ADHD Occupational TherapyMelbourne
For someone with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, more reminders are not always the answer. Struggling to start tasks, manage time, follow routines and stay organised can all be challenges you face, and not from a lack of effort. Occupational therapy for ADHD can help identify which demands are weighing the most heavily on your life and help develop strategies for routines, study, work, self-care and responsibilities.
At Tilegne Therapy, our occupational therapists in Melbourne shape your support around your personal goals, lifestyle and everyday environment with a focus on the activities and responsibilities taking the most effort. Both in-clinic and mobile appointments are available, with after-hours and Saturday options also offered to fit in with your schedule. Our Melbourne team also offers multi-lingual sessions, helping individuals and families communicate in their first language.
ADHD Support at Different Ages
Different parts of daily life can all be affected as someone with ADHD grows and develops. For a teenager in high school, they may need support with homework, changing timetables, personal care or keeping track of all their commitments. As an adult, you may want help with work, study, appointments, household routines or juggling several responsibilities at once.
This is why our approach is focused on what’s currently difficult and what you want to manage with greater ease and independence. Your strategies are guided by occupational therapy evidence, as well as your existing routines to inform us on what’s practical.
OT for Kids with ADHD in Melbourne
A standard routine doesn’t always match how a child with ADHD’s mind processes information or works through tasks. It may not be from a lack of effort or trying, but it can still create stress for the child and uncertainty for parents who want to try to support them well. OT can help the entire family understand what supports a child with ADHD, using play-based, neurodiversity-affirming strategies that work in real life, not just on paper.
Our Approach to OT for ADHD
While current occupational therapy evidence guides our work, the strategy still needs to make sense for the person using it. This guides our entire approach to working with someone with ADHD, considering your strengths, goals, environment and any executive functioning challenges before trialling practical approaches for the tasks you’re struggling with, such as:
- Implementing checklists, visual schedules or prompts to make the steps in homework, school routines or other tasks easier to see.
- Creating clear starting points for activities that feel difficult to start.
- Changing the environment or where items are stored to support organisation.
- Using timers or other cues to build awareness of time.
- Exploring sensory and emotional regulation strategies for more demanding activities.
- Developing routines that reflect your actual schedule and responsibilities.
- Giving clients, families or carers practical guidance to use between appointments.
Each strategy is reviewed to make sure it’s a good fit with your daily life and adjusted as your needs change.
Professional Occupational Therapists
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Tilegne Therapy is a multidisciplinary clinic that offers Speech, OT, Music Therapy and dietetics. We aim to offer a service where our therapists can work together in order to support the goals of each patient.
How to Get Started With Support for ADHD
ADHD can affect several parts of the day at once, and it’s not always obvious where to actually begin. At Tilegne Therapy, we identify and focus on the routines or responsibilities taking the most effort to shape your OT goals and strategies, then use those priorities to shape your OT goals and strategies.
Complete a Case History Questionnaire
To start, we’ll have you complete a case history questionnaire so we can learn more about your health background, routines, strengths, any current support and the activities you want help with.
Meet With an Occupational Therapist
Next, you’ll meet with one of our occupational therapists for an initial consultation where we’ll explore your concerns and how ADHD is affecting your daily functioning, guiding you through formal or informal assessments where appropriate.
Understand What’s Getting in the Way
After your initial consultation, your OT will explain their findings and identify the factors that may be affecting the activity you’re finding challenging.
Agree on Goals & Sessions
If we believe ongoing support is a good pathway, we’ll work with you on setting goals that are connected to the real-life routines or responsibilities you want to manage differently.
Trial Strategies in Daily Life
We’ll guide you on strategies to test between appointments, reviewing them in each session to help identify what’s useful, what needs adjusting to make strategies more manageable and what may not be suited to your lifestyle.
In-Clinic & Mobile OT Options
Your environment can have a big impact on how easy it is for you to concentrate, organise tasks or follow a routine. So, we provide both in-clinic appointments to provide a structured space to explore strategies and mobile sessions to allow us to see how an activity works in its usual setting.
Appointments at Our Footscray Clinic
In-clinic appointments provide a consistent setting for assessments, trying new strategies and working through activities with your occupational therapist.
Mobile Appointments At Home or in the Community
Mobile OT sessions for ADHD let us explore how strategies work in practice in the home or community where they’ll actually be used. Availability depends on your location.
After-Hours & Saturday Appointments
After-hours and Saturday options may also be available to help coordinate your OT sessions with school, work or other responsibilities. Contact our team to discuss your options.
Why choose Tilegne Therapy for ADHD OT?
The last thing you need is for your ADHD support to become another complicated system to try and keep up with. Having strategies that work within your existing routines can help reduce some of the daily stress and guesswork for both individuals and families. At Tilegne Therapy, we build every session around your actual challenges and lifestyle so they’re practical, flexible and realistic. By choosing our OT team, you receive access to:
- Personalised sessions based on the routines, environments and responsibilities affected by ADHD.
- Practical strategies that can be tested and adjusted between appointments, helping make mornings, schoolwork and work responsibilities feel more manageable.
- In-clinic and mobile options based on your goals and location.
- After-hours and Saturday appointments options to reduce disruption to work, school and your other commitments.
- Sessions available in Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, Nepalese and Spanish to help you communicate in a language that feels natural to you.
- Speech pathology, dietetics and music therapy all within the same clinic, making it easier to coordinate appointments, also allowing practitioners to communicate around shared goals with your consent.
- Medicare, NDIS and private health payment pathways, depending on your eligibility.
Please share any language, communication, sensory or scheduling preferences when you enquire to help our team find the right options.
Referrals, Funding & Fees
You don’t need a GP referral or care plan to access private occupational therapy for ADHD, although it may be needed if you intend to claim an eligible Medicare rebate. NDIS funding or private health rebates may also be available depending on your eligibility, approved supports and level of cover. An ADHD diagnosis doesn’t automatically guarantee you a funding pathway.
Our appointment fees vary depending on your service, session length and location. Please review our fees, funding and rebates information or contact our team to confirm before booking.
Our Melbourne Clinic
Tilegne Therapy has a clinic in Footscray, where we offer in-person appointments. We also have appointments available for telehealth and mobile occupational therapy across Melbourne.
Meet Our Melbourne OT Team
Upeksha Don
Occupational Therapist | BSc Nutrition and Food Science and MOT
Upeksha is a passionate Occupational Therapist who graduated from Monash University with a Master's in Occupational Therapy Practice. She is passionate about supporting and empowering clients to achieve their personal goals and build independence in everyday activities. Upeksha takes a neuro-affirming approach to therapy and brings a broad range of experiences, including inpatient rehabilitation and aged care. Upeksha is fluent in Sinhala.
Shirley Au
Occupational Therapist BOT
Shirley is a practising Occupational Therapist and a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy graduate from ACU. Since beginning her career as a Therapy Assistant in 2020, she has gained experience supporting children and adults with disabilities, including autism, Down syndrome, and a range of mental health conditions. Shirley values celebrating the small steps and achievements in everyday tasks, believing that recognising these moments helps clients build confidence, independence, and a sense of accomplishment.
Shasvine Viknesh
Occupational Therapist | BOT, MOT
As an OT, Shasvine turns everyday challenges clients face — from sensory processing to fine motor skills — into opportunities for success and fun whilst respecting their needs and emotions. Shasvine is a huge advocate for clients and their rights to basic needs. She has a neuroaffirming approach and ensures clients have their safe space during sessions, which makes them enjoy their time participating in therapy activities. Being a multilingual therapist, Shasvine is also fluent in Malay and Tamil.
Esmaraee Aref
Occupational Therapist | BOT
Esmaraee is a highly motivated and enthusiastic therapist who completed his Bachelor of Occupational Therapy at Deakin University. He has gained invaluable experience in various therapeutic techniques, including exercises, adaptive equipment, and environmental modification and worked with clients of all ages, from paediatric to geriatric, with a wide range of conditions, including but not limited to: physical disabilities, mental health disorders, developmental delays, and chronic illnesses. He is dedicated to helping clients achieve their goals and reach their maximum level of independence.
Occupational Therapy for ADHD FAQ
How does occupational therapy help with ADHD?
The aim of occupational therapy for ADHD is to help build practical, personalised systems to help improve daily life. Through a mix of specialised tools, physical equipment, cognitive frameworks and environmental modifications, it can help target real-world challenges, such as:
- Time management.
- Executive dysfunction.
- Sensory overload.
- Emotional regulation.
- Daily routines.
- Self-care.
Is occupational therapy for ADHD available for kids and adults?
Yes, occupational therapy is available to support both kids and adults with ADHD at Tilegne Therapy. Every session, goal and strategy is personalised around your age, responsibilities, daily routine, environment, challenges and individual needs.
Can occupational therapy diagnose ADHD?
No. Occupational therapists do not diagnose ADHD. What an OT can do is assess how your attention, executive functioning, sensory needs and other factors are affecting your daily life, then provide functional support based on these findings.
Is OT a replacement for ADHD medication or psychology?
No, occupational therapy is not a replacement for ADHD medication or psychology, but rather a support to make practical, sensory and environmental adjustments to daily tasks. OTs often work alongside other health practitioners to align care plans.
What can OT for kids with ADHD help with?
For kids with ADHD, occupational therapy can provide practical support around everyday functional skills, emotional regulation and sensory processing. OTs use play-based and neurodiversity-affirming strategies to help kids with ADHD find solutions for home, at school and in social settings.
Do I need a referral to see an OT for ADHD?
No, even if you don’t have a GP referral or care plan, you can book a private OT appointment. However, one may be needed to access relevant Medicare rebates, if you’re eligible.
Can the NDIS fund occupational therapy for ADHD?
In some cases, the NDIS may fund occupational therapy for eligible participants with ADHD when the support relates to their plan goals and approved funding. An ADHD diagnosis does not automatically guarantee NDIS access or funding.
How often are ADHD OT sessions recommended?
There isn’t a standard recommended schedule for everyone with ADHD. How many sessions your OT recommends depends on your goals, assessment findings, the type of support you need and how strategies will be practised between your appointments.
Book an Appointment With Our Melbourne Team
Book an initial consultation with Tilegne Therapy to start exploring practical support for the routines, responsibilities or environments ADHD is making difficult in your life.
