Small Group Intensive
Therapy Programs

Kids World Paediatric Therapy offers small-group Intensive Therapy Programs during selected school holidays. The programs provide children with an opportunity to work towards their occupational therapy goals through focused sessions held over four consecutive days.

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Programs typically consist of two-hour sessions each day for four consecutive days and are available to children who are already attending occupational therapy at Kids World. They are held during school holidays as this allows children to attend on consecutive days without the demands of their usual school schedule.

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Our therapists use the DIR® model (Developmental, Individual-differences, Relationship-based) when delivering our Intensive Therapy Programs. They consider each child's developmental capacities, individual sensory and motor processing differences and relationships when planning and adapting the program to support their individual needs and goals.

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Why Intensive Therapy?

 

The intensive format provides repeated opportunities for children to explore, practise and build on skills across consecutive days.

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Therapists can build on experiences and relationships from the previous day while they are still familiar, adapting activities and challenges as children become more comfortable, confident and engaged.

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The two-hour format also provides time for children to settle into the group, engage in a range of therapeutic activities and develop meaningful interactions with their peers.

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Over the four days, therapists can observe how children respond to different experiences and adjust the environment, activities and level of support to help each child participate successfully.

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Supporting Functional Emotional Development

 

An important part of the DIR® model is understanding a child's Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities (FEDCs).

These capacities describe how children use relationships and emotional experiences to support their development. They include the ability to regulate and engage with the world, connect with others, participate in purposeful back-and-forth communication, solve problems together, create and share ideas, and develop increasingly complex ways of thinking and interacting.

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A small-group intensive provides rich opportunities to support these capacities through genuine interactions with peers.

For example, children may have opportunities to:

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• Maintain regulation and engagement while participating in a group

• Develop connection and shared enjoyment with others

• Initiate and respond during back-and-forth interactions

• Communicate their ideas, preferences and needs

• Work with others to solve problems

• Manage differences in ideas and unexpected changes

• Develop flexibility and increasingly complex social problem-solving

• Create, negotiate and build on shared ideas through play and activities

 

The aim is not to teach children a prescribed set of social behaviours. Instead, therapists support each child's capacity to connect, communicate and participate in ways that are meaningful and authentic to them.

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Tailored to the Children Attending

 

Kids World does not use a one-size-fits-all program for our holiday intensives.

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Each program is planned around the developmental profiles, strengths, interests and therapeutic goals of the children participating. Activities are adapted throughout the four days in response to the needs and dynamics of the group.

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The Individual-differences component of DIR® is particularly important. Our therapists consider how each child processes sensory information, regulates their body and emotions, plans and coordinates movement, communicates and responds to different environments.

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Depending on the children attending, therapy may provide opportunities to support:

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• Emotional regulation

• Sensory processing

• Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities

• Social participation and connection

• Communication

• Flexibility and problem-solving

• Motor planning and coordination

• Independence and self-management

• Confidence and self-advocacy

• Participation in everyday activities

 

The focus of each intensive varies because the program is designed around the children rather than expecting children to fit into a predetermined program.

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Thoughtful Group Matching

 

Creating the right group of children is an important part of planning each intensive.

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Our occupational therapists consider factors such as age, developmental capacities, communication style, sensory and regulation needs, motor planning, interests, personality and individual therapy goals when determining which children may work well together.

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We also consider what each child may bring to the group. A thoughtful match can create opportunities for children to learn from one another, share interests, experience different ideas and develop increasingly complex interactions within supportive relationships.

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For this reason, submitting an expression of interest does not guarantee a place in an Intensive Therapy Program. A program can proceed when we are able to form a suitable group of children.

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Individual Goals Within a Small Group

 

Although children participate in a small group, each child continues to work towards their own occupational therapy goals.

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The same activity can provide very different therapeutic opportunities for different children. One child may be working on remaining regulated while navigating an unexpected change, while another may be developing motor planning, communicating an idea, negotiating with a peer or participating in increasingly complex shared problem-solving.

Our occupational therapists carefully structure and adapt activities, the environment and the level of support throughout each session.

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Using a DIR® approach, therapists follow children's interests and motivations to encourage engagement while introducing developmentally appropriate challenges that support each child's individual goals and Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities.

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Learning Through Relationships and Shared Experiences

 

Relationships are central to the DIR® model and to our Intensive Therapy Programs.

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The small-group environment creates opportunities that aren't always available during individual occupational therapy. Children experience the natural give-and-take of being with others, with opportunities to share ideas, negotiate, collaborate, solve problems, manage unexpected changes and enjoy activities together.

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Rather than directing every interaction, therapists carefully support and scaffold experiences as they unfold. This might involve helping a child remain regulated enough to stay engaged, supporting communication between peers, adapting an activity to enable successful participation or creating opportunities for children to work through a problem together.

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These real interactions provide valuable opportunities for children to extend their developmental capacities within meaningful relationships.

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Supporting Progress Beyond the Program

 

Our goal is for the experiences and skills developed during the intensive to support each child's participation beyond the four-day program.

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Therapists consider what they have learned about each child's regulation, sensory and motor processing, Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities and interactions with others, and how this can inform their ongoing occupational therapy.

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We also work with parents and carers to help them understand their child's progress and identify strategies that can support continued development and participation outside the therapy room.

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Who Can Participate?

 

Kids World's Intensive Therapy Programs are available to children who are already attending occupational therapy at Kids World.

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Having an existing therapeutic relationship means our therapists already have an understanding of each child's developmental profile, Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities, individual sensory and motor differences, strengths, interests, support needs and therapy goals.

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This knowledge is particularly important when determining which children are likely to form a suitable therapeutic group and how each child can be supported within the intensive.

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Programs are offered during selected school holidays and are dependent on therapist availability and our ability to form an appropriate group.

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Expressions of Interest

 

Before each Intensive Therapy Program, Kids World invites expressions of interest from families of eligible children.

Our occupational therapists then consider the children interested in participating and determine whether suitable groups can be formed.

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If your child currently attends Kids World and you would like to know more about an upcoming Intensive Therapy Program, please speak with your child's occupational therapist or contact our administration team.