What are the opening hours?

Monday 08:00 - 17:00 Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00 Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00 Thursday 08:00 - 17:00 Friday 08:00 - 17:00

Ashley Dearling Occupational Therapists

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Ashley Dearling Occupational Therapists

Ashley Dearling OT is a Ballito based OT practice, passionate about Sensory Integration

07/10/2025

Foundations for the Future: OT & Early Intervention Workshop. Join us as Ashley unpacks the importance of early intervention and how to support your child’s development at home.

🗓 Saturday, 18 October 2025 | 9 AM – 11 AM
📍 Dolphin Coast Pre-Primary
👧 Childcare services available

✨ Topics include:
✔ What OT and early intervention really are
✔ How to know if your child may benefit from OT
✔ Strategies to support your child at home
✔ Screen time balance & Grade 1 readiness

💰 R35 (Dolphin Coast Parents) | R65 (Ballito Community Parents)
📞 RSVP: Lindy – 032 946 2979

Let’s build strong foundations for confident, capable kids!

ALL WELCOME!

09/09/2025

Why are today’s children more anxious than ever before? Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation shows how childhood has been fundamentally rewired—and what we can do to help.

Swipe through for simple, powerful steps parents, teachers, and communities can take to rebuild resilience, protect mental health, and bring back real-world play.

Together we can help this generation grow up grounded, connected, and strong. 💚

Based on insights from the book The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt (2024)

05/09/2025

The Anxious Generation: Why are today’s children more anxious than ever before? Jonathan Haidt’s powerful book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, explores how childhood has been fundamentally rewired by two major cultural shifts:
➡️ Overprotection in the real world
➡️ Under-protection in the virtual world

Add the rise of smartphones and social media, and we see soaring rates of anxiety, depression, and
emotional fragility in our children.

Swipe through to understand what’s changed, why it matters, and what we can do—together—to
protect childhood, rebuild resilience, and support mental wellbeing.

Based on insights from the book The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt (2024)

11/07/2025

📚 Therapist’s Book Club with Rachel Carey 📚

We’ve been loving the .therapists.bookclub, hosted monthly online by the incredible Occupational Therapist, Rachel Carey. Each month, Rachel takes us through a different thought-provoking book about child development, creating a space for learning, reflection, and practical takeaways for therapists, teachers, parents, and anyone passionate about supporting children.

Last month, we explored “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” by Jonathan Haidt, a powerful and eye-opening read. The insights we gained were not only fascinating but deeply relevant to the challenges today’s children face. It’s clear that helping children not just survive but truly thrive will take a shared, intentional effort from parents, teachers, and health professionals working together.

💡 Over the next two posts, we’ll be sharing some of the key takeaways from this important book, along with practical suggestions for what we as parents, teachers, and therapists can do to help.

We can’t wait to see what’s next in Rachel’s Therapist’s Book Club as she continues to lead us through more incredible reads. This welcoming space is open to anyone, parents, teachers, therapists, or anyone passionate about child development—and we highly encourage you to join in!

17/06/2025

Happy Birthday, Tilly! All of us at Ashley Dearling Occupational Therapists are sending you our love and best wishes on your special day! 💐🎂

We’ve missed your warmth, professionalism, and that ever-positive energy while you’ve been away on maternity leave. The practice just hasn’t been the same without your smile, stories and laughter!

We hope you’re enjoying every precious moment with your little princess, and that today you get a chance to celebrate you. We can't wait to welcome you back next month!

With love,
The ADOT Team 💙

15/06/2025

The Invaluable Role of Fathers in Early Childhood Development. This Father's Day, we celebrate the incredible impact fathers have on their children's development. Research consistently shows that engaged fathers contribute uniquely to their children's growth in ways that complement and enhance overall development.

Fathers excel at:
• Physical play and risk-taking - Encouraging climbing, jumping, and adventurous activities that build confidence and motor skills
• Problem-solving approaches - Often using different strategies that expand children's thinking patterns
• Emotional regulation - Teaching children to manage big feelings through calm, steady presence
• Independence building - Encouraging children to "have a go" and persist through challenges
• Spatial and mathematical thinking - Engaging in construction play, puzzles, and logical reasoning activities

The father-child bond supports:
• Enhanced self-esteem and confidence
• Better social skills and peer relationships
• Improved academic outcomes
• Stronger emotional resilience
• Reduced behavioural difficulties

To all the dedicated fathers supporting their children's development journey - your presence, patience, and play make an immeasurable difference.

Thank you for being champions of your children's growth. Happy Father's Day! 👨‍👧‍👦

05/06/2025

🏆 Quick Reminder: Best of Ballito 2025 🏆 We're nominated for Best Occupational Therapists in the Best of Ballito 2025 awards! If you've experienced the difference our therapy makes and feel we've made a positive impact in your child's life or the lives of others, we'd be honoured by your support! Voting is still open until 14 June 2025.

Vote at: https://www.bestofsouthafrica.co.za/ballito/bob-voting-category-medical/

Thank you for being part of our community! 💕

29/05/2025

The Magic of Play: Our Journey Through Development. "Play is the work of childhood." - Jean Piaget
As we conclude our exploration of play types—from sensory and exploratory to cooperative and mastery—we've seen how each form serves as a crucial developmental building block.

Through our series, we've highlighted how seemingly simple play activities are actually sophisticated learning opportunities. Whether it's developing fine motor skills through constructive play or building social understanding through role play, each play experience shapes neural pathways and developmental skills.

As occupational therapists, we recognise play not as a luxury or distraction, but as children's primary occupation—their natural way of developing the physical, cognitive, and emotional skills needed for life.

We hope these insights into different play types have provided both understanding and practical ideas for supporting your child's development. The blocks scattered across your floor, the imaginary tea parties, and those repetitive games aren't just play—they're laying foundations for a lifetime of learning.

Thank you for joining us on this journey through the world of play!

27/05/2025

🔄 Mastery Play: The Joy of Repetition & Skill Building
Ever notice how children love to repeat the same activity over and over? This isn't just repetition, it's "Mastery Play," a crucial developmental stage where practice leads to confidence and real skill development!

Why It Matters:
- Develops neural pathways for automatic skill ex*****on
- Builds confidence through competence
- Strengthens persistence and resilience
- Refines motor planning and coordination
Creates deep learning through repetition

From an OT perspective, mastery play represents the child's natural drive to perfect skills until they become automatic. That child who jumps off the same step 20 times isn't just being repetitive, they're calibrating their body, refining their balance, and experiencing the joy of growing competence.

Clever Play Ideas:

1. "Bean Bag Bowling" - Set up small pins or stacked blocks for children to knock down with bean bags. The repetitive throwing motion builds arm control, aim, and visual-motor skills while providing immediate feedback and success.

2. "Magnetic Fishing Fun" - Using a simple magnetic fishing game, children practice the same hand-eye coordination movements repeatedly as they collect the fish. This builds fine motor control, visual tracking, and precision.

Pro Tip: Resist the urge to rush children through repetitive play, it's their brain's way of perfecting neural pathways and building confidence!

23/05/2025

🗣️ Language Play: Words in Motion
Language play combines communication development with active engagement, creating rich learning opportunities.

Why It Matters:
• Develops verbal expression
• Enhances auditory processing
• Builds phonological awareness
• Supports social communication
• Strengthens cognitive flexibility

From an OT perspective, language play offers opportunities to combine communication development with motor planning and social interaction. We use it to address multiple developmental areas while supporting communication skills.

Clever Play Ideas:
1. "Word-Picture Matching Relay" - Set up picture cards at one end of the room and word cards at the other. Children run to find matching pairs.
2. "Sound & Spell" - Display an image (like a dog) and provide letter tiles spread around the room. Children make the sound of each letter ("d" "o" "g"), collect the corresponding tiles, and arrange them to spell the word matching the picture.

Pro Tip: Notice how language play interactions reflect overall development and processing patterns.

21/05/2025

👥 Role Play: Stepping Into New Perspectives
Role play is more than just pretending - it's actively practising different social roles and understanding various perspectives.

Why It Matters:
• Develops perspective-taking abilities
• Enhances social awareness
• Builds communication skills
• Supports problem-solving
• Strengthens adaptive responses

From an OT perspective, role play provides valuable opportunities for practising social skills, motor planning, and adaptive responses in a safe context. We use it to address everything from social communication to daily living skills.

Clever Play Ideas:
1. "Daily Life Skills Theatre" - Create playful scenarios focusing on life skills (making beds, setting tables, packing bags) with fun twists to maintain engagement.
2. "Problem-Solving Players" - Set up role-play scenarios that require creative problem-solving, combining cognitive flexibility with social understanding. Example: "Restaurant Dilemmas" - Role-play restaurant scenarios with unexpected problems (forgotten order, spilled drink, food allergy) that require children to develop solutions through communication and perspective-taking.

Pro Tip: Pay attention to how children adapt their roles - it often indicates their understanding of social dynamics and daily routines.

19/05/2025

🎲 Games with Rules: Structured Play for Skill Building
Games with rules offer more than just fun - they provide structured opportunities for developing executive function, social skills, and cognitive flexibility.

Why It Matters:
• Develops rule-following abilities
• Enhances working memory
• Builds strategic thinking
• Supports impulse control
• Strengthens social understanding

From an OT perspective, rule-based games provide structured contexts for addressing multiple developmental areas simultaneously. We use them to target attention, sequencing, and social skills while maintaining high engagement.

Clever Play Ideas:
1. "Moving Memory Match" - Create a movement-based memory game combining cognitive and motor challenges.
2. "Simon Says Plus" - Add complexity to traditional games by incorporating multiple steps and sensory components.

Pro Tip: Watch how children handle game rules and challenges - it often reflects executive functioning development.

Address

Unit 8 Rey Park, Rey's Place
Ballitoville
4399

Opening Hours

Monday	08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	08:00 - 17:00
Thursday	08:00 - 17:00
Friday	08:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+27848608221

Website

http://www.ashleydearlingot.co.za/

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