Blossom Children's Occupational Therapy

04/12/2025

More training tonight for staff of the DSP CE Primary School

Sensory integration is the way the nervous system receives information from the senses, organises it, and uses it to guide responses. It includes input from touch, vision, hearing, taste, and smell — as well as the vestibular, proprioceptive and interoceptive systems.

When sensory integration is working smoothly, children can stay regulated, focus, move with coordination, and respond appropriately to daily demands. When it’s challenging, they may appear overwhelmed, distracted, constantly seeking movement, or unsure of how to use their bodies in space.

In practice, sensory integration underpins attention, emotional regulation, motor planning, and participation in routines at home, school, and in the community.

04/12/2025

Building strong fine motor skills lays the groundwork for handwriting, self-care tasks, and confident participation in daily activities. Here are simple ways to support success:

• Offer play that strengthens the hands — playdough, tweezers, tongs, clothespins, or squeezing water from sponges.
• Encourage activities that isolate fingers — finger games, small construction toys, stickers, or peeling tape from surfaces.
• Provide opportunities for bilateral coordination — threading beads, opening containers, tearing paper, or lacing cards.
• Support posture and stability — a steady core and shoulder strength make fine motor work easier and more efficient.
• Follow the child’s lead — when tasks are meaningful and enjoyable, engagement and skill growth naturally improve.

Small, consistent practice makes a noticeable difference. Fine motor confidence opens the door to independence.

30/11/2025

🌸Blossom christmas celebration🌸

Today we spent the time wreath making as a team followed by a lovely buffet lunch. Such a lovely therapeutic activity; enjoyed by all!

I'm very lucky to have such a fabulous team of people, not only do they all work so hard to provide their very best for our children /families but as a team we connect very well and always support one another. I feel very privileged as this is rare in the workplace ❤️

Bonus - the money raised from today was all donated to Children's Cancer charity!

25/11/2025

EBSA- Emotional based school avoidance

As children’s occupational therapists, we often see the early signs long before a child begins refusing school. Subtle changes in regulation, rising anxiety around transitions, increased fatigue, difficulty separating, or a sudden drop in tolerance for everyday demands can all signal that a child’s coping capacity is stretched.

School avoidance isn’t a behaviour to “fix”; it’s a message/ communication.
A child is telling us that the current load feels too heavy.

Our support focuses on:
• Understanding the underlying sensory, emotional, or environmental stressors
• Strengthening regulation strategies that actually work for that child
• Adjusting demands so they match their capacity
• Building safety, predictability, and connection across home and school
• Helping adults see the pattern early—before avoidance becomes the only option

Compassionate, collaborative intervention can change the trajectory. When we notice the ripening signs early, we can empower children to feel safe, capable, and ready to re-engage.

25/11/2025

Another day spent training schools for the Orbis Trust Hunsbury Park Primary School SEND partnership .

Today the chosen topic was 'Supporting sensory differences in the school setting'

21/11/2025

Sophie has just returned from a week in Birmingham learning how to administer the Evaluation of Ayres Sensory Integration - EASI assessment as part of her Sensory Integration training.

20/11/2025

I’ve just delivered a parent training on Emotional-Based School Avoidance (EBSA).
We explored practical ways to understand the underlying triggers, support regulation at home, and rebuild a sense of safety and connection around school.

19/11/2025

Happy birthday to Gemma (OT) !!
Gemma is enjoying some well deserved treats today on her day off🎂

13/11/2025

At our clinic, a frequent topic that every family can relate to: helping their child tune into their own bodies so they can regulate, engage and thrive. It’s all about interoception — knowing what your body needs before the overwhelm and using simple strategies to support it.

Here are 3 practical and easy ways you can support your child:

1. Start with choice & calm – Let your child pick a short regulation activity (e.g., a favourite yoga pose, a few deep breaths, or a ‘body scan’ game) before tasks or transitions.

2. Use simple sensory supports – A small tool (like soft putty, a fidget toy, or a stretchy band) can support the child whilst they listen and follows instructions. It keeps the nervous system grounded and supports their processing.

3. When you notice for example your child fidgeting, comment out loud "I wonder what your body needs now?"

4. Celebrate strength, not just skill – End tasks with a creative game or self-expression moment: “What did you do well today? Which part felt good in your body?” Help your child recognise their internal cues (e.g., “My shoulders felt heavy”) and connect them with a strategy.

Research shows that when children and their families understand how regulation & body-signals work, therapy and home carry-over become stronger. And when children help choose their tools and strategies, engagement improves.

Sometimes we use Ella the Therapy dog to support children in our sessions to think about her regulation if thinking about their own is too tricky at that time! Picture drawn by child accessing Blossom therapy 🌸

04/11/2025

✨ What is Praxis? ✨

In children’s sensory integration theory, praxis is often described as the brain’s ability to plan, organise and carry out new motor actions.

It’s what helps a child think, “I want to build a den,” then gather the cushions, problem-solve how to stack them, and adjust their plan when something wobbles.

Praxis involves:
🧠 Ideation – coming up with the idea
🖐️ Motor planning – figuring out how to do it
🏃‍♀️ Ex*****on – actually carrying it out

When a child has difficulties with praxis (sometimes called dyspraxia), you might notice challenges with coordination, messy play skills, getting dressed, or joining in imaginative games.

30/10/2025

26/10/2025

🌸Therapy in action !

This week Jenny has been making slime as a Halloween activity with a child in therapy.

🌸Why was this used?

✔️Making slime is motivational for this young man.
✔️It required lots of tactile sensory input ✔️The mixture was tough, creating lots of proprioceptive input to mix it.
✔️Child was required to follow lots of verbal instructions.
✔️Adapting and sequencing the task throughout.

This activity allowed the child to converse with Jenny freely and demonstrate some humour because it was regulating.

*photo used with consent