Have you ever seen a meerkat on look out? The sentry meerkat stands on its hind legs, often using its tail as support, or perch in a bush or tree, scanning for danger.  Alert. Ready to react. They freeze in position, call out and retreat quickly. They can't do anything else when they have this role. It doesn't take much for the alarm bells to start ringing. While our sensory sensitive children are not exactly like sentinal meerkats, I'm reminded that they may react more quickly and more intensely than others to sensory information. Their internal "alarm bells" are ready to sound a ..read more

"Wait what?" This is the phrase that I think of when I think of someone who is exhibits a "bystander sensory profile".  We are looking at how our central nervous system manages sensory information in the world we live in.  In my last blog. I provided a general overview of how Winnie Dunn describes this in her assessment (Sensory Profile-2).  Head back to my last blog post for this overview.  Dunn describes the "bystander sensory profile" as having low registration.  Others use the term "low arousal".  The child (or person) has a high sensory threshold, passive ..read more

Every day we are bombarded with different senses in our world.  How do we respond to those senses? Do we stop to smell the roses? (I prefer peonies but also happy to smell the roses) Do we try to avoid them (walking to the other side of the street)?  Did you miss the fact there were roses on your walk? Did the smell annoy you and cause you to scrunch up your face? We are all unique.  This means that we all process senses in different ways.  Some of our children have difficulty coping with the senses in the world they live in.  It can affect their ability to get dr ..read more

Burn out is real! It is often joked about as a "midlife crisis" but I have heard from new therapists that even after a year of working, they can feel burn out. The barriers to doing our jobs are real.  Child and parent disengagement. Feeling undervalued or de-valued. Service delivery challenges - high caseload numbers, changing systems, lack of funds, high KPIs (key performance indicators). Emotional Exhaustion. De-personalization of services.  More and more therapists are considering career changes.  In my study of the literature about the "Therapeutic Use of Self", I fo ..read more

Lego masters. Metal shop masters. Domino masters.  The Big Flower Fight. Masterchef. I have a confession to make. I'm addicted to reality television "making" shows.  Don't get me wrong, I love creating things myself but there is something about seeing others respond to crazy challenges that makes me smile.  Over the years, I've also seen children respond to "challenges" set for them.  They may not use as much engineering as the shows I've mentioned, however it has the same drive behind it.  Do something within restrictions given; challenge your problem solving and ..read more

I am brave! ​I am unique! I am kind! I am loved! I matter! Positive affirmations are not just "lovely sayings" or "rheteric". The research tells us that positive or self affirmations can help to reduce stress and to improve well being. They can help a person to reflect on self worth and reduce the affect of negative emotions, reduce reactivity to potential threats and improve relationship outcomes. MRI evidence suggest that certain neural pathways are increased when people practice self-affirmation tasks.  I can do hard things! I can learn from my mistakes! I can make mistakes (and th ..read more

There has been a lot said about what makes a "good toy".  Something fun?  Something educational? Something to promote skills? Something interactive?  I will let you in on a not-so-secret thought... the best toy is not something but someone.  Children seek relationship.  They are born with a need for attachment.  In the early years of child development, the most valuable "toy" is the ability to interact with you as a parent.  As therapists we can see the attachment children form with us too.  In interacting with your children, you can become attune ..read more

Happy Birthday to me! Your Kids OT is celebrating it's 10th Birthday! Hip hip Hooray for 10 years! As I look back on the last 10 years there are so many reflections that I want to make.  The first blog article was written was published on January 31st, 2014.  I was so nervous hitting the first "publish" button (even though I don't know how many other people outside my friends and family read it)! When I read back on the first blog (you can find it HERE), I outline the goals of the blog and why I wanted to start it! I think that I've pretty much achieved what I set out to achieve ..read more

The very beginning is a very good place to start. A new year seems the appropriate time to go to the "fundamentals". A parent of a potential client contacted me recently asking about occupational therapy services.  Whilst I think there is an increasing awareness about occupational therapy in the community, what we do, how we can work with children... this family were not sure.  They asked me if I provided speech services... which inadvertently told me that they really didn't understand what occupational therapy was all about.  We use a lot of "jargon" in occupational therapy ..read more

 Christmas is almost here! Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I don't think you can help (at least in Sydney, Australia) sense the mood and frenzy associated with Christmas.  The shops are buzzing, school children are beginning their holidays, roads are busier and perhaps a few tempers are rising.  This can be a difficult time of the year for some families.  There are expectations. There is grief.  There is also sillines and craziness in hyperdrive for others.   I've put together a few tips to help us all (regardless if you have a child with a disabi ..read more