Clarity & Me Occupational Therapy

16/11/2025

I CAN resources are now part of the Victorian Government's expansion of I CAN to all Victorian government
schools in support of the Victorian Autism Education Strategy
Well done Victoria 👏

16/11/2025

Stimming is repetitive movement, sound, or object use that provides sensory input a person uses to self-regulate, including managing stress, expressing excitement, staying calm, or supporting focus. Many people stim - both neurotypical and neurodivergent. Some examples you’ll see many people do:
• Foot tapping
• Hair twirling
• Fidgeting with pens
• Humming
• Nail biting

Types of Stimming

11/11/2025

When we become curious, with empathy and look behind behaviours - we start to see the ‘why’ instead of ‘what’

Im writing a report thats making me both sad and angry. Harry is a four-year-old boy who started school in September. He is autistic, with high sensory sensitivities.

School is too noisy. Too crowded. Too unpredictable. He doesn’t understand what’s going on.

So — he bites. He hits. He kicks. He spits.
He’s not being “naughty”. He’s trying to survive.

His world at school feels overwhelming. The lights are bright. Chairs scrape. Voices echo. Children rush past him in a blur. His brain can’t filter or prioritise — everything comes in at once.

And because he experiences the world through monotropism — that intense, focused way of thinking and feeling — sudden transitions feel unbearable. When he’s deeply immersed in one activity, being told to stop and move to another is like being yanked out of a warm bath into a snowstorm.

His body reacts before his words can form. That’s not defiance — it’s distress.

Yet adults might say, “He needs to make good choices.” Or, “He has to apologise for hurting people.”

But how can he “make good choices” when his nervous system is in survival mode? When he’s overloaded, confused, and scared? Expecting logical reflection from a dysregulated child is not fair — it’s like asking someone to swim while they’re drowning. Hs behaviour is a nueral response, not under hos cognitive control.

He doesn’t need consequences.
He needs connection.
He doesn’t need a lecture.
He needs safety, understanding, and co-regulation.

When we start from compassion — when we understand why behaviour happens — we stop seeing a “problem child” and start seeing a child with problems he cannot yet express.

22/10/2025

A fantastic visual. Co regulation supports self-regulation

This is such a great and helpful visual I found via Regulated Classroom 👏🏽 Such a simple way to explain the importance of coregulation, and how emotions ARE contagious! 💡om

03/10/2025

Self-regulation is an ‘umbrella’ term ☂️- a group of skills that develops over time and grows through co-regulation with a safe, attuned, and connected adult.

When we support a child’s self-regulation goals, we look at supporting the adults around the child about their self-regulation.

A child’s (and adult’s) capacity to self-regulate is influenced by internal factors like biology (how the brain and body naturally respond to stress, emotions, and attention), genetics, and temperament, as well as environmental experiences, including stress or trauma.

Understanding these influences helps us support regulation with patience, and compassion. ❤️

Struggling with self-regulation? Get in touch with us to learn more and get support 🙏🏻

12/09/2025

Great to see positive change.

A school in Baltimore chose to address student behavior not with punishment, but with mindfulness and mediation. By removing detention and replacing it with a reflective practice, they created a space where children could process emotions instead of being excluded. The results were remarkable—ten years without suspensions.

This approach highlights the power of empathy in education. Rather than viewing mistakes as disruptions to be penalized, teachers turned them into opportunities for growth and self-awareness. Students learned responsibility and respect through guided reflection, not fear.

Education becomes far more effective when it nurtures the whole child. Academic lessons are important, but emotional resilience and interpersonal understanding shape a person’s life just as deeply. This model proves that compassionate strategies can produce long-lasting behavioral change.

What happened in Baltimore challenges traditional notions of discipline. It shows that when children are given the tools to understand themselves, they rise to the occasion. Such practices may pave the way for a generation that values peace, reflection, and community connection over conflict. 💡🤝

31/08/2025

04/08/2025

Come down to Robina Tafe for their Body Mind & Soul Expo!
We will be there with our very own table - come say hi!

August 23rd, save the date.

Getting close now our Mind Body & Soul Womens Event is going to huge we have over 33 exhibitors from 9-11.30 for our free Wellness Expo and then from 12-2 we have our ticketed 2 course lunch with our panel of exceptional speakers.

Today we took our DJ Tyler through the set up he’ll be spinning the tunes from
2-4 on the rooftop garden bar at Greenfields.

This is an event just for the ladies and tickets are still available.

Grab a friend head down and treat yourself to an afternoon of fun, connection, inspiration and learning.

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/mind-body-soul-womens-lunch-event-tickets-1375233212559

10/07/2025

Self-compassion is treating yourself with the same kindness you’d offer a friend 🫶🏼.
It activates your parasympathetic nervous system - your “rest and digest” state - helping you feel safe, and calm. ☺️
⠀
In contrast, self-criticism triggers the threat response, keeping you stuck in shame and fight-or-flight.

Start every day with 1 x compassionate statement about yourself and feel the shift ✨☀️

“I’m doing the best I can”
“I deserve rest” ❤️

07/07/2025

Support non-segregation in schools.
We need to educate the schools about disabilities so they understand children’s challenges. Understanding brings compassion and connection. One of the most important foundations in supporting all kids.

29/06/2025

We are a team of researchers from the University of Newcastle who have developed a new online social-emotional communication program called Understanding Each Other. We are recruiting 8-12 year-old children, who may be Autistic or non-Autistic, along with one of their primary caregivers to take part in our second pilot research study of this program.

The program will run for 6-weeks and there will also be some online surveys to complete, as well as two scheduled half-hour assessments online with a speech pathologist. All participants who take part in this research will go into a prize draw with four winners being drawn at random to receive a $100 GiftPay voucher.

To go to our Expression of Interest page, please click on the following link: https://uninewcastle.questionpro.com.au/UEO2025-ExpressionOfInterest

You will be given more information about our study, along with the chance to read a Participant Information Statement. If you would like to register your interest in taking part in the study, you will also be able to provide your consent and fill out some key details about yourself and your child. If you have any questions about this research, please get in touch with our lead researcher, Dr Babette Rae at babette.rae@newcastle.edu.au

Thank you very much for your consideration of this research.

10/06/2025

Children under 6 years of age are physically (as shown by the X-ray) and developmentally not ready to do handwriting

So many parents are often worried about why their child is not able to write by the age of 4 and why instead of writing, the teacher is allowing them to play, or be creative with intricate or fine motor materials?

This picture explains why.

Up until 6 years of age, their tiny hands are still developing and are not fully formed. Children require progressive development in their hands to enable them to grasp and hold things and eventually develop their writing skills.

Like any muscles, we must train them, strengthen them and ‘work out’ to get them stronger - this is just the same for the muscles in children’s hands.

So what should be done to support this?

PLAY! Playdough, colouring, tearing, sensory play, beading, picking cotton balls with tweezer/cloth clips, cleaning, wiping, holding, grabbing, sweeping, cutting, planting, digging etc.

These types of activities may not seem like education to you, but they are the foundations of what is to come. Rush the process and the results will be catastrophic.

We must allow our children to develop their fine motor skills which in turn, develop the skills required for early, emergent writing and later full writing skills.

When children are ready to write, they will. No need to rush them, they will show you when they are ready 🙂

© Gavin McCormack