Visiting a Physio

What will happen in the first session?

The first appointment at All About Kids is called an initial consultation. The first part of the session will be used to speak with you and learn about your child, your reason for seeking support and what your main concerns are. It is important that you have thought about what movement related difficulties your child is experiencing and what you are hoping to gain from attending therapy. This will help your Physio understand what questions to ask you. 

Once we have talked through everything, the Physio will then complete a neurodevelopmental assessment with your child. This kind of assessment gives the Physio a wealth of knowledge about your child’s growth and development and will inform the goals we set and the activities we do in subsequent sessions. 

Once the assessment is complete, yourself and the Physio will then set some goals for your child’s therapy, talk about frequency and duration of subsequent appointments, or provide information on referrals (should I be seeing another practitioner, is there somewhere else more specialised for my child? What funding options can I access?). All of this will usually take around 60 minutes face to face, although further assessment may be required depending on the needs of your child. 

After the session you will receive a full report on the findings of the assessment. 

What should I bring to my first appointment?

The more information you can provide and documentation regarding your child the better because it helps us understand and prepare! If you have accessed any other services and have reports or information please bring them along.

• Previous Physiotherapy or OT  Reports/Letters
• Speech and Language Therapy Report/Letters
• Psychology Reports/Letters
• Cognitive Assessment Reports
• Recent Paediatrician Reports/Letters
• Other health professional reports/letters
• Recent school report cards
• Any relevant medical reports
• List of when milestones were reached/baby milestone book
• Videos of gross motor activities (i.e. bike riding if your child finds this difficult)
• List of medications and dosages

You might find it helpful to make a list of concerns or goals and bring this with you.  

What will we talk about?

Each intake consultation looks very different for each child and family, based on challenges and referral reasons. The type of information we talk about include:

• Main difficulties
• Developmental history from birth
• Medical history and diagnoses
• Milestones
• Play skills
• School concerns
• Speech and language development
• Sensory needs
• Gross motor skills
• Funding
• Interests and strengths
• Fine motor skills
• Self-care
• Referral/support from other professionals

We will also confirm goals, the type of intervention therapy, how often to attend, home activities and make sure you are comfortable with you and your Physio's thoughts and suggestions. 

What about Therapy Sessions?

Once you have attended your initial appointment, we will book you in for regular appointments at a frequency (weekly, fortnightly, monthly) based off the therapist’s recommendations and your own schedule. Sometimes further assessment may be required in following sessions depending on your child’s difficulties and the amount of areas to review.

In rare instances, ongoing intervention with a Physio may not be suitable and the Therapist will support you in referral to a more suitable provider or different health professional if it is required.