In Vijayawada and across coastal Andhra Pradesh, a worried parent usually starts with the family paediatrician, who is often quick to say "let's wait and watch" or, if more concerned, points families towards Hyderabad or Vellore for a proper occupational therapy assessment. That is a long trip to make for a first conversation, and an even longer one to repeat every few weeks for ongoing therapy sessions.
Why Families in Vijayawada Look Beyond the City
Vijayawada has strong general paediatric and hospital care, but pediatric occupational therapy - the specific therapy for sensory processing, fine motor skills, delayed milestones and school readiness - remains concentrated in a handful of larger cities. Families from Vijayawada, as well as smaller towns like Guntur, Eluru and Machilipatnam that route through the city for medical care, often find a diagnosis faster than they find a therapist who can actually work with their child regularly.
What Online Occupational Therapy Looks Like
Dr. Charu Arora works with families across India through structured online consultations, using guided play and simple home activities that parents or grandparents carry out between sessions. A session typically involves a video call where the therapist observes your child, demonstrates an activity, and talks you through exactly how to repeat it using things already in your home. Progress is tracked the same way it would be in person, through regular review sessions.
Who This Tends to Help
- Children with delayed milestones, sensory sensitivities, or fine and gross motor difficulties
- School-age children struggling with handwriting, attention or classroom participation
- Families who travelled once for a diagnosis but have no way to continue regular therapy locally
- Joint families where grandparents are closely involved and want practical, simple guidance
What a First Online Consultation Involves
The first session is mostly conversation and observation. Dr. Charu Arora asks about your child's daily routine, school feedback, developmental history and any reports you already have, then watches your child through guided play on the video call to see how they move, respond and engage. By the end of it, you typically have a clear sense of what is going on and a short list of activities to start at home, with a plan for how often to check back in.
What This Does Not Replace
Online sessions work well for guided parent-led therapy and for monitoring progress, but some situations genuinely call for in-person, hands-on assessment first - particularly for very young children or complex physical presentations. In those cases, we are honest about it, and can advise on what to look for in a local evaluation before starting online sessions.
Visiting Delhi
If your family is visiting Delhi, an in-person session is possible at one of our East Delhi clinics in Gagan Vihar, Rishabh Vihar or Shahdara Durgapuri, though this is an optional add-on rather than the basis of care - most families continue entirely online between any visits, whether they live in Vijayawada itself or in one of the smaller towns around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have a clinic in Vijayawada or anywhere in Andhra Pradesh?
No, we do not have a clinic in Vijayawada or elsewhere in Andhra Pradesh. We work with families there entirely through online consultations with Dr. Charu Arora, with in-person sessions available only at our East Delhi clinics if you are visiting Delhi.
How does an occupational therapist assess my child without being in the same room?
Through a video consultation, the therapist asks detailed questions, observes your child doing simple guided tasks and play activities over the call, and reviews videos you share of daily routines. This builds a clear picture that she uses to design a home-based plan with you.
Is online occupational therapy as effective as an in-person clinic visit?
For many children, particularly for sensory, fine motor, play and school readiness goals, consistent online sessions with active parent involvement work well. For certain complex or very young cases, an in-person evaluation first is genuinely better, and we will tell you honestly if that applies to your child.
My child was assessed in Hyderabad. Can you continue therapy from there?
Yes. Many families bring a prior assessment or report from Hyderabad, Vellore or elsewhere, and Dr. Charu Arora reviews it before starting online sessions, so you are not starting from zero or duplicating an assessment you have already paid for.
