Central Coast Occupational Therapy

21/08/2022

A must watch 🙌🏼

THE REASON I JUMP - FILM NOW AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA! (Details below)

Based on the best-selling book by Naoki Higashida that he wrote at age 13, The Reason I Jump is an immersive film that explores the experiences of nonspeaking Autistic young people around the world.

'It opens a window into an intense and overwhelming, but often joyful, sensory universe, a rich tapestry that leads us to Naoki’s core message: not being able to speak does not mean there is nothing to say.'

View the film's trailer here: youtu.be/f2DoU1MzLos

TO ACCESS THE FILM

▪️ Audiences in Australia can stream the film for free via SBS On Demand (link: www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/movie/the-reason-i-jump/2041774147699)

▪️ The film is also showing at select theatres in Australia (details: www.madmanfilms.com.au/the-reason-i-jump/)

▪️ To learn more about where to access the film outside of Australia, please see the film's official website, which also includes educational and advocacy resources: thereasonijumpfilm.com/.

20/07/2022

Being autistic is part of a person’s identity, not an addition to it. Most autistic people and advocates generally prefer identity-first language, however it is always important to consider an individual’s personal preference. ❤️

Source: Littlepuddins.ie

04/07/2022

🎉Proud OT moment 🎉

When your client is not only learning to write their own name, but writes your name as well! What a treasure 💙

Jade Morris, Occupational Therapist

08/06/2022

Meet Bec. She is one of our fabulous Occupational Therapists here at CCOT. Bec has been working as an Occupational Therapist for the past 10 years, including 2 years experience working in the paediatric sector. Bec joined us in late 2020, and it has been awesome to watch her develop professionally within the paediatric world in that time.

Bec has a special interest in working with children in their early childhood years, as well as providing feeding therapy for children with a limited diet due to sensory challenges. Bec also enjoys working with children to develop their skills in self-care tasks, emotional regulation and play skills.

Bec is trained in the SOS Approach to Feeding Therapy, DIR Floortime (which is a child-led, play-based therapy model used to work towards achieving the child’s goals), and prescribing specialised seating and wheelchair systems for children with physical disabilities.

Bec is always keen to share the latest information and her knowledge with others. She is super supportive and is always offering to lend a helping hand within the team. Bec is an incredibly skilled clinician and we love having her in our CCOT family!

02/06/2022

This is Georgia, she joined us in January 2021 as one of our therapy assistants. She has a Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (Occupational Therapy). Before joining the team at CCOT, Georgia worked as an Early Childhood Educator where she completed her Certificate III and Diploma.

Whilst working in childcare, Georgia was placed into a role where she helped children with developmental delays and disabilities. This led her to the path of Occupational Therapy so she could further develop her skills and knowledge to be able to provide the best opportunity for children to thrive. Georgia has completed further trainings including the SOS Approach which has enabled her to develop extra skills and provide feeding therapy to her clients.

During her time with us at CCOT, Georgia has gained valuable knowledge and experience in paediatric OT, and has built strong rapport with her clients and their families. Georgia's clients and families absolutely love her, but not as much as we do!

27/05/2022

Jumping into the weekend like… 😁

26/05/2022

This week Bec Mason and I have been down in Sydney at the annual ATSA Independent Living expo, exploring the latest assistive technology (AT), listening to some awesome speakers, and discussing the best options for successful equipment prescription for our clients.
Today we are leaving feeling exhausted, but very inspired and enthusiastic about all that is on offer in the AT world!

Jade Morris, Occupational Therapist

23/05/2022

This is Alinta, another one of our awesome OT Assistants who joined us in late 2021.

Alinta graduated in 2017 with a Postgraduate degree in Rehabilitation Counselling and pursued a role in the rehabilitation sector, which involved supporting individuals with physical and psychosocial disabilities to return to their pre injury lives. Alinta provided counselling and coaching support to her clients and empowered them to work towards their health goals.

Alinta also has experience working as a Local Area Coordinator where she supported families to develop their NDIS plans and assisted them to link into community, mainstream and funded supports.

Prior to this, Alinta spent two years working in primary schools in London, supporting children with developmental delays to develop their fine motor skills, handwriting and social skills. During this time, Alinta gained valuable experience working with children in a school environment. It was this experience that led Alinta wanting to return to a role where she could again work with children to develop their confidence, self-esteem and independence in activities.

Alinta loves building strong relationships with families and children and enjoys supporting them to work towards their goals. She has hit the ground running since she started and her families rave about her and the progress they have seen in their children in the short time she has been working with them. Alinta is incredibly helpful and efficient and is a wonderful team player. She has been an amazing and valuable addition to our team!

20/05/2022

“A letter to those who support me…”

This letter resonated with me as this topic has come up in conversation a lot over the last week with families who are going through the assessment/ ‘diagnostic’ process.

We choose to adopt neurodiversity affirming language in order to become a voice of validation in all autistic people’s lives.

Read the letter here:https://reframingautism.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Neurodiversity-affirming-Language-Letter-for-Autistic-Adults.pdf

Source: Reframing Autism

Jade Morris, Occupational Therapist

18/05/2022

This is Justine, who is one of our valued Therapy Assistants within our team. Justine joined us in late 2021. She has a Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (Occupational Therapy), and is currently studying a Certificate IV in Mental Health.

Prior to working as an OT Assistant, Justine worked as a Childcare Educator and so brings a depth of experience working with young children.

Justine is a mother of two boys aged 9 and 6 years. She brings lived experience and knowledge with supporting her own two neurodiverse children.

Justine is proactive with assisting our OTs to be efficient in any way she can and is always finding new awesome resources that can be used in clinic. She is an absolute ball of energy and enthusiasm and we love having her on the team.

15/05/2022

Pencil Grasps ✍🏼

A ‘good’ and/or functional pencil grasp is important as it allows your child to keep their wrist steady and use their fingers to control and move the pencil with precision when drawing, colouring or handwriting.

Here at Central Coast OT, we don’t focus on achieving the ‘perfect’ pencil grasp, but instead we focus on the functionality of your child’s grasp. This includes hand control, legibility, endurance (writing without fatiguing), speed and comfort (no pain).

06/05/2022

Any milestone, for any child, at any age is something to be proud of. Celebrate your child for where they are at and how far they have come already 🤍