Blog

How do Occupational Therapists Help with Sensory Processing Disorder?

Occupational Therapists cover a broad scope of practice; however, one thing that we are commonly known to help with is children with sensory processing [..]

What Is Low Muscle Tone

Have you heard your child being described as having “low muscle tone” but wonder what on earth does it mean?! It’s a question that’s often raised with [..]

Self Care

Mindfulness and Occupational Therapy

Mindfulness is about bringing one’s attention to experiences, being present in the moment and bringing one’s awareness back to one’s self in order to connect [..]

What is a paediatric Occupational Therapist?

Paediatric Occupational Therapists (OT) are regulated health care professionals that work with children and adolescents by assisting them in overcoming unique [..]

Helping My Child Transition Back To School After Lockdown

There’s no doubt that the past few weeks of lockdown and homeschooling have been challenging and at times emotional, however, there may also have been wonderful [..]

What is telehealth and why should I consider it for my child?

How to keep your child engaged in therapy services during Covid 19. The COVID-19 virus has rapidly spiralled in Australia and has caused many changes to life as we [..]

How to find the perfect pencil grip fit?

Ahh, the pencil grip. So many different types and sizes. We’ve all asked the questions - “What is the perfect grip for my child?” or “Is my child’s pencil [..]

How to Teach your Child to Ride a Bike

You may be wondering what are the skills required to ride a bike & how can we teach our children to do so! Bike riding is an excellent opportunity for your [..]

Self Care

Toilet Training Tips

Toilet training and the skills needed for a successful experience If you’re starting to think about toilet training with your child, then you’ve undoubtedly [..]

OT Therapy Tools at Kmart

Kmart is a wonderland when it comes to toys and gadgets for your child. Their affordable toys and stationery are a perfect way to keep your child entertained and [..]

Sensory Strategies for the Classroom

Classrooms are space for learning, exploration and creativity. However, this can sometimes come with a space that is overloaded with different sensory experiences [..]

Fun Activities to Help You Survive January with your Kids

Well the excitement of Christmas is over and the fun of New Year’s Eve has fizzled away. We’ve now hit those long January weeks and it’s at this time kids [..]

Gross motor activities for home

Why is gross motor important for your children? Gross motor is incredibly important in enabling children to perform everyday tasks and have the endurance to [..]

Group Programs

Sense Rugby

For those of you who haven’t heard of Sense Rugby, it’s an Occupational Therapy based program designed to help kids who find it challenging to participate in [..]

Speech Pathology

Lurking in the shadows: Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)

Guest blog written by North Shore Speech Therapy Speech Pathologists often hear comments that the reason for a child’s poor performance at school is simply [..]

Pretend Play

When you hear the word ‘play’, you think of happiness, fun and enjoyment. You also may think that all kids must know how to play and how hard can it be? [..]

What is Proprioception and Why Is It Important?

Proprioception is often known as the sixth sense, as it is a sense that is not commonly known. To put it simply, proprioception is the sense that tells the body [..]

Speech Pathology

What are the milestones to look out for in speech and language development?

Children grow and develop at their own pace. While some might start to walk and talk earlier than expected, others might be delayed. Without the ability to [..]

What is Interoception?

Interoception is often known as the “hidden sense” and is referred to as the eighth sensory system. It is the sense that tells us what is happening [..]

Dyspraxia ( Developmental Co-ordination Disorder) in Children

Remember back in school when there was always that ‘clumsy’ kid, who would easily trip over things, bump into people, was never the best at sport, and appeared [..]

Speech Pathology

What does a paediatric speech pathologist assess and treat?

Guest blog written by Lauren Reinhardt, Director and Speech Pathologist for North Shore Speech Therapy Have you ever wondered what a Speech Pathologist actually [..]

What is Sensory Processing Disorder?

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a complex disorder of the brain that affects both children and adults. People with Sensory Processing Disorder are not able to [..]

Life as an OT student

The in’s and out’s of study, placement, and juggling life commitments as an OT student Written by Merinda Griffith Occupational Therapy, What is it and what [..]

Hypermobility in Children

So you think your child is hypermobile? Guest blog written by Cathy Molloy, Physiotherapist for Just for Kids Physio Hypermobility refers to the ability of a joint [..]

Autism

What does ASPERGER SYNDROME really mean?

We’ve all heard the term Asperger Syndrome, but what does it really mean?! The term was initially derived by Austrian Paediatrician Hans Asperger in the 1940s. To [..]

Occupational Therapy – What to Expect from a Kid’s OT Service

1. Initial Phone Call When you phone an Occupational Therapy practice for children, the person on the end of the line should be engaging and generally interested in [..]

Sydney’s New Inclusive Play Spaces

Time for an adventure: a new park that is inclusive of all children! “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any [..]

Sporting Activities: Our Top OT Recommendations

Moving from the therapy environment to community activities Occupational Therapy is a client-centred health profession concerned with promoting the health and [..]

ADHD and Executive Functioning

Top Summer Fun Activities

Holiday fun activities with an OT Perspective! Well done for making it through the last term of the year – it’s holiday time! The Aussie summer break is an [..]

How Can Occupational Therapy Help Kids with ADHD?

If your child has ADHD, Occupational Therapy sessions can be really beneficial to their development. Read on to find out how we can help your child. At Occupational [..]

Using Creativity to Develop Kids’ Fine Motor Skills

Fun at-home craft can be great for developing your child’s fine motor skills as well as their creativity and imagination. Here, we’ve shared how you can [..]

ADHD and Executive Functioning

Top Online Typing Programmes to Help Your Child Learn to Type

Learning to type is a skill children increasingly need in our tech-reliant world. So learning to type — and learning it correctly! — is important to help set [..]

How Occupational Therapy Can Help Your Child’s Executive Functioning

Learn about how your child could be struggling with their executive functioning and how Occupational Therapy can help them. Think about an executive of a company: [..]

Sensory Processing: Our Learning Journey at the STAR Institute

Our Founder and Director, Lisa Hughes, recently went to the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder in the US, where she participated in an intensive [..]

The Secret to Helping Your Child with Sensory Processing Disorder

Helping your Child with Sensory Processing Disorders… it’s no longer a secret! Occupational Therapy Helping Children’s Founder and Director, Lisa Hughes, [..]

Improving Your Child’s Letter Formations

It’s such an exciting moment when you can see your little one first starting to write their name for the first time! And to see all their (and your) hard work [..]

Improving Your Child’s Pencil Grip

As occupational therapists, teachers and parents often approach us about their children’s awkward pencil grasp. Left unaddressed, pencil grip problems can end up [..]

Nutrition

The Essential Nutrient for Your Child’s Brain

Nutritionist, Amanda Ford, explains Omega-3’s key role in your child’s development and health. If you’ve ever wondered how you can support your child’s [..]

What Exactly is ‘Sensory Processing’?

Have you heard the term ‘sensory processing’, but aren’t too sure what it really means? Don’t worry — you’re far from alone. So today we’re sharing [..]

The Top 10 Books on Sensory Processing

Does your child have a sensory processing disorder and do you or your child’s teacher want to better understand how to help them? Occupational Therapy Helping [..]

Nutrition

How To Survive The Winter Flu Season

Nutritionist Amanda Ford from Zest+Zing shares her top tips for helping your family avoid colds and the flu this winter. With the cold and flu season in full swing, [..]

Developmental Milestones Before Starting School

Is your child four or five years old and starting school next year? Transitioning from preschool to ‘big school’ is an exciting time — and a very big step for [..]

How to Tell if my Kindy child is meeting developmental milestones?

What skills are children developing in Kindergarten? There’s a lot more happening than may meet the eye… So, your little one has started Kindergarten, [..]

Understanding Your Child’s Development

We’ve unpacked the foundations of child development and share our tips for how you can manage and assist your child’s development. “What age [..]

Nutrition

5 Healthy Back to School Snacks

Nutritionist Amanda Ford from Zest+Zing shares her top tips for making your kids’ lunchboxes healthy and tasty (including an easy recipe!). Preparing healthy [..]

Should my child repeat next year?

There are lots of different opinions when it comes to repeating a year at school. Here, we share our insights from the latest research and our perspective as [..]

Group Programs

Six Surprising Benefits of Holiday Groups

Occupational Therapy Helping Children’s Director and Senior Clinician, Lisa Hughes, shares some of the key benefits of group programmes she’s observed during [..]

How can I help my child survive Term Four?

Occupational Therapy Helping Children’s founder and director, Lisa Hughes, shares her top tips to help your child finish the school year on a high. It’s [..]

Fine Motor Skills Explained

What are fine motor skills? You may have heard your occupational therapist, and sometimes teachers, use words such as fine motor strength, and dexterity when [..]

Building Skills for Positive Eating & The SOS Approach to Feeding

Does your child struggle to tolerate a wide range of foods, despite trying every trick in the book? Or are you starting a little one on solids and want to know [..]

How to Help Your Fussy Eater

Occupational Therapy Helping Children’s Founder and Senior Clinician, Lisa Hughes, shares how to help your picky eater develop their feeding skills. Often as [..]

Yoga and Occupational Therapy

There is a natural connection between Occupational Therapy (OT) and yoga. They both accentuate the importance of mind, body and spirit. There are numerous benefits [..]

Importance of core strength in children

Just as a tree needs a strong trunk to be able to hold its branches up, and withstand elements in its environment, a child requires a strong core to participate in [..]

The Vestibular System

The vestibular system is a structure that is housed in the inner ear, very close to the auditory system. It is the sensory system that provides our brains with [..]

HSC Special Provisions: How does it work?

If your child is in year 11 or 12 this year, chances are you may have heard the words “Special Provisions” floating around. But what does this mean for your [..]

W Sitting

“W” siting describes the position of a child when siting on the floor knees together and feet pointing outwards. Why do children W sit…? Children W sit [..]

Sports-based programs catering to Kids with additional needs!

We all know that sports can have a positive effect on children, from learning about leadership, teamwork skills and all the physical benefits. But what if your [..]

A Day in the Life of a Paediatric O.T.

Although many of your children may have had Occupational Therapy in the past, you may not know what an OT’s day-to-day routine consists of! Over the years I have [..]

The Adaptable Brain

Child Neuroplasticity – An Overview We are always evolving, learning and changing, as children and as adults. Our brains, especially, are always adapting by what [..]

The Importance of Park Play

What are the benefits of taking your child to the park? The big, bright red apple…spinning, spinning, spinning, that’s the memory I remember most about [..]

Ten Quick Tips for Improving Handwriting

Ten Quick Tips for Improving [..]

How to Help Your Child Start the New School Year on a Positive Note

Portrait of young businessman with toy paper wings. Success, creative and startup concept. It’s not long now until children in Australia return to school. For [..]

Does Your Child Need Occupational Therapy?

How do you know if your child needs Occupational Therapy? These are some of the red flags to look out for: - · Does your child have difficulty hopping, [..]

The Importance of Good Sitting Posture for Handwriting

Maintaining good posture ensures your body is in good alignment and that stress on your muscles, joints and ligaments are distributed evenly across your body. Poor [..]

Extremely Useful iPad Apps for Letter Formation

Is your child having difficulty forming their letters or numbers correctly? Or have they mastered the pre-writing shapes and now starting to learn those letters? [..]

School-based Therapy: How does it work?

At Occupational Therapy Helping Children, we conduct treatment in a number of settings. These include our private clinics, the school setting and occasionally in [..]

Helping your left handed child written by a left handed OT

August 13th is international left handers day, the one day of the year that all left handers can celebrate. What do we know about being left handed? Left handers [..]

Part 2 – School Readiness – Is My Child Ready to Start School

Part 2 - School Readiness. Is your child ready to start [..]