The Gifted OT Mariza Ferreira (2025)

12/11/2025

Happy World Kindness Day!

As a paediatric Occupational Therapist, I see every day just how powerful and essential kindness is—it's not just a nice gesture, it's a fundamental life skill that we can help our children build and practice.

To help a child be kind to others, they need to have an awareness of their own feelings and the feelings of those around them. This is exactly where OT comes in, as we help children develop increased body awareness, emotional regulation, and perspective-taking (to name but a few) that are some of the building blocks for genuine compassion.

When we help a child feel calm, safe, and in control of their body and emotions, we are setting the stage for them to notice others, share a toy, offer a helping hand, or use kind words. These small, meaningful actions aren't always easy, and they take practice!

If you'd like to learn more about how I can help your child build these essential foundational skills, visit my website at www.thegiftedot.com.au and get in touch with me!

10/11/2025

At 11 AM today, we observe a moment of silence for Remembrance Day. This day is about acknowledging the immense debt of gratitude we owe to our veterans and all those who have served and sacrificed for our peace.

As a paediatric Occupational Therapist, my mind also turns to the future—to the children we are helping to grow into resilient, engaged, and compassionate adults. The values we honour today—dedication, courage, and perseverance—are the same we aim to foster every day in OT.

The greatest way we can honour their sacrifice is by building a stronger, kinder future. This includes nurturing the social-emotional skills in our children that allow them to live respectfully and peacefully with one another.

Take a moment today to talk to your child about what it means to be brave and what it means to be thankful.

05/11/2025

Today is National Stress Awareness Day, and as a paediatric Occupational Therapist, I want to talk about the stress that Twice-Exceptional (2e) or Dual/Multiple Exceptional (DME) children experience on a daily basis.

Their gifts and talents coexist with learning differences or neurodivergence (like ADHD or Autism), creating a unique profile of pressure that often leads to an invisible burden of stress.

As an OT, I focus on helping these children develop management strategies for the stress of their dual reality. This isn't about eliminating stress (which is impossible), but about building a robust "stress management toolkit".

Let's use today to commit to understanding the unique stress profile of 2e/DME children. Recognition is the first step toward effective support.

If you are a parent supporting a 2e/DME child and are looking for professional guidance in building this essential "stress management toolkit," get in touch with me!

04/11/2025

If you’re a parent feeling frustrated because your child is struggling to meet a milestone, a behaviour expectation, or a self-care task, you might be focused on "fixing" your child. You might think, "Why can't they just..."

Your child is not broken! At The Gifted OT, I approach these challenges by shifting the focus from "fixing" your child to understanding their unique world.

Sometimes, the demands of your child’s daily life—coping with noisy classrooms, struggling to hold a pen or other tools, or independently planning and organising a task, can be too hard to navigate without support. My role as a paediatric OT, is to identify these hurdles to task participation, and implement the right supports. This way we create a personalised roadmap that meets your child’s unique needs and helps them be more successful.

Want to explore a supportive approach to your child's development? Visit my website www.thegiftedot.com.au for more information on how I can help, and get in touch with me!

29/10/2025

This week is Occupational Therapy Week, and I'm offering a FREE guide for parents who suspect their very bright child is struggling to reach their full potential.

To help you put your finger on what might be standing in their way, this guide puts the gifted traits and challenges side-by-side so you can identify their unique profile.

To complete the checklist, download the free guide today by following the link below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sxiaQc3m1FNPwIgeIjIKLx6o8e_-tNfi/view?usp=drive_link

Also visit my website www.thegiftedot.com.au for more information on how I can help, and get in touch with me!

26/10/2025

Happy World Occupational Therapy Day!

As a paediatric Occupational Therapist, I'm passionate about helping every child reach their full potential, especially those who are twice exceptional (2e) or dual or multiple exceptional (DME).

It can be tough as a parent or carer to see your very bright child struggling academically and/or socially, feeling like something is standing in their way. If this resonates with you, it's possible your child is 2e/DME—meaning they are intellectually very able (gifted) or have a talent, plus a learning difference or disability (special educational need).

Understanding your child's beautifully complex profile is the first step to helping them navigate their challenges. To help you on this journey and to celebrate World Occupational Therapy Day, I've created a FREE guide: "Is my child Twice Exceptional or Dual or Multiple Exceptional?".

This guide includes:

🔹A clear definition of 2e/DME
🔹A list of neurodivergent conditions associated with 2e/DME (like Autism and sensory processing differences)
🔹A helpful checklist of common gifted traits and challenges to look out for

Download the FREE guide today by following the link below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sxiaQc3m1FNPwIgeIjIKLx6o8e_-tNfi/view?usp=drive_link

24/10/2025

It can be confusing and heartbreaking to witness moments of extreme distress that look like "tantrums." But if your child's brain is navigating sensory sensitivities, you aren't dealing with a tantrum—you're seeing a meltdown.

A tantrum is behaviour designed to achieve a goal. A sensory meltdown is loss of control when the child’s brain experiences sensory overload and defaults to fight or flight.

Understanding this distinction will help guide your response to maintaining boundaries or co-regulating with your child.

Paediatric OTs can help you understand this difference, and equip you with strategies to help your child. Reach out to an OT today!

21/10/2025

We're celebrating all children today on Children's Day!

This celebration is the perfect moment to reflect on what we owe to all young people: an environment where they feel understood, supported, and loved.

Today, I especially think of twice exceptional (2e), or dual or multiple exceptional (DME) children. Their gifts and talents can often mask their challenges, leading to misunderstandings, frustration, and a real risk of their needs being overlooked. They are the square pegs trying to fit into round holes!

With 2e/DME children, we must see both sides of their profile:

🔹Acknowledge the Gift:
Celebrate their intense curiosity, advanced vocabulary, exceptional problem-solving, and unique creativity. This is their strength and should be the foundation of their learning.

🔹Address the Hurdle:
Provide targeted, nurturing support for the areas where they struggle. This isn't about fixing them; it's about giving them the tools and strategies (like those an OT provides!) to manage their challenges and access their gifts.

My goal, as a paediatric Occupational Therapist, is to help these gifted children bridge the gap between their strengths and struggles. Visit my website www.thegiftedot.com.au for more information on how I can help your 2e/DME child.

17/10/2025

The countdown is on! If your little one is heading to Kindergarten next year, you're probably already thinking about school uniforms, lunchboxes, and making new friends. But here is another question, “Are they truly ready?

"School readiness" isn't just about knowing the alphabet. It's also about having developed the essential, foundational gross- and fine motor skills that let your child manage the learning environment easier and with more independence.

I focus on developing these crucial "productivity background skills" to prepare your child for school.

Visit my website at www.thegiftedot.com.au and get in touch today for more information on how I can help your child in this next important phase of their developmental journey.

15/10/2025

To all the dedicated parents and carers, Happy National Carer's Week!

This week, we're not just celebrating the love you give, but also acknowledging the immense, non-stop mental and emotional load you carry. As a Paediatric OT, I don't just see your child's progress; I see you—the chief advocate, the tireless scheduler, the emergency contact, the constant cheerleader, and the heart of the home. This truly is an invisible, all-consuming job.

Your well-being isn't a bonus or a luxury; it's the foundational pillar of your ability to care for your child effectively. A burnt-out carer simply cannot be their best self.

Please give yourself genuine permission to sometimes take off the cape and lighten the load, even for just a few minutes a day. What is one small self-care activity you can fill this time with to not only take care of your own mental health today, but regularly?

09/10/2025

Today is World Mental Health Day, and it's a perfect time to shine a light on a group of kids whose mental health needs are often misunderstood: twice-exceptional (2e) or dual/multiple exceptional (DME) children.

These kids are gifted in one or more areas, but they also have a diagnosis like ADHD, Autism, dyslexia, Developmental Coordination Disorder and/or a mental health condition like anxiety or depression.

This unique combination can make their emotional and mental health journeys particularly complex.

The same intensity that fuels their exceptional talents, such as their imaginational-, sensual- and emotional overexcitabilities, can also amplify their individual struggles and contribute to anxiety, frustration, and low self-esteem. They might feel like they don't quite fit in, leading to feelings of social isolation and misunderstanding.

As a paediatric Occupational Therapist, I work with 2e/DME children to build the skills they need to navigate their emotions, sensory sensitivities, and social relationships. I often do this alongside my colleagues such as psychologists, speech and language therapists, and play therapists.

Let's use today as a reminder to be more mindful of the diverse ways mental health presents itself, and to offer compassionate support to every child, especially those who are often overlooked or misunderstood.

Visit my website at www.thegiftedot.com.au for more information on how I can help, and to get in touch with me.

06/10/2025

Today is World Cerebral Palsy (CP) Day, a day to celebrate the achievements of people with cerebral palsy and raise awareness. CP is a physical disability that affects movement and posture. It is the most common physical disability in children.

Today I want to raise awareness of an often-overlooked group of CP children - those who are also cognitively gifted, and therefore have the profile of being twice exceptional (2e) or dual or multiple exceptional (DME).

I have a deep appreciation for children who live with the challenges that CP brings. For roughly the first 12 years of my OT career, I worked with people of all ages with physical disabilities including CP, prescribing equipment such as wheelchairs and sleeping systems, and leading on bespoke home modifications.

These days, my work looks a little different, and focuses more on the hidden challenges of being 2e/DME such as emotional regulation challenges that are linked with their perfectionism, fear of failure, intense concerns with justice and fairness, and planning and organising tasks. I also focus on the importance of advocacy for understanding and meeting their complex needs especially when their physical disability hides their giftedness, and similarly when high cognitive ability hides the severity of physical challenges. It is so important that we do all we can to support children with CP and giftedness, to be seen for all of who they are.

If you have a 2e/DME child with CP and want to learn more about how I can help, visit my website at www.thegiftedot.com.au.

The Gifted OT Mariza Ferreira