Little Life Development

25/11/2025

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New NHS Therapy Advice Lines📞

Get free, expert support from:
- Occupational Therapists
- Physiotherapists
- Speech and Language Therapists

Whether you have questions or concerns, these advice lines offer direct access to professionals who can help.

No referral needed
Quick, practical advice

Find out more here: https://send.essex.gov.uk/search?s=therapy%20advice%20lines&f%5B0%5D=sitewide_search_type%3A23

25/11/2025

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Looking for practical tips and support?

Join our Peer Educator online sessions this December. These sessions are free, friendly and full of useful strategies you can use at home.

Upcoming Sessions:

Toileting:
Wednesday 3 Dec from 9.30am to 11.00am

Sensory Needs:
Thursday 4 Dec from 12.00pm to 1.30pm

Demand Avoidance:
Monday 8 Dec from 10.00am to 11.30am

Sleeping:
Tuesday 9 Dec from 12.00pm to 1.30pm

Attendance Difficulties (EBSA):
Wednesday 10 Dec from 6.30pm to 8.00pm

Who can join? Parents and carers of children and young people with SEND in Essex.

Why attend? Learn practical tips, share experiences and connect with others who understand.

Reserve your spot today, visit the link in the comments below 👇

20/11/2025

☃️This time of year can be tricky with outdoor work.. Wind and rain and temperatures that some can find hard to manage, with extra layers of clothing and making sure to keep moving to keep warm!

But one thing that always brings joy, connection, curiosity, and engagement is ICE! 🧊❄️🧊

Today these beautiful pieces of ice were the catalyst for all of this:

🧊 Playfulness & laughter
🧊 Use of metaphors for the ice's durability (one block was named the Nokia by the child on caseload today which was brilliant 😂)
🧊 Connecting with nature (let's set the leaf free! 🍂)
🧊 Target throwing using our gross motor, fine motor and visual perceptual skills
🧊 Exploration of our tactile sense with temperature and texture
🧊 Observing beauty in shapes & light (I definitely saw the moon in that last piece and it was beautiful!) 🌝

12/11/2025

Post-carrying out some peer supervision/training with a dear friend and fellow OT.. Apparently my stereognosis bag is comfy 😂 he's an old boy now so I let him get away with things like this ❤️

In between delivering therapy sessions and carrying out assessments, we often have a various meetings like this, and this week we have two other meetings in place to share information between services and other disciplines for children on caseload. Interdisciplinary and collaborative working is an important part of what we do when working with the whole child 💬🧠💬

23/10/2025

WOULD YOU RATHER🦔

From one of our little ones on caseload this week... He would like to know from all our lovely followers:

'would you rather swim in a sea of chestnuts (with the shell on!) or a sea of holly leaves?'

This week we explored our tactile sense whilst foraging for chestnuts which we cooked over the stove and ate (a first try for this kiddo too! 🙌) yum! And it got him thinking.. I wonder what people would prefer?! 🤔💭 We decided we would put it to a vote! Answers in the comments and I will let him know at our next session! 🌳🌰🦔💭❤️

15/10/2025

🎲🧱One of our new resources has been a hit this week so far! A mini Jenga tower with colours and a dice to add an extra layer of challenge!

This is a really delicate game of Jenga which requires a lot of concentration and grading of force but all the children this week have loved it and were sad to have to move on to other activities. For us OTs, a game as simple as Jenga can help us assess and provide intervention for a range of different areas. This week this has included:

✋Fine motor manipulation and control
💪Grading of force and proprioceptive feedback
🧠 Planning and sequencing
💬Communication and turn taking
🫁Interoception linking with body clues and emotions such as tension and excitement
👀Visual perception skills & visual motor Integration

And most importantly... Fun and playfulness which supports building rapport and trust 🎲🫶

14/10/2025

Connection and feeling understood is always the priority ❤️https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BWEVtg9zP/

A calm corner isn’t enough...

True calm isn’t created by cushions - it’s created by connection.

You can fill a room with beanbags, soft lighting, fidget toys and posters that say breathe.

But if a child doesn’t feel understood, those things become decoration - not regulation.

Because safety isn’t a space.
It’s a relationship.
It’s the tone of voice that says, I see you.
It’s the adult who doesn’t take fear personally.

A calm corner means nothing if the rest of the environment still demands compliance over comfort.

🩵 Putting in the right support for PDA learners is what helps them truly thrive in any educational setting.

I’ve created free guides to help you get started - drop the word RESOURCE below
and you’ll get access to the full free library. If you want to learn about this in more detail you can watch my pre-recorded webinar for just £10 - just drop the word WEBINAR instead.

08/10/2025

🌳🌞🌝
Proud parent moment I thought I would share over here. I rarely do this but this one means a lot 💚

My daughter took this photograph as part of a 'Happiness in Nature' competition through her primary school and has been shortlisted 🌳💚🙌

She thrives in nature and has always loved being in green space as much as I do. This photograph is really meaningful to me as it reminds me of how much nature has supported her and us as a family over the years. We have had our struggles like many families, and getting needs met can be tough at times. Nature has always been there for her and us to support regulation and mental health, fine and gross motor development, creativity, to gain clarity and perspective and most importantly to foster connection 💚

I hope as she gets older she doesn't forget the importance of this and that being in nature is always a crucial part of her day 🙏

08/10/2025

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Norman Cook is teaching the art of DJ’ing for people dealing with mental health challenges - part of a new project he’s personally funding, working alongside Sussex Partnership NHS Trust’s Charity ‘Heads On’.

07/10/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19zq28Y45Y/

HEAR US!

The UK’s first-ever voice petition for dyslexia is live on Spotify.

Real voices. Real stories. A powerful call for urgent change.

This Dyslexia Awareness Week, hear what the system sounds like from the inside. Then add your own voice.

Listen in: https://bit.ly/4pMxsdC
Share your voice: https://loom.ly/nZerUpA

Jamie Oliver Spotify for Creators