The Thrive Spot

20/12/2025

🎄✨ Christmas Closure ✨🎄

We’re wrapping up for the year and will be closed from Friday 19th of December and reopening on Monday 12th January.

Wishing all of our beautiful families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 💛

Thank you for being part of our Thrive Spot community — see you in 2026!

02/12/2025

🌈 Wondering how Art Therapy can support your child in 2026?

This creative, child-led therapy supports so much more than “making art”! 🎨💛

From emotional regulation and distress tolerance to communication, sensory processing, executive functioning, and building confidence — Art Therapy offers a safe space for kids to explore, express, and grow.

If your child finds talking tricky…
If they thrive with hands-on learning…
If they need support with emotions, connection, or coping skills…

Art Therapy could be a beautiful fit.

✨ NOW BOOKING for 2026
DM us or visit www.thethrivespot.com.au to secure your child’s spot.

01/12/2025

We love seeing our community come together 💛 One of our amazing parents has helped coordinate this beautiful event for the International Day of People with Disability, bringing families together to connect, celebrate, and feel supported.

If you're free on Dec 3rd at 10am, head to Stuart Park (inclusive playground huts) for a relaxed morning with Better Births Illawarra and Capable Kids.

Everyone is welcome — including parents with disability and parents of children with disability. 🌈

Swipe the QR code to register or visit betterbirthsillawarra.org.au ✨

27/11/2025

24/11/2025

✨ Aided Language Stimulation: making communication meaningful + motivating ✨

When your child is learning to communicate using an AAC device, modelling is one of the strongest ways to support their language growth. 💬💛

ALS simply means you model the words on your child’s device as you talk — just like we model spoken language long before kids talk back. No pressure. No expectations. Just showing them how their language system works through real moments.

💡 Want to boost engagement? Use their motivators!
In this clip, we use The Wiggles because it’s something this little one adores. When a child is motivated, their attention is higher, their participation increases, and communication opportunities skyrocket. 🎶💗

You can model during motivating moments like:
👉 Watching a favourite show (GO, PLAY, STOP)
👉 Dancing (TURN, FAST, MORE)
👉 Preferred toys (OPEN, HELP, FINISHED)
👉 Snacks (MORE, DIFFERENT, ALL DONE)

When we pair ALS with something they love, language sticks. Motivation isn’t a bonus — it’s key. 🌈💬

Keep modelling. Keep connecting. Let their interests lead the way. 💙✨

20/11/2025

🌈 We’re hiring NEW GRAD OTs & SPEECHIES! 🌈
If you’re looking for your first allied-health role and want support, fun and zero burnout vibes — you’re going to LOVE it here 💛

At The Thrive Spot, we’ve built a workplace where new graduates are genuinely supported to grow, learn and enjoy their job… not just survive it.

Here’s what you can expect:
✨ LOW KPIs with a gentle caseload ramp-up
✨ New Graduate Support Program tailored to YOU
✨ Weekly clinical supervision + extra operational support
✨ Fortnightly team meetings so you’re always connected
✨ Quarterly internal PD days + your own PD budget
✨ A team culture that’s actually FUN (think dinners, dress-ups, birthdays & all-round good vibes!)
✨ Work within a collaborative multidisciplinary team that genuinely supports each other
✨ Based in beautiful Wollongong/Dapto 🏖️

If you’re a new grad looking for a team where you can grow, feel supported, and thrive (pun absolutely intended), we’d love to hear from you! 💌

📩 Apply via our website or email admin@thethrivespot.com.au
🌱 Full-time and part-time options available.

19/11/2025

Speech practice doesn’t need to be boring — and today, Maddy proved it again with Tongues Out 🐶👅

Each puppy pull meant another chance to practise a target sound. Because the child was laughing, choosing puppies, and racing Maddy to find matching pictures, they produced far more repetitions than they would in a traditional worksheet or drill.

More repetitions =
✔ stronger motor speech planning
✔ more accurate productions
✔ faster generalisation into everyday talking

Games like Tongues Out keep kids engaged, motivated, and regulated — the perfect recipe for meaningful speech progress.

At The Thrive Spot, we make speech sound practice playful on purpose. Because progress happens when kids love the process 💛✨

04/11/2025

✨ Patience is Therapeutic ✨

Today during a session, one of our little legends was so proud of the incredible Magnetile tower he was building. When it was time to transition to the clinic room, he wasn’t quite ready to leave it yet.

So… we paused.
We waited.
We joined him where he was. 💛

Instead of rushing to “get started” on therapy goals, Roisin sat with him, talked with him, and helped build the final pieces together.

And here’s what happened:

🧠 He stayed regulated during the transition
🤝 He felt heard, respected and valued
🏗️ He trusted the process — and us
💬 Our session in the room afterwards was more engaged, more connected and ultimately more successful.

Taking those few extra minutes didn’t mean less therapy — it actually created better therapy outcomes.

Because when a child feels safe and understood… that’s when they’re ready to learn.

🌱 Connection first. Regulation first. Relationship first.
The goals will always follow.

14/10/2025

It’s World Allied Health Day! 💜

We celebrated with a delicious lunch from The Plant Room Café at Horsley (run by The Disability Trust 🌿) — a perfect way to thank our amazing team for all they do to help children and families thrive every day! 💫