Kristie Ellis Paediatric Occupational Therapy

31/10/2025

Happy OT week ❤️ celebrating this year's theme of OT in action!

12/06/2025

Big News in Sensory Integration + Autism Research!
A new PhD study from UCLA by Dr. Melis Ezgi Cakar has just confirmed something many Ayres Sensory Integration® (ASI) therapists have known for years:

The cerebellum (the “little brain” that helps us move, balance, and process sensations) plays a big role in Sensory Over-Responsivity (SOR); especially in autism.

What the research found:
• Autistic children with SOR had overactive cerebellum responses to sound and touch
• Their brains didn’t “habituate” or settle down with repeated input like typical brains do
• There was also weaker calming input from the brain’s regulation centres (like the prefrontal cortex)
• And lower levels of a key calming brain chemical: GABA

Why it matters:
This study gives strong neuroscience backing to what ASI does best; using playful, sensory-motor activities to build body awareness, regulation, and adaptive responses. It’s more than just fun: it’s neuroplasticity in action.

If you’re an OT, PT, parent, or educator using ASI, this is a proud moment. Science is catching up with what we’ve seen in practice for decades.

Read more here: https://sensoryproject.org/2025/06/06/research-alert-the-cerebellums-role-in-sensory-over-responsivity-in-autism/

Dissertation title: The Involvement of the Cerebellum in Sensory Over-Responsivity in Autism
Author: Dr. Melis Ezgi Cakar, UCLA, 2025

10/05/2025

🌱 Swipe through to explore some of our favourite activities working towards tactile (touch) proprioceptive (body awareness) and vestibular (movement) integration!

🌱 Ball pits, rice bins, and lycra body suits offer great ways to promote calming and organising input, as well as opportunities to learn through touch, exploring texture, shape, and size / tactile discrimination

🌱 Swinging in the lycra hammock, upright on the bolster swing or even inverted, provides fun and engaging ways to improve balance, coordination, and body awareness.

09/05/2025

🌱

12/06/2024

12/06/2024

Our New Therapy Practice is Now Open in North Turramurra! 🎉

We are thrilled that Kristie Ellis Paediatric Occupational Therapy in North Turramurra is taking new clients! 🌟

Come visit us and discover how we can make a positive difference in your child's life!