My Potential Paediatric Occupational Therapy

25/08/2025

I just completed 2 days of training in Melbourne on Visual Perception 👀🧠

Visual perception plays such a huge role in how children learn, regulate, and engage in the classroom. I truly believe the visual system is often overlooked when we see challenges like inattention, work refusal, messy handwriting, reading difficulties and sensory dysregulation.

These behaviours are often attributed to emotional or sensory regulation difficulties, poor fine motor skills, or language deficits—when in fact, the visual system might be a key piece of the puzzle.

I loved every minute of the training and I'm excited to bring this knowledge into my practice to better support children both in and out of the classroom 💡📝

02/04/2025

At My Potential, Autism awareness & acceptance is not limited to a single day - we celebrate every achievement, big or small, everyday of the year 🩵

04/02/2025

Well prepared transitions = regulated kids (and adults!)

02/02/2025

Due to the recent severe weather, the My Potential clinic will be closed on Monday 3rd February. 🌧🚨

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas from my family to yours🎄🎅🏼🐾

I will back in clinic from the 8th of January and can’t wait to hear about your holiday festivities!

19/12/2024

22/10/2024

Happy 🎉

Occupational Therapy Week is all about raising awareness and helping more people understand how OT can transform lives — from fostering independence in daily activities to overcoming challenges at any stage of life!

This year marks 80 years since the first occupational therapist club was formed in Australia. From enhancing lives to building independence, occupational therapists have been making a difference for 80 years.

Here’s to the connections that empower our children to thrive! 💜

08/10/2024

I’m back in office after becoming Mrs Shai Stanley! 💍

I’m excited to hear about how my OT kiddos spent their holiday break. Ready for big things to happen in our final term of the year ✨

Looking forward to reconnecting with you all!

19/07/2024

Crossing the midline of our body is a crucial skill in child development! 🧠✨

Difficulties crossing the midline can look like:
▪️ Delayed hand dominance - use their left hand for items on left and right hand for items on right, with no crossing over.
▪️ Swapping hands when reaching the midline during writing/drawing activities.
▪️ Difficulty visually tracking an object – i.e. copying text from the board or following text when reading.
▪️ Difficulty performing complex gross motor skills – star jumps, skipping.
▪️ Problems tying shoelaces, brushing teeth or dressing.

06/05/2024

When children work on vertical surfaces, it’s not only their hand that is working, but the whole body is also at work. Working in this anti-gravity position activates new muscles and makes activities more challenging. Think “tummy time,” but for our school-aged kids!

Here are some vertical play activities to try at home!
▪️ Painting on an easel
▪️ Drawing on a chalkboard
▪️ Window stickers
▪️ Suction toys (Kmart's Sucker Pops are my personal favourite)
▪️ Lego/Dublo wall
▪️ Fridge magnets (animals, letters, shapes)
▪️ Whiteboard makers on a mirror
▪️ Help wash the car with a sponge

25/03/2024

What better way to celebrate 3 years! 🎈🎉
The My Potential clinic is now open!

📍Shop 2 336-342 Ingham Road, Garbutt.

16/01/2024

Strategies for children who are overresponsive to auditory input:

◽️ Use noise cancelling headphones
◽️Allow the child to move to a quiet area when doing focused work
◽️Use visuals to support the child's understanding
◽️ If possible, prepare the child when the noise is about to start and use a visual timer to indicate when it will end
◽️ Provide a visual prompt card so the child can request to leave the room when feeling overwhelmed by the noise
◽️Teach calming strategies to use when there is an unexpected noise e.g. breathing exercises, fidgets and deep pressure methods
◽️Provide the child with additional processing time to respond when asking questions or giving instructions. Some children may require extra time to process information before responding. Interrupting child during this processing time may cause auditory overload