Occupational Therapy

Author: Jake Robinson, Paediatric Occupational Therapist
5 min read

Meltdowns – we’ve all been there, because all children have them at some point or another. Have you ever wondered why they always happen at the most inopportune moments, like when you’re trying to leave the house, running into the shops to grab milk, or even when things seem like fun. As parents we need to be able to identify when our child needs support to help their body find a regulated state. Caroline Kranowitz’s ‘seven drops’ for when disaster strikes offer some simple strategies to use to avoid or manage a meltdown.“

Next time your little one is struggling to keep their cool, remember these seven drops for when disaster strikes.

Drop your voice

When a child is explosive, demanding, and needs immediate ‘emotional first-aid’ we need to lower the volume of our voice. Words can be hard for children to understand and interpret, especially in a heightened emotional state. Dropping your voice is a powerful way to reduce the expectations and demands on your child in that moment. Dropping your voice can look like:

• Whispers
• Gestures only
• Facial expressions

Drop your body – get down on the child’s level

Research about stress and early brain development shows that children relax when caregivers are physically on their level. When you are down on a child’s level they are better able to relate and read a person’s intentions, which reduces anxieties around the situation. By getting down on the child level and to the side of them you are reducing yourself as an imposing figure, making it easier for children to gain visual information (body language) and connection. 

Drop what you are doing

As parents you don’t get many moments to yourself, often you want to just relax and watch a show, read a book, or just focus your attention on a task. In these moments it can be easy to get caught up in these activities and dismiss your child seeking you out. By dropping what you are doing you are seizing the moment to relate to your child in a positive and meaningful way. This can be as simple as pausing a show to watch your child do a cartwheel, or closing your work computer to answer your child questions. These moments are precious and you may not have another opportunity to connect like that again.

Drop your guard

No one likes to see their child struggling or upset. But it’s okay to let your child take risks, although they must be safe risks. Taking safe risks is how children learn and develop new skills. You won’t always be able to protect your child from difficulties in life. Children are bound to make mistakes and face challenges throughout their lives, but they must learn and develop their own way to cope and recover.

Drop you defences

Your child is not having a meltdown for fun, it’s not something that feels good for them. It’s not fun for you either. People may stare, shake their heads, and judge you as a parent. It is important to remember that these people don’t understand your child and the challenges they’re facing. In these moments it is easy to become defensive towards others, but instead you should meet it. Address people if needed and explain your situation, “My child has a neurological condition, this makes it hard for them to process sensory information in busy settings without becoming overwhelmed. So can you please give us some time and space”. 

Drop your Batteries

Put your phones away and have a moment to connect. These moments are few and far between and will be gone before you know it. Electronic devices can be a dampener on a child’s want to experience and gain new physical and mental activities. Active bodies and brains are a child’s source of energy and learning. Hands-on play will always beat battery powered toys. 

Drop your misconceptions that fun is frivolous

We are all born to be pleasure-seekers, everyone has a desire for fun and enjoyment. For children, good sensations are neither an ‘extra’ or a reward, they are a necessity for life and learning. Fun does not have to be a complex game with rules, it can be as simple as pulling faces, making noises, or dancing to music in the background.

To explore the seven drops for when disaster strikes further, check Caroline Kranowitz’s “The Out of Sync Child”. 

Working with an occupational therapist can help you identify the strategies that will best support your child’s regulation. Get in touch for a friendly chat about your family’s needs.

Simply put, treatment intensives involve therapy in high frequency over a short period of time. This approach can accelerate progress when applied under the right circumstances. So, how do you know if this approach is right for your child?

Author: Jake Robinson, Paediatric Occupational Therapist
5 min read

What are treatment intensives?

In the world of Occupational Therapy intensives refer to participating in a high volume of sessions over a short period of time. This form of therapy is targeted to address specific challenges and goals. Intensive formats of therapy can include multiple sessions within a day or multiple sessions over a one to two week period. 

Intensives can provide children and their families with new tools to address and support significant changes to a child’s daily functioning.

What can I expect from an intensive? 

Intensives can cover a wide range of challenges and goals for a child, as such, families are asked to narrow down a specific goal or challenge for the intensive to focus on. Research suggests that intensive therapy provides a greater opportunity for summative gains in sensory, motor and social emotional performance. Intensives provide a cumulative effect, where children and parents are able to practice and build on strengthening and skills obtained in previous sessions.

Who can benefit from treatment intensives?

Treatment intensives are beneficial for children with a variety of diagnoses. At MoveAbout, our therapists support many children with diagnoses such as Autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, Down Syndrome, Anxiety, as well as children that experience a range of challenges impacting their participation in daily life.  

Intensive programs are commonly run to support children within a range of areas including: 

• Gross Motor skills
• Fine Motor skills
• Emotional regulation capacities
• Sensory processing
• Social skills
• Communication skills
• Attention and engagement capacities
• Motor planning skills
• Play abilities
• Functional daily living skills, e.g. feeding, dressing

Therapy intensives are effective tools to stimulate an increased rate of positive progress, and are designed to complement your child’s ongoing therapy program.

If you think your child could benefit from this intensive approach, speak with your therapist about what’s involved. This will determine how suitable it is for your child and your family. 

For more information about treatment intensives or to make an enquiry about an assessment for your child, contact MoveAbout Therapy Services and you’ll be connected with an experienced and compassionate paediatric OT.

Author: Kim Berry, Paediatric Occupational Therapist
8 min read

Why self-regulation can help your child cope.

The ability to self-regulate is one of the most important supporting factors in relation to a child’s resilience. So, how do you build resilience in your child?“

If you’re a parent of a school-aged child, chances are you’ve heard teachers, friends and parenting experts talk about the importance of resilience. It’s been one of those buzzwords that have been used a whole lot throughout the pandemic with all of the changes our kids have had to manage… but rarely do we hear about why it’s important and how to build resilience in our children. 

What is resilience?

Resilience is broadly defined as the ability to recover from setbacks, adapt to change, and keep going in the face of challenges. It’s getting back on your bike with a grazed knee, turning up week after week when you’re on the losing soccer team, having the courage to make a new friend when your best friend moves away, or accepting why you needed to repeat at school and giving it your best the second time round. 

These common childhood scenarios shouldn’t be viewed as insignificant. In particular, some of these childhood obstacles can stir up feelings of disappointment, embarrassment, hurt, or fear of change, which can feel all-consuming. Dealing with these experiences might be met with mood swings, emotional outbursts and further challenges to participate, communicate and progress. 

What is self-regulation?

These responses indicate challenges with self-regulation, which is an important factor in supporting a child’s resilience. Self-regulation is the ability to manage your own emotions, behaviour, and thoughts in relation to the demands placed on us.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, the young brain is incredible. We know that in early childhood years, children are well on their way to developing their regulation skills as they begin to mimic and practise what is happening around them. For example, toddlers start to find ways to soothe themselves, play cooperatively and share toys.  

So what can you do if your child is struggling with self-regulation? Firstly… stay calm! Resilience and self-regulation develop through co-regulation. This comes from interactions, support, coaching, and modelling of regulation strategies provided by caregivers or trusted adults (e.g. teacher, relatives). As children get older, the level of co-regulatory support they require from the caring adults around them tends to reduce as their self-regulation skills increase. 

How can you build resilience?

Here are some important things to consider when supporting your child’s regulation:

• Provide a warm, responsive relationship where your child feels safe to learn, come to you for support, and make mistakes – in fact, embrace your own mistakes as well! Talk to your child if you make a mistake (e.g. accidentally putting salt instead of sugar in your tea… meaning you have to make it all over again!). Make sure you also show your child how you recovered from the mistake; 

• Model your own regulation strategies and linked emotions (e.g. “Oh no, my tea tastes salty! I’m so mad that I have to make another one all over again. I’m going to take a deep breath in and a looooong breath out before I go back to the kitchen”);  
• Create consistent and predictable routines and expectations, such as regular bedtime and morning routines;
• Give time and space for your child to experience different emotions and provide validation for what they are feeling; 
• Seek support from your child’s teachers and other trusted adults, and ensure they understand your child’s challenges with regulation;

Self-regulation is at the heart of a child’s resilience. Helping to build resilience today will benefit them for life. 

For more information about self-regulation or to make an enquiry about an assessment for your child, contact MoveAbout Therapy Services. You’ll be connected with an experienced and compassionate paediatric OT.

Author: Kim Berry, Paediatric Occupational Therapist
3 min read

Boys are diagnosed with autism at a greater rate than girls.

Our understanding of autism in Australia has improved significantly in recent years. As our thinking has evolved, it has become apparent that there may be a difference in the way that characteristics of autism present in girls and boys.“

Kim Berry

While everyone’s experiences of autism are different, there are some characteristics that boys on the spectrum are likely to display in two areas:

• Social communication and interaction
• Repetitive or restricted behaviour, interests or activities

It is generally accepted that the rate at which boys in Australia are diagnosed with autism is higher than in girls. There is thought to be a 4 or 3:1 ratio of boys diagnosed as being on the spectrum compared to girls, although most researchers also accept that this is not likely to be a true reflection of the prevalence of autism across the country.

There are no conclusive or universally accepted reasons as to why more boys are diagnosed with autism. Although, this has increasingly been an area of interest for researchers in recent years.

Some of the reasons that have been suggested for this disparity include:

• A longstanding perception that autism is a ‘male condition’.
• Tools used to support a diagnosis may be biassed towards identifying the characteristics more commonly displayed by boys.
• Boys with characteristics of autism are more easily identified by parents, carers, teachers or health professionals.
• Boys are likely to be diagnosed much earlier than girls, even when their severity levels are similar.

So what can autism in boys look like?

• not responding to their name.
• avoiding eye contact.
• not smiling when you smile at them.
• getting very upset if they do not like a certain taste, smell or sound.
• repetitive movements, such as flapping their hands, flicking their fingers or rocking their body.
• not talking as much as other children.

If your son or a child in your care is exhibiting some of these characteristics, it may be helpful to seek professional advice. It’s worth looking into.

Although this may prompt feelings of uncertainty, speaking to a qualified healthcare professional like your GP or an occupational therapist can help you better understand your child’s development. They can also assist in identifying what services you may need.

For more information about autism or to make an enquiry about an occupational therapy assessment for your child, contact MoveAbout Therapy Services. You’ll be connected with an experienced and compassionate paediatric OT.