Dee Wardrop Speech Pathology & Occupational Therapy Services

09/03/2026

TUESDAY BOOK SHARE:

At DWSP, we recommend the ritual of a bedtime story.
Use stories and books to connect at the end of the day. reinforce concepts we're working on. For bed time, we love books that are rhythmic, predictable, and offer just the right amount of drama before lights out.

Some of our faves:


📖 Goodnight Body – A body-awareness wind down.
Reading tip: Pause to gently squeeze or pat each body part as you name it. It's a mini relaxation routine wrapped up in a story.

📖 The Going to Bed Book – Slightly ridiculous but completely delightful. Reading tip: Lean into the rhyme and rhythm. Over-emphasise the silly bits — then soften your tone as the animals drift off to sleep.

📖 Llama Llama Red Pyjama – For big feelings at bedtime.
Reading tip: Use expressive voices for the worried llama, then model calm reassurance in Mama’s voice. I t’s a beautiful way to practice co-regulation through a story.

📖 Goodnight Moon – The incomparable 1970s classic offering slow, soothing repetition and a little I-spy.
Reading tip: Lower your voice a little more on every page. Let the rhythm do the heavy lifting. Gently touch the items you spot.
Remember a bedtime story isn’t just about getting to sleep — it’s about connection, calm, and building a regular routine. It's fine to read the same book again and again, and let the familiarity soothe everyone!

Do you have a bedtime story on repeat at your place?

04/03/2026

April School Holidays = friendship through craft!

Craft Crew is a social craft group where connection grows through creating. From paint to collage and hands-on projects, children chat, share ideas, and build confidence working alongside peers.

Ideal for kids who enjoy talking while they create and are ready to practise social interaction in a supportive group setting.

Clients and non-clients are welcome to register — come get crafty with us! 🎨✨
Spots are limited. Register via our website

02/03/2026

TUESDAY BOOK SHARE: Carla (Speech Pathologist) uses stories to develop perspective taking and empathy - using these books as tools to help kids see the world through other's eyes. Here are a few of her favs: 🥰

They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel 🐱
A wonderful introduction to the concept of perspective and subjectivity via a collection of beautiful, abstract depictions of a tabby cat through the (literal) eyes of various creatures.
Reading Tip: For little ones try guessing whose eyes we are looking through before revealing the answer. For older kids ask throughout provoking questions- whose version of the cat is the real one? Are they all perhaps real in their own way?

Hey, Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose 🐜
A sweet book that asks you to consider what life is really like for the smaller and more vulnerable creatures among us.
Reading Tip: Support your child to engage in the visual perspective contrasts in the book as a step toward understanding relative perspective – for ants, a chip single can feed a whole town!

My Mouth is a Volcano! by Julia Cook 💥
A light-hearted look at listening, interruption and the art of give-and-take in conversation.
Reading Tip: Add rhythm! Use stomping and table-drumming to accompany the rumbles and grumbles of Louis’ volcano mouth before it (int)errupts!

Eric by Sean Tan 🌏
A beautifully surprising somewhat heartbreaking lesson in not making assumptions about others based solely on your own culture or world view.
Reading Tip: The confusion between Eric and his host family can easily be adapted to discussion around undervaluing differences in behaviour and perspective of neurodivergent individuals in a neurotypical society.

01/03/2026

Our April School Holiday Groups are here!

Crafternoon: Painters is a calm, low-demand painting group where children can explore at their own pace — no pressure to create a “perfect” artwork. Just space to experiment, build confidence, and enjoy quiet creativity alongside peers.

Perfect for children who thrive in gentler environments and benefit from time to warm up in shared spaces.

Open to both current clients and new families — everyone is welcome to register.
Limited places available - register via our website

27/02/2026

Roll the dice this April School Holidays!

Game On! is a playful board game group designed to build confidence and connection through structured, low-pressure fun. Games are adapted to suit the group, with flexible rules and plenty of space to watch, join in, or lead.

Perfect for children building turn-taking, flexibility, and social confidence — without the focus on winning.

Open to both existing clients and new families. Everyone is welcome to register (via our website).
Game On!

23/02/2026

BOOK SHARE TUESDAY: Speech Pathologist Hannah shares her favourite book for everyone starting school this month....

📖 The Invisible String by Patrice Karst - A beautiful story about love that stretches across distance, time and even loss.

Hannah's Reading tips:
💛 Ask, “Who are you connected to with your invisible string?” Build their sense of belonging and support network.
💛 Revisit it before separations — school drop-offs, sleepovers, hospital visits — to reinforce that connection doesn’t disappear when we can’t see someone.

16/02/2026

TUESDAY BOOK SHARE:

Bathtime confession… our favourite bath books aren’t about kids at all. They’re about animals who are far more dramatic (and muddy!) than any child we know.

Here are a few of our favourites:

📖 Mrs Wishy-Washy – The ultimate splash-and-scrub classic.
Reading tip: Go BIG with the rhyme and repetition in this one (“Wishy-washy, wishy-washy!”) . Add silly animal noises and lots of exaggerated splashing actions.

📖 Clementine's Bath – A gentle, playful take on the bath-time battle.
Reading tip: Pause before page turns and ask, “What do you think will happen next?” Build anticipation and encourage prediction skills.

📖 Mr Archimedes' Bath – A hilarious introduction to sinking, floating… and overflowing!
Reading tip: Count the animals as they climb in and out. Add real-world fun by testing what sinks or floats during your own bath time

📖 Meerkat Splash! – Joyful, energetic water play.
Reading tip: Emphasise action words and movement. Encourage your little one to act out the splashes, dives and shakes.'

Who knew muddy pigs, curious cats and overcrowded bathtubs would make the bath time so much fun....

What’s your favourite bath-time read at your house?

16/02/2026

"Grown ups never bring plushies with them".
Turns out the world doesn't stop turning if they do...
Thanks Martin for sharing your story.

10/02/2026

Check out these little hand X Rays - a 3 year old, a 5 year old and a 9 year old. These changes give an idea of just how much bone growth and fine motor control (e.g. scissors and pencil skills) develop across these years. Little fingers are meant to play, explore, squish playdough, crunch leaves and build - long before they are ready to write!
(With thanks to Radlines Radiology Guidelines for the super cool images)

10/02/2026

This week is National Lunchbox Week! 🥪🍱

supports families, schools, early childhood settings, and communities with practical tips and ideas to suit all families.

💬 Our OTs recommend:

⭐️ include a range of textures in a lunchbox. Crunchy carrots and apples can provide regulating sensory input during the school day.

⭐️ create independence by giving choice - let your preppie create their own lunch from selected items, encourage older children to assemble their own

⭐️ build fine motor skills with lunchbox clips, food wraps and zips

⭐️ develop regular morning and afternoon routine (with visuals if needed) which includes refreezing ice blocks, emptying and cleaning lunchboxes after school.

⭐️ make lunch together the night before to ease the morning rush!

Visit the website for all your go-to lunchbox tips, recipes and more: https://www.lunchboxweek.org

09/02/2026

It is so good to read about this initiative.

In addition to the descriptions and "no surprises" menu - we would love to see a "sensory selected" menu that most restaurants have in common. It could contain some easy eating foods such as hot chips, chicken nuggets or rice that can be served simply and are always available. This would assist families to access a range of foods that work for all family members!

What would you suggest for your own family's "Sensory Selected" menu option?

For many autistic Australians, the noise, lights and unpredictability of restaurants can turn a fun meal into a stressful experience. But some Melbourne venues are working to change that. Read more here: bit.ly/3OoxU3d

06/02/2026

This piece really resonates with us - and provides a thought provoking summary of conerns around the Thriving Kids roll out. Thanks Kids First for capturing ALL our thoughts!

https://kids-first.com.au/thriving-kids-no-child-left-behind-report-impact-families/e

Kids First’s widely shared summary of the Thriving Kids / No Child Left Behind report, written by Sonja Walker, reflects family-focused concerns about access to skilled, local child support in Australia.