Over ten days, each participant worked one-on-one with experienced Occupational Therapists to build the skills that mattered most to them. Although they all arrived with different goals, they shared the same objective: becoming more independent in the things that matter most.
For 16-year-old Jade, that meant learning everyday skills like washing and brushing her hair, zipping up a jacket, buttoning a cardigan, folding and putting away clothes, and cutting hard foods using a knife and fork.
Seven-year-old Sophie travelled all the way from Jakarta, Indonesia, to work towards goals like pouring drinks with two hands, putting on socks, cleaning her glasses, peeling fruit and using both hands together more effectively.
Local participant Jailee focused on a combination of gross and fine motor goals, including riding a bike without training wheels, skipping, cutting with scissors and opening food packets independently.
HABIT-ILE (Hand-Arm Bimanual Intensive Training Including Lower Extremities) is an evidence-based intensive therapy program that helps children achieve meaningful goals through carefully structured practice.
The program begins long before children attempt the goal itself.
Clinical Lead and Occupational Therapist Ella Teague explains that preparation begins well before participants arrive. Families are asked to record videos of their child attempting each goal at home, allowing therapists to carefully analyse every movement and identify exactly what is getting in the way before the program even begins.
“We look at every second of a task and ask, what’s stopping this child from being successful? Is it strength? Timing? Hand position? Balance? Once we understand that, we build those foundation skills first before putting everything back together.”
Rather than asking children to simply repeat the task they want to achieve, therapists break every goal into smaller components.
Strength, posture, grip, balance, coordination and problem-solving are developed through carefully designed games and activities before children begin practising the full task.
This structured approach means every activity has a purpose, even if it doesn’t immediately resemble the final goal.
The intensive format gives children 65 hours of supported practice across 10 days, allowing them to repeat meaningful movements many times with immediate feedback from experienced therapists.
Because every goal is chosen by the child and family, the activities remain motivating and relevant.
As Ella explains:
“We hide the practice inside the game. The children think they’re playing, but they’re actually practising the exact movement they need to achieve their goal.”
"This is the first time Jailee participated in this program. She hasn't had regular OT and physio sessions since she started school this year. HABIT-ILE is a great program to catch-up and work on her goals. Jailee had so much fun during the 2 weeks. She loved Maddie, Bethan, and Ella. They were all very patient with Jailee. They had a lot of fun activities that helped Jailee with her goals. She also made friends with the other participants. I’m hoping that she can do this again next year. Thank you again to everyone involved."
“This is the first time Jailee participated in this program. She hasn’t had regular OT and physio sessions since she started school this year. HABIT-ILE is a great program to catch-up and work on her goals. Jailee had so much fun during the 2 weeks. She loved Maddie, Bethan, and Ella. They were all very patient with Jailee. They had a lot of fun activities that helped Jailee with her goals. She also made friends with the other participants. I’m hoping that she can do this again next year. Thank you again to everyone involved.”
Pauline
Jailee’s Mum
The program concludes with a graduation where families watch participants demonstrate the goals they are most proud of achieving.
Parents also receive a detailed handover from their child’s therapist explaining how each goal was achieved and practical strategies to help maintain those skills at home and continue building on them after the program finishes.
The intensive was made possible by a dedicated team of Occupational Therapists, Western Sydney University Occupational Therapy students and volunteers, who provided one-to-one support throughout the program.
Congratulations again to Jade, Sophie and Jailee on everything they achieved. We look forward to seeing what they accomplish next.
