Mobile AHPRA-registered OTs helping children build the hand skills they need for school and everyday life.
Fine motor difficulties affect everything from doing up buttons to holding a pencil to using scissors in class. Our paediatric OTs assess your child's hand strength, coordination, grasp patterns and visual-motor skills, then build a practical therapy programme targeted at the activities that matter most right now: school tasks, self-care and play.
You'll speak with one of our AHPRA-registered OTs.
We usually call back within one business day.
Mobile OT for children, adults & older people
Fine motor OT is not just about grip strength or pencil control in isolation. It works from the ground up: core and shoulder stability before wrist control, wrist control before finger dexterity, and dexterity before the complex tasks like writing and fastening. Your OT assesses where in that chain the gaps are, then targets the specific skills that are holding your child back from the tasks they need to manage at school and at home.
Many children with fine motor difficulties lack the foundational hand strength to sustain tasks like writing, cutting or managing fastenings across a full school day. Your OT uses therapeutic putty, resistance tools and functional activities to build grip and pinch strength progressively, so skills last through a whole lesson, not just the first five minutes.
In-hand manipulation is the ability to move small objects within the hand: turning a coin, shifting a pencil from writing position to erasing position, picking up and repositioning small pieces. These skills underpin almost every fine motor school task. Your OT assesses and builds these through targeted play and task-based activities.
Scissors require bilateral coordination, hand separation (each hand doing a different job simultaneously) and adequate grip strength. Your OT assesses each component, selects the right scissors for your child's hand size and strength, and works through a graded cutting programme from straight lines to complex shapes, coordinated with school curriculum expectations.
There is no single correct pencil grip, but some grasp patterns create pain, fatigue or illegibility that interfere with schoolwork. Your OT assesses your child's grasp, identifies what is driving it (often weakness or instability higher up the arm), and introduces modifications and strengthening activities, rather than just prompting a different grip.
Buttons, zips, shoelaces and snap fasteners all require precise bilateral coordination and tactile feedback. Your OT breaks each task into steps, identifies the specific component causing difficulty, and builds a structured practice programme you can run at home. Clothing and equipment modifications are recommended where they make a real functional difference.
Copying from the board, colouring within lines and cutting along outlines all require the eye and hand to work together accurately. Your OT assesses visual-motor integration using standardised tools and targets it through specific tabletop activities that build the connection between what the eyes see and what the hands do.
Whether NDIS, aged care, DVA or private, the admin can feel complicated. We handle the paperwork and explain the funding options in plain English so you can focus on the person, not the process.
Phone (07) 3477 9366 or drop your details in the form. Our intake team usually responds within one business day. We'll ask about age, goals, funding and where you're based.
We pair you with an AHPRA-registered OT experienced in your context: paediatric, adult, older adult, rehab or reports. You know who's coming, and why they're the right fit.
Your OT visits you at home, at school, at work or in the community. We build a personalised plan, document progress, and coordinate with your supports, GP or support coordinator.
Our Occupational Therapists are AHPRA-registered, supported by OT assistants, a psychologist, a speech pathologist and a warm admin team who'll be your first point of contact. Small enough to know your name, big enough to match you with someone whose experience fits your goals.
Occupational Therapist
AHPRA-registered
Occupational Therapist
AHPRA-registered
Occupational Therapist
AHPRA-registered
Occupational Therapist
AHPRA-registered
Occupational Therapist
AHPRA-registered
Occupational Therapist
AHPRA-registered
Occupational Therapist
AHPRA-registered
Occupational Therapist
AHPRA-registered
Occupational Therapist
AHPRA-registered
Occupational Therapist
AHPRA-registered
Occupational Therapist
AHPRA-registered
Occupational Therapist
AHPRA-registered
Psychologist
AHPRA-registered
Speech Pathologist
SPA Certified Practising
Occupational Therapy Assistant
Under OT supervision
Occupational Therapy Assistant
Under OT supervision
Occupational Therapy Assistant
Under OT supervision
Speech Therapy Assistant
Under SPA supervision
Client Intake Coordinator
Intake team
Client Intake Coordinator
Intake teamSwipe to see more
Tell us your preferences: gender, language, cultural background, clinical experience. We'll match you with a clinician who fits.
We can't list fixed prices publicly. What you pay depends on your funding stream, the service, and your location. But every Astrad client gets the same three things, in writing, before any visit is booked.
Request a written quoteEvery client gets a clear written quote setting out session rates, expected travel time and any reports, before we schedule a single visit.
For NDIS participants we bill within the limits set out in the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. No surprises at invoice time.
Travel and non-face-to-face time are always quoted in writing, at the rates allowed for your funding stream. What you see is what you pay.
Our Occupational Therapists travel to you. At home, at school, at work or in the community. We cover metro and many regional areas across Queensland, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania. Not sure if we reach your postcode? Ask us. We usually confirm within one business day.
Check availabilityBrisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Toowoomba
Sydney, Central Coast, Wollongong, Newcastle
Melbourne, Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat
Hobart, Launceston, Devonport
Can't see your question? Call us and we'll answer it directly.
Developmental milestones vary, but some signs worth discussing with an OT include: difficulty using a pincer grasp by 12 months, trouble with simple puzzles and stacking blocks by age 2-3, struggles with scissors or colouring by age 4-5, or messy, effortful pencil use going into Prep or Year 1. If daily activities or school tasks are noticeably harder than peers, it's worth an OT conversation early.
Our OT visits your home or your child's school and observes them completing age-relevant tasks: drawing, cutting, fastening clothing, using cutlery. We use standardised assessments of hand strength, coordination and visual-motor integration, talk with parents and teachers, and produce a written report with specific recommendations.
No. Fine motor difficulties are assessed and supported on their own merits. You do not need a diagnosis, a GP referral or existing NDIS funding to get started. We can also assist with getting an NDIS plan underway if your child may be eligible.
Usually both, depending on where the goals sit. Home sessions work well for self-care goals (buttons, zips, cutlery). School visits help the OT observe pencil grip and scissor use in context and support the teacher with practical strategies in the classroom.
Sessions are play-based for younger children and task-focused for older kids. Activities might include therapeutic putty work, threading, construction tasks or pencil-control exercises. The OT coaches parents through a short home programme so progress builds between sessions, not just during them.
Yes. Fine motor OT is funded under the Improved Daily Living (Capacity Building) budget for self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants. We bill within the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements. Private clients receive a written quote before sessions begin. There is no NDIS Medicare rebate for OT, but some private health funds include OT as an extras benefit.
That depends on the child's starting point, the goals, and how consistently strategies are practised at home. Many families notice changes in specific tasks within six to twelve weeks of consistent therapy and home practice. Your OT will set clear goals and review them with you at regular intervals.
Our OTs come to your home or your child's school and assess hand function in the real tasks that matter: writing, cutting, fastening, using cutlery. You get a written report and a practical therapy plan. NDIS self- and plan-managed, or private. No referral needed. Call (07) 3477 9366 or book a callback below.
We usually call back within one business day.
Mon–Fri 9am–5pm Brisbane time
