Hunter Speech Pathology

05/12/2025

Time Outs may not be working the way we think they are.

When your child is having a meltdown, their brain is only focused on finding safety - not learning lessons. They can't access wisdom or logic in those big emotional moments because that part of their brain simply isn't developed yet.

Here's what we're learning: children don't learn to self-soothe alone. They learn to regulate WITH you, through your calm presence and connection.

We call this "Time In," a relationship-based approach that builds security while still providing structure.

Read the full blog to discover this brain-based alternative: https://zurl.co/rsM4E

21/10/2025

Better late than never! 💜

Last Friday, 17th October, was Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) Awareness Day.

Dr Charlotte Forwood has created this amazing resource for teachers and families to help build their understanding of DLD — and, most importantly, to share practical ways we can support children in our care.

You can check it out here 👉 Supporting Students with DLD – Padlet

13/10/2025

We’re BACK!! ☀️
The boys’ smiles this morning definitely weren’t as big as they were while touring the Adelaide Oval (again 😆 — following the child’s lead, even when it wasn’t on my to-do list!).

I’m smiling too, but it’s a tired kind of smile after two action-packed weeks. I know Laura had an amazing time chasing the sun and surf with her crew too 🏄‍♀️🌊

We’re both so excited to reconnect with all our families and keep working towards those big goals we’ve been building all year 💚

08/10/2025

How are you all going with our screen break this spring?

As promised, I downloaded the action tool from the website — but like any good ADHDer, I lost interest pretty quickly 😆. I’m lucky to stick to something for seven minutes, let alone seven days! Still, I really liked the general ideas it offered.

We’ve leaned into play these holidays — with friends, and just as a family unit. We’ve spent time in nature, and we’ve created for the sake of creating. (And I’ll note — “creating” for boys who don’t love craft looks a little different!) My boys built a cricket pitch in the backyard — working together to flatten it by rolling a tyre and slamming kettlebells onto it 🤣

This made me smile because it’s exactly what we mean in Floortime — following the child’s lead and using their own interests and motivations to build engagement.

And yes, there’s also been plenty of screen time — but instead of mindless scrolling and random YouTube clips, we’ve been watching movies and shows together. It’s still connection, still learning — just in a different way.

07/10/2025

As I posted my latest reflection, I saw a friend share this and wanted to shout HALLELUJAH!

As parents, we each have our own sensory profile — and when those needs aren’t met, it’s so much harder to stay calm, connected, and regulated.

We spend so much time focusing on what our kids need that we often forget about ourselves. But when we’re running on empty, it doesn’t just affect us — it sends the whole household’s nervous system into chaos.

💚 Please, focus on you too. You matter. Your regulation sets the tone for your child’s.

You can’t pour from an empty cup (or fit your child’s oxygen mask) if you haven’t fitted your own first.

Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing some ideas on how to explore your sensory profile and see how it fits with the rest of your family’s. Stay tuned — it’s going to make a world of difference.

07/10/2025

Dysregulation Station

Well… I made it halfway through the holidays before really losing my patience with everyone and everything.

The difference this time?
While I noticed what was happening and started putting a plan in place to shift my nervous system, I realised something huge — I wasn’t feeling any guilt or shame about it.

Instead, I could reframe that guilt into acceptance and compassion. I could see it for what it was — a perfect learning moment for my kids.

If our kids never see us dysregulated, we unintentionally teach them that dysregulation is something that only happens to them — that they’re weird or broken in some way.

So, I modelled how to manage it.
First, I named it: I told them I could feel my heart beating faster and a sense of agitation rising through my body like an itch I couldn’t scratch.
Describing it like this gave them language to understand their own interoceptive signals — those internal body sensations that tell us what we need.

Then I told them I was going for a run. (Don’t worry, we’ve got a treadmill in the shed — no children were abandoned in the making of this regulation moment 😅).
And yes — I’m aware that having this option is a privilege not everyone has.

Running helps burn off the adrenaline flooding my system.
Afterwards, I had a cold shower — another nervous system reset tool.

Then I cleaned. Why? Because visual clutter overwhelms me.
But here’s another small win — I didn’t rage clean!
Instead, I put on some tunes — the big ballads, not “Hot Potato” — and sang my heart out.

And you know what happened?
Joy came back into the house.
The kids (and their sleepover friend) laughed at how ridiculous I looked using the vacuum as a microphone and joined me for a little dance.

We reconnected.
I apologised for being grumpy — downright cranky, really.
And they hugged me and said, “It’s ok, Mum. We all have bad days.”

My heart soared. They get it.

I’m sharing this because I want you to know — you’re not alone.
I teach families how to do this, and I still have to work at it every day too.

So please, give yourself some compassion these holidays.
Do something that brings you joy.
Because joy is contagious. 💛

26/09/2025

Spring into action these holidays -

We have reached the end of Term 3! Well done, all. Term 3 is a particularly challenging term each year. There is a lot of illness, fatigue and therefore emotions to manage.  Our kids are not the only ones needing a break these holidays - our educators, clinicians (our hands are raised), and you as ...

23/09/2025

All therapy provided in our clinic aligns with the principles of DIR and its therapeutic framework - Floor-time.

We promote development- not skill acquisition which can be lost or generalised poorly to a range of different settings.

We work on growing a child’s brain through modifying our interactions to suit their individual’s needs - fostering shared connection and joy which is the foundation for all learning including language.

17/09/2025

I don’t need to say anything more- this quote says it all!!

17/09/2025

We hear you, Maggie! 💛 Term 3 is often the trickiest stretch for our kids—and we feel it too as therapists.

The expectations really start to mount: “I need to get my child school-ready,” or “My child should be reading by the end of kindergarten.” These are just a couple of the pressures families (and we as professionals) often carry.

But here’s the thing—development unfolds at its own pace. And pressure or comparison doesn’t speed it up; it usually gets in the way.

So let’s all pause, breathe—Laura and I included—and come back to the things we know grow brains and hearts: safety, connection, and shared joy. 🌱✨

maggiedentauthor

17/09/2025

We hear you, Maggie! 💛 Term 3 is often the trickiest stretch for our kids—and we feel it too as therapists.

The expectations really start to mount: “I need to get my child school-ready,” or “My child should be reading by the end of kindergarten.” These are just a couple of the pressures families (and we as professionals) often carry.

But here’s the thing—development unfolds at its own pace. And pressure or comparison doesn’t speed it up; it usually gets in the way.

So let’s all pause, breathe—Laura and I included—and come back to the things we know grow brains and hearts: safety, connection, and shared joy. 🌱✨

03/09/2025

There is so much I love about Ted Lasso but in this video it is his joyfulness- his ability to be kid like.

Why am I mentioning this here?

To develop language we need to be engaged in relationship.

To be in relationship means sharing joy!

Have you ever learnt a new skill when someone stands over you and yells?

I haven’t!

As a therapist and a parent, sometimes I get caught in “teaching” our kids.

Teaching doesn’t necessarily equal learning.

When I choose joy, connection and fun guess what, the learning just happens!

So if you have time today, have a little moment of reflection. Do you focus on learning or joy?
What happens when you jump into your child’s play with childlike enthusiasm? Vs what happens when you sit on the sidelines and just narrate what you see?