Occupational Therapist - Team Leader

Ellena Oakes

I get to spend the day playing, problem solving and thinking outside the box to help make a positive impact on a child and their family's lives.

Some Fun Facts About Ellena

Where were you born / Where did you grow up?  Brisbane

 

What did you love to do as a kid?  Ride my bike in the cul-de-sac with all the neighbourhood kids (there was 12 of us).

 

What did you want to be when you were growing up?  A lawyer – until I found out how much time you spend reading documents compared to being in court!

 

What is your favourite food?  Pasta & pavlova

 

Tell us an interesting fact about you.  I once got to take an unreleased blockbuster movie around London in a taxi for a day.

Ellena enjoys working with babies and children with movement difficulties including cerebral palsy and acquired brain injury. She has worked for over 15 years in a broad range of paediatric settings both in Australia and the UK including tertiary hospitals, community centres, educational environments, private practice and children’s homes.

She is currently also a research occupational therapist working in home based early intervention studies for babies at high risk of cerebral palsy using parent coaching, environmental enrichment, and active motor learning. 

Ellena has a passion for the use of technology to enable all children to access communication, education and age-appropriate play and leisure activities. 

She loves working with families and thinking outside the box to find novel and effective ways to help children reach their potential. 

Ellena has extensive experience with upper limb casting and splinting and is trained in Cognitive Orientation to Occupational Performance (CO-OP), Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC) and The Perceive, Recall, Plan Perform System (PRPP). She is also an accredited assessor for the following assessments:

·       General Movements Assessment

·       Hand Infant Assessment (HAI)

·       Mini-Assisting Hand Assessment (mini AHA)

·       Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA)

·       Both Hands Assessment (BoHA)

·       Bayleys Scales of Infant/Toddler Development

Ellena is a member of OT Australia and works from our Cleveland clinic and as a mobile therapist.