At Gymworks, our focus is on helping children to develop the skills they need every day through creative and dynamic occupational therapy.
Our unique approach is based on a range of sensory, motor, perceptual and cognitive-based activities that give every child the opportunity to engage in and love learning.
The Gymworks approach
We believe the most effective way to help children develop fundamental skills is through a combined sensory-motor and PRPP approach. PRPP is a problem-solving method that stands for Perceive, Recall, Plan, Perform. It encourages children to use their own thinking skills to learn how to solve problems and adapt their performance. By using this combined approach, your child learns and develops core skills through active movement and problem solving.
Our multi-sensorial gym is a key aspect of our sensory-motor methodology and provides a wonderful environment to practise listening, attention, memory and movement. It features three different stations for fundamental movement, balance and strength, a flying fox, a trampoline, a foam pit, a variety of suspended equipment, and balance beams. Each week, the gym is set up completely differently to keep the children interested, promote listening skills and help with new motor planning.
We use theme-based learning to engage the children, make their therapy more interactive, and help kids who need to practise their language skills and learn to follow instructions. Every term features a different theme like animals, space or fairy tales, and with each new theme, our gym is completely transformed. As well as motivating children and developing their imagination, this helps fearful children to overcome their fears by focusing their attention on something interesting instead.
Learning through memory and listening
We know that memory is an important part of development, and in order to learn, children need to be able to process and remember instructions. This is why we embed memory and listening skills into every task. But we do this in a way that also promotes problem-solving. We give children guidance and prompts, and in doing so, encourage them to think for themselves and work out how to perform the instruction.
Individual approach in a group setting
Our therapy sessions are run in small, social groups that mimic a classroom environment. This allows your child to interact, share and turn-take with children their age, just as they would at school or at the playground. By learning with other children, your child is much more likely to succeed and to be able to apply the skills learned in therapy at home or in the classroom.
Our therapists give the children ongoing feedback so they can continue to improve. This is a crucial step in the learning process as it encourages your child to listen, think about what they’re doing and work out how to correct their performance. We also provide feedback to the parents at the end of each session.
Gymworks Occupational Therapists
We’re passionate about helping children overcome challenges by making learning fun and engaging. Our dynamic therapists are specially trained to use a problem-solving approach to help children learn to think for themselves and work independently at home and at school.
Every one of our therapists is fully qualified, registered as a Medicare Enhanced Primary Care Provider and undertakes continuous professional development.
BappSC OT 1989
BappSC OT 2019
BappSC OT 2012
BappSC OT 1984
BappSC OT 2013
Rhianna de Vries
BappSC OT 2017
BappSC OT 1993
BappSc OT 1995
BappSC OT 2000
BappSC OT 2017
BESS 2009, MOT 2012
BappSC OT 1998