Paediatric Occupational Therapy in Toronto
Practical occupational therapy for children from four months to eighteen years old, helping kids build the everyday skills that let them get through their day with confidence, here for families across Toronto's east end and the GTA.
In-person are only available on Wednesdays.
Virtual sessions are offered based on availability.
What does Occupational therapy for children look like based on age?
Babies and toddlers - 4 months to 24 months
When one little hand is doing far less than the other, sitting up and rolling look effortful, or play is not unfolding as you expected, early support makes the most of a remarkable window.
Younger children - 3 to 9 years
The bread-and-butter years, when handwriting, getting dressed, focus at school, big feelings and daily routines all matter at once. It’s a lot for a child to learn and feel confident in all of these at once.
Older children and teenagers - 10 and older
As school and daily life ask more of them, OT keeps supporting organization, independence, self-care and emotional regulation, so growing demands do not outpace the skills to meet them.
What Liz can help with
Motor Development
Some children are slower to reach the big movement milestones, or move in a way that looks effortful, uneven or uncertain, and everyday play and activities become something they avoid rather than seek out. We look at the whole picture of how a child moves through their day and build coordination and confidence through activities that feel like play.
Handwriting & Fine Motor
When forming letters is slow or effortful, when a pencil grip never quite settles, or when ideas are not making it onto the page, the difficulty is often fine motor and motor-planning skills rather than in effort or attitude.
Babies & Early Hand Preference
A clear hand preference before a baby's first birthday is worth a look, because in the early months it can sometimes mean one hand is doing less than it could. Liz offers Baby-CIMT and bimanual therapy, play-based approaches that encourage little hands back into the action during the most important developmental stages.
Self-care & Daily Living
Getting dressed, managing buttons and zippers, using cutlery and toileting are genuine skills, and when they are harder than expected they wear away at both independence and confidence.
Focus, Planning & Executive Function
If a child experiences difficulty starting, or faces challenges staying on course throughout a task, the missing piece is often executive function rather than motivation. We build those planning and attention skills inside the tasks children use in their daily lives.
Emotional Regulation
Holding it together through a long day is a skill like any other. Some children have not yet built the tools to manage strong emotions, especially when their reserves are spent.
We help children build practical ways to notice and manage those feelings, so that daily life feels more manageable.
Equipment
The right small change to a child's environment, or the right piece of equipment, can make daily tasks manageable.
Liz can advise on practical adaptations and home set-up that support a child's independence and safety.
Why Families Choose Liz
Building Skills Together is led by Liz Cambridge, a registered occupational therapist who completed her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto in 2017 and has spent the last eight years in pediatric rehabilitation.
Alongside her work here, she practices at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, and her experience includes SickKids and other leading pediatric settings, supporting children with cerebral palsy, developmental differences and the whole range of everyday challenges that growing up brings.
Her focus is the whole child rather than any single skill in isolation, with particular depth in Baby-CIMT and bimanual therapy, and a warm, play-based approach built around meeting each child where they are.
Visit us on the Danforth - serving Toronto's east end and GTA
Building Skills Together is on Danforth Avenue, easy to reach for families across Toronto's East end. We see children from Danforth and Greektown, Riverdale, Leslieville, the Beaches and East York, and from across the wider GTA. If you are interested in working with Liz, but live a little further away, please enquire about virtual therapy.
Building Skills Together — Paediatric Occupational Therapy
1822 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON
Phone: 647-471-8103(click-to-call)
Email: Liz@buildingskillstogether.com
A short walk from the Danforth subway line and street parking nearby.
Getting in the door is easy. Our space is wheelchair and stroller accessible, with an accessible washroom and a change table, so a visit is comfortable whether you are arriving with a baby, a mobility aid, or a child who needs a little more room.
Getting started is simple
You do not need a doctor's referral to begin occupational therapy, so you are welcome to reach out directly whenever something is on your mind.
The simplest first step is a free fifteen-minute fit call, a short and relaxed conversation where we can talk through what you are noticing and whether OT is the right fit for your child, with no pressure and nothing to prepare.
Many extended health plans cover occupational therapy, often under a health practitioners or rehabilitation heading, and we are glad to provide receipts you can submit to your insurer. It is always worth checking the details of your own plan since coverage varies.
FAQ
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No. You can contact us directly and book without a doctor's referral. Some families do come on the suggestion of a paediatrician, family doctor or teacher, but is not required.
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As a rough guide, worries about how the body itself moves point toward physiotherapy, and worries about the doing of everyday life point toward occupational therapy. When you genuinely cannot tell, which is very common, that is exactly what a free intake and fit call is for.
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Sessions are 1 hour and the number of visits depend on what your child is working on. We discuss the plan openly from the very start, so you are never guessing. The intake call is a good place to ask, and we will always be honest with you about what we think could help.
If something about your child's day is on your mind, the easiest place to start is a short, no-pressure conversation, where we offer a clearer idea of whether OT could help.
Request a free 15-minute intake call or call 647-471-8103.·
Serving families across Toronto's east end.