Angelique Carreira Occupational Therapy

14/01/2026

I haven’t posted here in a long time — not because OT stopped being important to me, but because I was busy becoming the therapist I needed time to grow into. The shift into mental health OT has challenged me, humbled me, and reminded me why I chose this profession in the first place. I’m hoping to show up more authentically here — imperfect, reflective, and still learning. If you’ve ever taken a pause to realign, this is your reminder that it’s okay 💭

19/02/2025

Something exciting is brewing!

These workshops make therapy more accessible, allowing you to explore the possibilities of occupational therapy in a fun, interactive and safe space.

09/08/2023

02/07/2023

We have introduced some new items to our catalogue! 😀

Contact us to place your order and see what else is available :)

31/05/2023

So excited about having completed the intro to DIR Floortime course, and so ready to apply what was learned to our therapy!

So, what is DIR?

The objectives of the DIR® Model are to build healthy foundations for social, emotional, and intellectual capacities rather than focusing exclusively on skills and isolated behaviors.

The “D” describes development from the perspective of the individual, where they are and where they are headed. Understanding the unique developmental process means allowing space for each person to be respected and guided in their own personal developmental journey.

The "I" describes the unique ways each person takes in, regulates, responds to, and comprehends the world around them.

The “R” describes how relationships fuel our development. Humans are social beings and relationships are a key to our development. DIR harnesses the key affective (emotional) aspect of these relationships to promote development.

Understanding DIR can help us promote healthy development in everyone, but it is especially powerful in helping children on the autism spectrum or with other developmental or emotional challenges.

14/05/2023

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Supermoms out there. Every last one🌟💜 To the moms who are with us, and those who aren't. To those whose heart's desire is to be a mama.

We see you and we🥰 love you!

01/05/2023

OT Motivation Monday ❤️

Sometimes, we just need to have the courage to take the first step - getting some help to make a door 💜

29/04/2023

Occupational therapists walk alongside ordinary people to help them solve real-world problems, in the context of their day-to-day life. - Rhiannon Crispe

29/04/2023

X is for EXECUTIVE FUNCTION

This refers to a set of skills that underlie our ability to plan ahead, meet goals, follow instructions and display self control.

Y is for YOU

Your therapist is on YOUR side. We work to ensure the best possible result for our clients, meaning you are part of our intervention planning process at every step.

Z is for zZz's

Did you know that a lack of sleep can cause increased anxiety, decreased coordination and a shortened attention span?

24/04/2023

V is for VISUAL-MOTOR INTEGRATION
It involves the combination of visual perception and motor coordination i.e. eye hand coordination. Difficulty with visual motor skills can result in inaccurate reaching, pointing and grasping of objects, as well as difficulty with copying, drawing, tracing and cutting

W is for WERNICKE'S APHASIA
Wernicke aphasia is characterized by impaired language comprehension. Despite this impaired comprehension, speech may have a normal rate, rhythm, and grammar. The most common cause of Wernicke's aphasia is through a stroke.

24/04/2023

Q is for QUALITY OF LIFE
There are four domains common to QOL in health, they have been defined as: physical health, mental health, social health and functional health.

QoL embodies overall well-being and happiness, including access to school, work opportunities, absence of military conflict or threats, as well as good physical and emotional health. It's relative, subjective and has intangible components, such as spiritual beliefs and a sense of belonging.

R is for RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE
Receptive language is the understanding of information provided in a variety of ways such as sounds and words; movement and gestures; and signs and symbols.

S is for SPATIAL AWARENESS
The ability to distinguish differences among similar objects or forms relative to directionality Ex: Correctly positioning utensils at mealtime

T is for TACTILE DEFENSIVENESS
The tendency to respond negatively to tactile stimulation i.e. Becoming overwhelmed by having dirty hands

U is for UNIQUE
The beauty of OT, is being able to take each client's unique personality, needs and abilities into account. We are able to tailor our intervention to each person, making it personal, purposeful and meaningful to each of our clients.

17/04/2023

P is for PERCEPTION

VISUAL PERCEPTUAL SKILLS:
This refers to your ability to interpret and use what is seen in the environment. Difficulties in this area can interfere with your ability to learn self-help skills like tying shoelaces
and academic tasks like copying from the blackboard or finding items in a busy background.
-Visual Closure:
Yourability to identify forms or objects from incomplete presentations. Ex: A student’s ability to distinguish a pencil from a pen even though both are half covered by a piece of paper.
- Visual Discrimination:
Your ability to differentiate among symbols and forms, such as matching or separating colors, shapes, numbers, letters and words.
- Visual Figure Ground:
The ability to differentiate between foreground and background forms and objects. Ex: The ability to find a white wash cloth on a white sheet.
- Visual Form Constancy:
The ability to recognize the same shape, object, or letter in different situations. Ex: /t/ written in textbook is same as /t/ written on chalkboard; vertical addition is the same as horizontal addition
-Visual Memory:
The ability to recall the visual image of objects, forms, symbols, and movements
-Visual Sequential Memory: The ability to recall a series of objects, forms, symbols, and movements. Ex: recalling a phone number that you have seen
-Visual Spatial Relations:
The ability to distinguish differences among similar objects or forms relative to directionality Ex: Correctly positioning utensils at mealtime