Integrate OT

05/02/2026

Support neurodivergent children through connection, play, and relationship with this two-day interactive DIR Floortime® workshop.

📆 When: Saturday 7th March 2026 - Sunday 8th March 2026
🕐 Time: 8:45am - 4:30pm
📍 Where: Canobolas Kids Health, Orange NSW

Designed for OTs, speech pathologists, psychologists, educators, parents, and support staff, this ICDL-registered course offers a practical and neurodiversity-affirming introduction to the DIR Floortime® framework. Led by Louisa Hunter, paediatric Occupational Therapist with over 20 years’ experience and registered DIR® Floortime Training Leader, the workshop bridges theory and real-world application.

Participants will learn:
✅ How developmental capacities unfold and how to nurture them
✅ How individual differences, including sensory processing, shape engagement and learning
✅ The relationship-based foundations of the DIR Floortime® model
✅ Practical strategies for using DIR Floortime in everyday interactions across home, school, and community settings

No prior experience is required. This course is ideal for anyone supporting neurodivergent children and families and seeking an approach grounded in regulation, connection, and meaningful relationships.

“Growth doesn’t happen with information – it’s how we integrate it through support, practice, and meaningful relationships.”

Register here: https://buff.ly/atlxUj0

04/02/2026

One of the things I value most about DIR Floortime…
Is its deep respect for the child as a whole human, not a set of behaviours to be fixed.

DIR is built on:
💛 relationships and emotional safety
🧠 understanding the child’s inner world
🤝 genuine connection over compliance
🌈 honouring neurodiversity and individual differences

This is why DIR and ABA don’t simply “work together”. They are fundamentally different in intention and approach.
Where ABA prioritises behaviour change through compliance and reward, DIR focuses on connection, co-regulation, and following the child’s lead to support meaningful growth.

DIR remains proudly child-led, strengths-based, trauma-informed and neuroaffirming, without losing its heart.

🌿 What words come to mind when you think about connection with your child?

04/02/2026

🧠 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗗𝗜𝗥𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗿
What other amazing qualities would you add to this list?

𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 🔗💞🧡
Prioritizing connection and trust to create safe, meaningful relationships with each client and their families.

𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 🌀🐛🦋
Ready to pivot in an instant, letting go of any plans they had, to best support regulation and engagement.

𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 🤔🔍🕵️‍♀️
Approaches every
interaction with openness and wonder – always seeking to understand someone’s inner world, perspectives, motivations, and intentions.

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 🧘‍♀️💭📝
Thinks deeply about interactions – using insights to best support development. This includes self-reflection on one’s own actions during an interaction.

𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 🤝🏻👫🧱
Partners with both parents and professionals in a shared mission to support the whole individual.

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝘀-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 💪🌟🗝️
Sees the brilliance in every person – amplifying their passions, honoring their individuality, and using their strengths as a springboard for growth.

02/02/2026

"What’s one small win your child had this week that deserves celebrating?"

☀️ My youngest ran the "Sun run"- her first 7 km event, pushing through the hills and 28° heat. Her face at the end made it all worthwhile!

01/02/2026

Progress doesn’t always look loud. Sometimes it looks like calm, connection, and confidence.

29/01/2026

📚✨ Back to school can feel exciting, and overwhelming.
Gentle transitions make all the difference.

Here are 3 nature-inspired ways to support your child’s regulation during this time:
1️⃣ Morning movement in the backyard before heading off.
2️⃣ A sensory “pocket treasure” (like a smooth stone, shell or a big ball of blue tac!) to hold during the day.
3️⃣ Gentle after-school decompression time outdoors. Avoid over scheduling and enjoy connection time. Less can definately be more!

Remember: small, consistent rituals help children feel grounded and safe.

29/01/2026

What an excellent video to illustrate the vestibular system and facilitate our understanding of its integration with the rest of the body.

The vestibular system, located in the inner ear, is a crucial sensory system for balance, spatial orientation, and coordinating movement by detecting head motion and position relative to gravity, involving three semicircular canals (for rotation) and two otolith organs (for linear movement) that sen...

29/01/2026

One of the things I value most about DIR Floortime is that while it has a long and rich history, it has never stood still.

DIR has grown alongside our understanding of:
🧠 the nervous system
💛 trauma and safety
🌈 neurodiversity
🤝 relationships as the foundation of learning

Today, DIR is proudly child-led, strengths-based, trauma-informed and neuroaffirming - without ever losing its heart.

What’s something that’s shifted your thinking about child development recently?

28/01/2026

A fabulous short course for those keen to further their DIR journey (Thur 5th February 11am - 1pm Sydney time)

⏰ 𝗕𝗘𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧 𝗪𝗘𝗗𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗗𝗔𝗬!
DIR 430: Motor Planning: It Impacts Communication and More! Is BACK!
𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿: https://www.icdl.com/courses/430

𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Motor planning is an individual difference that impacts much more than motor skills, including social emotional skills and speech and language development. Through this workshop, participants will gain applicable knowledge of the components of motor planning, how to support clients with motor planning challenges, and strategies for discussing praxis with caregivers.

18/01/2026

Some great advice. Thank you

What to Do When a Child Becomes Physically Aggressive Toward You or a Sibling

Important Note:
This is general information only. Every child, every family, and every situation is different.
Please always speak with your allied-health team (psychologist, OT, social worker, developmental educator, paediatrician, etc.) for personalised guidance and safety planning.
These are broad steps to help you understand what might be happening, not a one-size-fits-all plan.

One of the hardest parts of parenting a PDA or autistic child is when things get physical.
And when it happens, parents often carry shame, fear, or the belief that they’ve somehow failed.

You haven’t.
Your child isn’t “bad.”
And you’re not a bad parent.

Physical aggression in PDAers is often a nervous system survival response, not a chosen behaviour. Their brain flips into fight/flight, and once they’re in that state, they cannot think, reflect, follow instructions, or “behave better.”

Here’s what actually helps in those moments and afterward:

🟥 1. Your FIRST priority is safety, not teaching

A dysregulated child can’t learn, reason, or apologise.
This moment is about:

• staying safe
• protecting siblings
• stepping back
• reducing the intensity

No shame. No lectures. Just safety.

🟧 2. Remove all pressure

Instructions escalate the threat response.

Avoid:
“Stop!”
“You need to calm down!”
“You can’t hit!”

Try low-demand, grounding statements:
• “I’m moving back to keep us safe.”
• “We’ll talk later.”
• “You’re safe.”
• “I’m right here.”

🟨 3. Create space without abandoning

A few steps back.
Turning your body sideways.
Lowering your voice.

If a sibling is present:
• “Come with me.”
• “We’re going to step back.”

Protective, calm, and non-shaming.

🟩 4. Use soft, safe protective strategies

Not force. Not restraint.
Just safety.

• cushions as soft barriers
• slow movements
• neutral face
• sitting instead of standing
• hands visible

Your body language matters more than your words.

🟦 5. After the moment, reconnect, don’t correct

When everyone is regulated (minutes or hours later):

• “Your body was overwhelmed.”
• “Your brain felt scared.”
• “You weren’t being naughty, you were panicking.”
• “Next time we’ll figure out what your body needs sooner.”

This builds skills and safety, not shame.

🟪 6. Support siblings with simple, gentle explanations

Siblings NEED to understand it isn’t their fault.

Try:
• “Your brother’s brain felt scared.”
• “You’re safe.”
• “Your feelings matter too.”
• “You did the right thing coming to me.”

This protects their emotional world.

⬛ 7. Long-term strategies that reduce aggression
🟫 A) Reduce demands (including hidden ones)

More autonomy = less panic.

⬜ B) Build the window of tolerance

Through safety, co-regulation, sensory support, predictable routines.

🟧 C) Repair after rupture

Connection after conflict expands capacity.

🟩 D) Support transitions

This can be a big trigger for PDA kids.

🟦 E) Decode the behaviour

Aggression = “I am overwhelmed,” not “I am bad.”

💛 The Reframe

Aggression isn’t defiance.
Aggression isn’t manipulation.
Aggression isn’t a parenting failure.

It’s a child’s nervous system saying:
“This is too big for me right now.”

And with the right support, connection, and pacing, these moments CAN decrease over time.