Victoria has announced that its Thriving Kids program will include developmental screenings for three and four-year-olds before kindergarten and before school — connecting families with support earlier in a child’s life.
Whatever the program or pathway, the question families often arrive at is the same: we have a concern, we have a referral, now what?
For many families, that ‘now what’ involves occupational therapy — looking at how a child moves, plays, manages sensory input, holds a pencil, follows a sequence of steps, or copes with the transition from home to a classroom.
Early OT assessment can help families understand a child’s individual strengths and where they might benefit from support. Evidence-based early childhood OT approaches may assist children in building skills within everyday routines — at the breakfast table, in the sandpit, getting dressed, sitting at a mat session.
At Care For Welfare, our therapist works with children in the places those routines actually happen. Not a clinic waiting room. The kitchen. The backyard. The classroom. The same therapist, session after session, building enough familiarity with a child to notice what shifts — and what hasn’t yet.
Screenings are a starting point. What families often tell us they needed most was someone who stayed long enough to really see their child.
General information only. Not personal advice. Speak with your NDIS planner, support coordinator, or allied health provider for advice specific to your situation.
If your child has recently had a developmental check — what did the follow-up process look like for your family?
