies for attention, organisation, regulation and school participation, built around how your child's brain actually works.
ADHD isn't a lack of effort. It's a different way the brain manages attention, impulse, planning and energy — and the demands of school, friendships and family routines can be a lot to navigate without the right scaffolding.
Occupational therapy gives children with ADHD and their families a practical toolkit: strategies, routines and environmental tweaks that make daily life feel less exhausting and more successful.
Common reasons families come to us
- Difficulty focusing or completing tasks at school
- Mornings, transitions and bedtime that consistently fall apart
- Big emotions and meltdowns out of proportion to the trigger
- Losing belongings, missing instructions, forgetting homework
- Constant movement, fidgeting or interrupting
- Daydreaming, distractibility, struggling to start tasks
- Social challenges — impulse control, reading the room
How we help
- Assessment of attention, executive function and self-regulation
- Visual schedules, routines and environmental modifications
- Strategies to manage transitions, mornings and bedtime
- Movement and sensory-based regulation tools
- Parent coaching — the most powerful lever for change
- School liaison and classroom strategies
- Coordination with paediatricians, psychologists and other treating professionals
What ADHD looks like in everyday life
For some children, ADHD shows up as constant movement and impulsivity. For others, it's daydreaming, missing instructions or losing track of homework. Many children have a mix of both, and the way it shows up changes with age, environment and how regulated they feel that day.
Either way, the result is often the same — frustration, big emotions, lost school work, mornings that fall apart, and parents who feel like they're nagging all the time.
What OT does
Our OTs work with you and your child to understand the patterns — when does it work, when does it fall apart, and what would actually help. We then build strategies tailored to your child's age, interests and daily routines.
Most importantly, we coach you as the parent. The biggest changes come when the people around the child understand how to set them up to succeed.
School support
School is often where ADHD challenges show up most. With your permission, we liaise with teachers and learning support staff so the strategies we develop in clinic are reinforced in the classroom — visual schedules, movement breaks, modified seating, executive function scaffolds.
How our team supports this
Physiotherapy
Improve mobility and strength with personalised programmes designed for real-world function and sustainable results.
Explore serviceSpeech Therapy
Enhance communication and language skills through proven, evidence-based therapy techniques designed for lasting improvement.
Explore serviceSchool Readiness Assessments
A multidisciplinary look at your child's academic, motor, social and self-care skills before they start Kindergarten — using the Bracken (BSRA-4) and PDMS-3.
Explore serviceCommon questions from families
Does my child need a formal ADHD diagnosis?
No. OT can help any child struggling with attention, organisation or regulation, with or without a formal diagnosis. We do, however, work alongside paediatricians where a diagnosis is being explored.
Will OT replace medication?
OT and medication address different things. Medication can help the brain settle enough to access the strategies OT builds. Many families use both; some use one or the other. That's a conversation for you and your paediatrician.
How is this different from a tutor or counsellor?
OT focuses on the practical mechanics of how your child gets through their day — the routines, environments, regulation tools and executive function supports. A tutor focuses on academic content; a counsellor on emotional processing. They can all complement each other.
Can you talk to my child's school?
Yes, with your written consent. School liaison is often one of the highest-impact parts of our work with children with ADHD.
How is this funded?
NDIS (where the child has a plan), Medicare CDM referrals, private health rebates or private pay. We'll walk you through the options on a free intake call.
Ready to Start Your Therapy Journey?
Speak directly with our director — no obligation, just a friendly chat about how we can help.