Sensory SMART OT

Sensory SMART OT Helping children thrive. All things Paediatric OT 0-12y

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Empowering Children, Supporting Families, Transforming Lives. Helping children thrive starts with the right support, and that’s where I come in. At Sensory SMART OT, I provide practical solutions, building on evidence-based strategies to support children in developing essential skills for emotional regulation, independence, and learning. Whether you’re a parent seeking guidance, a teacher looking for strategies to support students, a carer navigating neurodiversity, or an occupational therapist wanting professional resources, I offer solutions tailored to your needs. Our services include: Mobile Paeds OT, Telehealth and a range of online products and resources to support Parents, teachers and OT's.

You can’t build skills on an unsafe nervous system.When a child is dysregulated, the brain prioritises protection over l...
29/01/2026

You can’t build skills on an unsafe nervous system.
When a child is dysregulated, the brain prioritises protection over learning.

Access to skills like attention, impulse control, communication and flexibility depends on nervous system safety first.

This is why behaviour strategies often appear ineffective under stress — not because the strategies are wrong, but because the system they rely on isn’t accessible yet.

Regulation is not an “extra” or a soft option.
It is the foundation that allows skills to emerge,
practise and stabilise over time.

When safety and regulation are supported first, behaviour often shifts without escalation, because the child finally has the capacity to meet the demand.

This is not permissive practice.
It is developmentally informed practice.

Instead of resolutions that add pressure, what if families chose a focus goal instead?A word that guides decisions gentl...
27/01/2026

Instead of resolutions that add pressure,
what if families chose a focus goal instead?

A word that guides decisions gently.

Regulate.
Slow.
Connect.
Support.

When regulation becomes the lens,

expectations shift — and so does stress.
Small, consistent changes create far more change than ambitious goals that burn everyone out.

What word would best support your family this year?

Comment below — others may find inspiration in it too.

26/01/2026

Back to school is often framed as a reset.
Fresh routines. Fresh expectations. A fresh start.

But for many children, the transition back to school places significant demand on their nervous system before learning has even begun.

Earlier mornings, increased sensory input, social navigation, cognitive load, and reduced recovery time all add up. When regulation is already stretched, behaviour, attention, and emotional responses are often the first things to shift.

This isn’t about lowering expectations.

It’s about understanding capacity.
When regulation is supported before pressure increases, children are far more able to engage, adapt, and learn. When it isn’t, we often see overwhelm expressed as behaviour, shutdown, or distress.

If you’re preparing for the return to school and things feel heavier than you expected, you’re not imagining it. There is a nervous system explanation for what you’re seeing.

Save this. Share it with someone supporting a child through this transition. And remember — regulation comes first.

22/01/2026

Many school-based regulation supports focus on behaviour management.

But regulation doesn’t improve through rewards charts or consequences alone.

It improves when children experience:
 • predictability
 • emotional safety
 • co-regulation during stress
 • realistic expectations

When these foundations are in place, attention, behaviour and learning follow.

This isn’t about lowering standards.

 It’s about matching expectations to nervous system capacity.

If you’re navigating the return to school and wondering why things feel harder than expected, this context matters.
Share this with someone supporting children in a classroom right now.

Why Behaviour Plans Collapse Without a Regulation FrameworkBehaviour plans often assume regulation is already in place. ...
20/01/2026

Why Behaviour Plans Collapse Without a Regulation Framework

Behaviour plans often assume regulation is already in place. But when nervous systems are overwhelmed, behaviour strategies don’t just fail, they collapse under pressure.

What we often see instead:
 • increased escalation
 • inconsistent responses
 • families feeling blamed
 • clinicians feeling stuck

Today’s blog explores why regulation frameworks matter before behaviour plans are layered on. Not as a replacement for behavioural thinking, but as the foundation that allows it to work.

If you’ve ever wondered why “good plans” fall apart in real life, this will resonate with you.

Read the full blog via the link.

Regulation Isn’t a Strategy Problem. It’s a Sequence ProblemWhen behaviour plans fail, the profession often responds by ...
14/01/2026

Regulation Isn’t a Strategy Problem.
It’s a Sequence Problem

When behaviour plans fail,
the profession often responds by adding more tools
But what if the issue isn’t the strategy, it’s the order?

This blog explores why regulation must be built developmentally and sequentially, not layered reactively.

If you’ve ever felt like behaviour plans fall apart under stress despite “good intervention”, this piece will resonate.

Read the full blog via the link.

When meltdowns start early in the day, parents often panic.“What have I done wrong already?”
 “How is it only 8am?”Here’...
13/01/2026

When meltdowns start early in the day, parents often panic.

“What have I done wrong already?”
 “How is it only 8am?”

Here’s what’s actually happening:
Early meltdowns usually mean the nervous system didn’t fully reset overnight.

This isn’t about discipline.
It’s about capacity.

On these mornings, doing less often helps more:
 • slower transitions
 • fewer words
 • gentler pacing

Supporting regulation early can change the entire day’s trajectory.

Save this reminder!!

12/01/2026

There’s a quiet burnout happening in paediatric OT practice that we don’t talk about enough.

It shows up when:
 • families have tried everything
 • behaviour plans don’t hold
 • regulation strategies stop working under stress

And the unspoken assumption becomes:
 “I must be missing something.”

Often, you’re not missing effort or skill.
You’re missing a sequence.

When foundational regulation isn’t secure, strategies collapse under pressure, and clinicians carry the weight of that failure.

This isn’t about doing more.
It’s about doing things in the right order.

If this reflects your clinical experience, save this.
You’re not alone in it! 📚

Transitions are one of the most demanding tasks for a child’s nervous system.After weeks of freedom, flexibility, and re...
09/01/2026

Transitions are one of the most demanding tasks for a child’s nervous system.

After weeks of freedom, flexibility, and reduced demand, children are asked to suddenly:
 • follow schedules
 • shift attention quickly
 • tolerate separation

That’s not easy, even for regulated adults!
When transitions fall apart, it’s not a discipline issue.
It’s a capacity issue.

Support doesn’t mean removing expectations.
It means scaffolding them.

If returning to routine feels harder than expected, here is why.

Share this with someone returning to school routines soon.

06/01/2026

The First Signs of Dysregulation We Often Miss.

Most families only recognise dysregulation once it explodes.

But long before the meltdown, the nervous system whispers.

It looks like:
 • pulling away
 • sudden irritability
 • excessive silliness
 • refusal over small things

These aren’t attitude problems.
They’re early warning signs.

When we respond here, gently, early, without consequence, we often prevent the bigger emotional crash later.

Nothing about this requires perfection. 
Just noticing.

Comment “noticed” if this reframed something for you.
And save this for the next hard day.

“Regulation doesn’t happen in appointments.”For a lot of parents, that sentence brings relief and guilt.Relief — because...
05/01/2026

“Regulation doesn’t happen in appointments.”

For a lot of parents, that sentence brings relief and guilt.

Relief — because it explains why progress doesn’t always show up neatly in a one-hour session.
Guilt — because it can feel like everything then falls on you.

Here’s the reframe:
Regulation isn’t built through perfect strategies or getting it right every time.

It’s built in ordinary moments of safety and connection.
At the kitchen bench.
In the car.
At bedtime.

Those moments aren’t setbacks.
They’re the work.

If this eased even a little pressure for you, save it 🤍
And share it with a parent who needs the reminder.

“Regulation doesn’t happen in appointments.”For a lot of parents, that sentence brings relief and guilt.Relief — because...
05/01/2026

“Regulation doesn’t happen in appointments.”

For a lot of parents, that sentence brings relief and guilt.

Relief — because it explains why progress doesn’t always show up neatly in a one-hour session.
Guilt — because it can feel like everything then falls on you.

Here’s the reframe:
Regulation isn’t built through perfect strategies or getting it right every time.

It’s built in ordinary moments of safety and connection.
At the kitchen bench.
In the car.
At bedtime.

Those moments aren’t setbacks.
They’re the work.

If this eased even a little pressure for you, save it 🤍
And share it with a parent who needs the reminder.

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Port Macquarie, NSW
2444

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