Pediatric occupational therapy in Malibu for hands, bodies, and senses

Malibu homes, plus schools once you agree in writing and the school says yes. Video works too.

A preschool or daycare can also host sessions. When a school says yes, our team gets in touch with the staff beforehand to plan the visit and the space. Want an office evaluation instead? On request, it can happen at a private office in Westlake Village. From December 1, 2026, the soft play area at our new clinic, 1,000 square feet in size, will be available for OT evaluations too.

Skills a child uses all day: hands, balance and movement, dressing and eating, and handling sensations.

Our handwriting and fine motor therapy builds grip, letter shapes, cutting, and buttoning. Some children are overwhelmed by sound, touch, or motion, and some seek out more of it; sensory integration therapy is for both. If skills are arriving late, there is developmental delay therapy. An OT can lead feeding therapy when that is the right fit.

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified's programs guide gives examples of fine motor skills. They include cutting with scissors, writing letters inside the lines, and fitting puzzle pieces together. The guide says school OTs may work with teachers on sensory strategies.

School physical therapists help students who need support with large motor skills, the same guide says. That includes getting around the school and using playground equipment.

Teens are welcome too, since we see children up to 18. A session could take place at a middle school, too, with your written okay and the school's agreement. One example is Malibu Middle on Morning View Drive, a public school for grades 6 to 8.

At city parks with playgrounds. The City of Malibu says Malibu Bluffs Park, at Pacific Coast Highway and Malibu Canyon Road, has a playground suitable for ages 2 to 12.

The city lists both Malibu Bluffs Park and Trancas Canyon Park as ADA accessible. Trancas Canyon Park also has a playground and picnic shelters.

The city says its Parent and Me classes help children build thinking, social, and motor skills. An adult plays alongside the child.

Yes, for babies who qualify. Malibu is in Westside Regional Center's area. Its Early Start eligibility criteria include a delay of a quarter (25 percent) or more in physical and motor development or another area.

The Tri-City SELPA Early Start Program, which Santa Monica-Malibu Unified lists on its site, also works with some children from birth to 3. It is for those whose disability is solely a low incidence one, such as hearing loss, a visual impairment, or an orthopedic impairment. Its family-centered services happen at home, and a classroom part can begin at 18 months.

Children and young adults under 21 with certain eligible physical disabilities may also qualify for the county's Medical Therapy Program, part of California Children's Services. It gives free, medically necessary physical and occupational therapy to eligible patients, and it works with school districts and regional centers.

Days. Your child's OT evaluation happens no later than 3 business days after the free consultation.

Malibu children can have a first OT session 5 days after the call, while the report is still being written. The report reaches you within 14 business days of the evaluation, and a therapy plan comes too if OT is recommended. In October 2026, our home and video OT had no line of families waiting.

Learn how the pediatric OT evaluation in Malibu works.

Rachel Yashouafar, MA, OTR/L, directs our OT work. She co-founded the practice and still sees children.

If your plan allows it, yes. Village, our insurance partner, handles the billing, and your coverage gets checked on the free call.

TRICARE can be billed through Village, as can PPO plans from several major insurers. Village asks its own fee at each visit. When you pay privately, you get a superbill to file with your insurer. Learn how Village billing works, or review the payment options.