Sensory processing difficulties in children · Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy for sensory processing difficulties
Clinically reviewed by Hannah Chamberlain
When sounds, textures, or busy spaces get in the way of everyday life, OT helps your child take part — through practical adjustments, regulation strategies, and parent coaching. Online, NDIS-funded, built around your real home.
What we treat
- Strong reactions to sound, light, textures, tastes, or clothing
- Avoiding messy play, grooming, or certain foods
- Sensory seeking — crashing, spinning, chewing, constant movement
- Meltdowns or shutdowns in busy environments
- Trouble settling, transitioning, or "switching gears"
- Fine-motor and daily-living tasks like dressing, handwriting, and eating
Typical outcomes
- A child who copes better in everyday sensory environments
- Daily routines — dressing, grooming, meals — that run with less distress
- Practical regulation tools the child and family actually use
- A home set up to reduce sensory friction
- Parents who understand their child's sensory profile and what helps
How sessions run
Online 50-minute sessions with parents closely involved, because the strategies have to work in your real environment. We map your child's sensory profile, then coach you through adjustments and regulation tools that fit your home and school — not a clinic gym.
What OT actually does here
It's worth being upfront: the evidence for sensory-based therapies is still developing, and "sensory processing disorder" isn't a recognised standalone diagnosis in Australia. What occupational therapy reliably helps with is participation — getting dressed, sitting at the dinner table, coping with a noisy classroom, settling for sleep. We don't promise to rewire how a child's brain processes sensation; we make daily life work better.
In practice that means:
- Mapping the profile — understanding which inputs overwhelm or under-stimulate your child
- Environmental adjustments — concrete changes at home and school that lower the friction
- Regulation strategies — tools to settle when overwhelmed or alert when under-stimulated
- Daily-living skills — building tolerance and routines for dressing, eating, grooming, and sleep
Parents are central
Sensory support only works if it fits your actual home and day. That's why our OT sessions lean heavily on parent coaching — you're the one there at bath time, in the supermarket, at the school gate. We give you the understanding and the strategies; you're the one who makes them part of everyday life.
When sensory difficulties travel with something else
Sensory difficulties most often appear alongside another condition, and the plan adapts:
- Sensory + autism — very common; OT alongside speech and/or psychology, coordinated as one plan.
- Sensory + ADHD — regulation and attention overlap; OT plus psychology is a frequent combination.
Hey Sprout's single intake catches these connections, so you're routed to a coordinated plan rather than three separate forms and three separate waits.
NDIS funding
Sensory difficulties on their own generally aren't an NDIS access condition — the scheme assesses the functional impact of a permanent disability. Where they occur alongside an eligible condition such as autism, OT is commonly funded under Capacity Building — Improved Daily Living. For families without NDIS funding, sessions are private-pay at the NDIS rate.
Clinically reviewed by Hannah Chamberlain
Last reviewed 31 May 2026
This page reflects current clinical guidance. See the Hey Sprout editorial policy for review cadence and corrections.
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Related conditions
ADHD in children and adolescents
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental conditions in Australian children, affecting roughly 1 in 20.
Autism (Level 1 and Level 2) in children
Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental difference. Level 1 and Level 2 children typically benefit from speech, OT, and psychology support — and most are NDIS-eligible.
Cerebral palsy — therapy support for children
Cerebral palsy affects movement and posture. Goal-directed OT and speech therapy build independence and communication, online and coordinated with your team.
Developmental coordination disorder (dyspraxia) in children
DCD (often called dyspraxia) affects a child's motor coordination — handwriting, dressing, sport. Occupational therapy builds the skills that matter.