Occupational therapists promote health and wellbeing by supporting people to carry out their daily tasks and to participate in everyday activities. At CAADS, we are passionate about providing quality care of young people to improve functioning and encourage skills development in the following areas:

• Fine & gross motor skills

• Self-care skills (e.g. feeding & toileting)

• Emotional regulation

• Sensory processing

• Play & social skills

• Readiness for school

• Attention & concentration

• Behaviour support

• Parenting advice & support

Occupational therapists use a variety of proven methods to understand and address clients' concerns. At CAADS, we recognise that every client is unique and that it is important to tailor intervention to best fit the needs of the client. An integrated approach is essential for successful outcomes and our occupational therapist is great at engaging with clients and assisting parents/care-givers to best support their child to achieve the therapeutic goals.

Our Occupational Therapist, Maria Gleeson, has a Bachelor of Science (Hons) Occupational Therapy degree from Robert Gordon University, United Kingdom. She is registered with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia and a member of Occupational Therapy Australia. Maria undertakes regular professional development to ensure that she is always up-to-date with best practice and knowledge of the latest developments in the field.

Your first appointment will be a one-hour consultation to collect information about your child (including a comprehensive case history looking at your child's presenting difficulties, past developmental/medical history and previous attendance at occupational therapy or involvement with other health professionals). This session will also involve clinical observations of your child's skills.

During your first consultation the occupational therapist will recommend if any standardised assessment is required. As there are a number of occupational therapy standardised assessments to test different skill areas, any assessment that is needed will be conducted from your child’s second appointment after discussion with the occupational therapist. A parent/carer can observe the assessment, although it is important to follow the directions of the occupational therapist to ensure that the assessment is not compromised (e.g. an observer may not prompt the client to respond or complete a task).

In some cases, where there is a need for more complex assessment, additional time may be needed in order to complete the assessment. In these situations, the occupational therapist will have discussion with you regarding options for finishing the assessment.

If no standardised assessment is needed, the occupational therapist will provide advice on how to proceed to address the area/s of concern.

Following assessment, the occupational therapist will compile a written report which will outline the assessment results and include recommendations and a therapy plan. A feedback session will be organised to discuss the assessment results and to answer any questions. If therapy is recommended, the occupational therapist will also discuss possible therapy goals for your child.

Our occupational therapist is very mindful of the importance of privacy and confidentiality. Maria follows the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia's Code of Conduct, relevant guidelines and the Australian Privacy Principles in regards to collecting and handling personal information. An occupational therapist is obliged to disclose information if it is officially requested (subpoenaed) by a court of law or if failure to provide the information would place the client or another person at serious risk of harm. We do not provide any reports other than those required to inform intervention needs and progress reports to referrers as per Medicare requirements or for clients under National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding. We do not supply court reports or legal letters (e.g. custody or visitation issues) and our occupational therapist reserves the right to decline any request that may potentially put the therapeutic relationship at risk.

There are many factors that can influence therapy outcomes, including the extent of the concerns and how well clients are able to participate in therapy and apply the strategies to their everyday living. Some clients may be able to achieve their goals within a few sessions and others may have more complex needs or a number of concerns that take longer to work through. It may also be necessary to revisit therapy from time to time in order to maintain progress.

Occupational Therapy sessions are generally conducted on a weekly or fortnightly basis. The Occupational Therapist will advise you of the frequency with which she thinks sessions should occur based on the level of intervention that is considered necessary and also taking into account other factors such as time constraints and financial considerations.

The initial consultation session is 60 minutes to allow for sufficient time to collect a comprehensive history and complete clinical observations. After the initial session an assessment session may be recommended to formally evaluate your child's skills using standardised assessment. Once enough information is gathered, the occupational therapist will work with you to identify goals and develop an effective intervention plan.

When the needs of the child are complex, it may be necessary for further assessment to occur and, from time to time, it may also be appropriate to reassess a child's skills to ensure that the therapy goals are being met. In such cases, the occupational therapist will always discuss options to best enable this to happen.

Therapy sessions are 30 minutes or 60 minutes duration, depending upon each client's needs and their specific goals.

You do not need a referral to attend our service although we are happy to work with medical practitioners and other professionals to ensure the best wholistic care possible. Eligible clients with chronic and complex needs may be referred by their general practitioner (GP) for up to 5 sessions per calendar year under a Chronic Disease Management Plan (formerly the Enhanced Primary Care Plan). Please note, we do not bulk bill and there will be a gap fee payable. Consult with your GP for further information.

We are a fee for service practice. Standard therapy sessions are $97.50 for 30 minutes and $195 for 60 minutes. Assessment costs vary according to what type of assessment is required.   

Clients with chronic and complex needs may be eligible to receive a Medicare rebate for up to 5 sessions per calendar year when referred by their general practitioner (GP) under a Chronic Disease Management Plan (formerly the Enhanced Primary Care Plan). Please note, we do not bulk bill and there will be a gap fee payable. Consult with your GP for further information.

Alternatively, you may be able to claim a private health insurance rebate. Contact your health fund to check your eligibility. Please note, you cannot use private health insurance and Medicare at the same session. 

Clients with chronic and complex needs may be eligible to receive a Medicare rebate for up to 5 sessions per calendar year when referred by their general practitioner (GP) under a Chronic Disease Management Plan (formerly the Enhanced Primary Care Plan). Please note, we do not bulk bill and there will be a gap fee payable. Consult with your GP for further information.

We can facilitate a Medicare rebate claim at your appointment or you can claim yourself online via the MyGov website(my.gov.au) or mobile app.

You may be able to claim a private health insurance rebate depending upon the level of coverage and type of policy you have. Contact your health fund to check your eligibility. Please note, you cannot use both private health insurance and Medicare at the same session. We do not have facilities to process private health rebates.

Payment is required at the time of service. We accept Mastercard, Visa and cash. We do not take American Express, Diner's Club cards or cheques. We can facilitate a Medicare rebate claim or you can claim yourself online via the MyGov website (my.gov.au) or mobile app. We do not have facilities to process private health rebates.    

We recognise that there are circumstances beyond the control of clients that may lead to an appointment being missed or cancelled with short notice. However, in order for us to continue to operate a supportive service for families, it is necessary to charge a fee for all missed appointments and short notice cancellations, regardless of the reason for not attending the appointment (e.g. a child falling ill on the day of the appointment). If you are unable to attend an appointment, please contact us as soon as possible to advise you will not be attending. Outside of business hours a message can be left on our secure telephone message bank or you can email us (enquiries@caads.com.au). All calls and emails are time-stamped so we are able to see when the cancellation was made.

Unfortunately, we cannot fill cancelled appointments at short notice. As such, we require two (2) business days’ notice of intention to cancel or a fee will apply. For example, if you have a 4pm appointment on a Thursday, to avoid a fee you need to advise us by 9:00am on Tuesday if you do not plan to attend your appointment. Please note Sunday is not considered a business day. Efforts will be made to reschedule your appointment in a timely manner; however, the fee for the missed or cancelled appointment may still apply.

As a courtesy, we send text reminders to clients prior to their scheduled appointment. However, it is the client's responsibility for keeping track of appointments and for notifying us of a need to cancel or reschedule an appointment. The cancellation fee will apply for missed appointments or those cancelled without 2 business days' notice, whether or not our text reminders are received. Please note that Medicare and Private Health funds do not rebate for missed and cancelled appointments.