Physiotherapy Services in Belconnen
Physiotherapy can encompass a range of clinical areas. Physiotherapists who work with children can provide guidance on how to facilitate gross motor skill attainment and maximise independence in mobility.
Key clinical areas include developmental assessments, gross motor skill acquisition for independence and play, postural or alignment assessment, gait (walking) assessment, pain and fatigue management, and guidance in lifelong physical conditions to avoid joint contractures, pain and weakness.
Physiotherapy may include equipment prescription such as orthotics or orthoses and walking and standing frames. Intervention may include working with childcare centres and schools to provide staff training, environmental assessment and planning, and written programs or recommendations that can be followed at home or in educational settings.
Our physiotherapists use evidence-based practice to empower parents and their children to maximise independence and enjoyment of movement. At Eat Speak Learn we enjoy working with parents to develop strategies to make intervention and home programs enjoyable.
Assessments for babies aged 4 months or younger.
This assessment is for concerns such as:
- Head-shape concerns (plagiocephaly)
- Foot position concerns (positional talipes)
- Body position concerns (body curves one way or baby always looks one way such as in torticollis). This can present with feeding difficulties to one breast due to tightness turning their head in one direction.
- Unusual movements or concerns about development
- Any birth complications such as brachial plexus palsy
Please note: all assessments for children in this age group includes an optional General Movements Assessment video taken on arrival at the clinic.
Standardised developmental assessments are performed to understand how your child’s gross motor skills are going. This assessment is for concerns such as:
- Delayed gross motor skills
- Concern that there may be delayed development (screening assessment)
- Can also include head-shape, foot position, body position or neck tightness in babies over 4 months of age
- Can include a walking (gait) assessment (tripping or slow to walk independently)
- When help is needed to achieve a particular skill
- When there has been a period of prolonged hospitalisation, illness or immobilisation such as in plaster for fractures or displaced hips
This assessment will include postural analysis, lower limb alignment assessment, gait assessment, joint range of movement and muscle strength assessment.
This assessment is when you have concerns regarding:
- Leg or foot alignment such as knock-knees or in-toeing
- Toe-walking for longer than a 3-month period
- Very uneven shoulders or hips
- Unusual posture
Our physiotherapists are training in working with children with disabilities and life-long conditions. This type of assessment and intervention could include pain and fatigue management strategies and will include assessment of the child’s daily routines. Equipment or orthotic prescription may be included in this type of physiotherapy.
This assessment is for:
- Children at risk of a diagnosis of disability, such as cerebral palsy or ASD
- Children with a diagnosis of disability or life-long condition
- Children with chromosomal or metabolic conditions
- Children with significant hypermobility or bone disorders
FAQs about Physiotherapy
You can give our friendly team a call or book a consultation with one of our physiotherapists to review your child’s NDIS plan to see if their allocated funding can be used for these services.
Physiotherapy services can draw from the following funding areas:
- Capacity Building Early Childhood Interventions Supports (under 7yrs)
- Capacity Building Improved Daily Living
Yes. If you’re on our waitlist for another allied health service, or need to be added, you will be prioritised by our team for other services when the next suitable practitioner and appointment time arises.
