Our Approaches

Paediatric occupational therapy supports children in developing the skills they need to participate in everyday activities, also known as "occupations," such as play, learning, self-care, and social interactions.

Through fun, engaging, and evidence-based approaches tailored to each child’s unique needs, we aim to empower children to overcome challenges, achieve their goals, and thrive in their daily lives.

Occupational therapy can help your child to improve their 

• Sensory processing 
• Play and social skills 
• Daily living skills, such as feeding, dressing and personal care tasks 
• Sleep and sleep routines 
• Emotional regulation 
• Attention and concentration 
• School participation  
• Fine and gross motor skills

Early intervention provides tailored support to young children to help them develop the skills they need to thrive in everyday life. It is designed to empower children and their families during the critical early years, when development is happening rapidly, and small changes can make a big difference.

Our approach to early intervention focuses on celebrating and supporting each child’s unique strengths, preferences, and needs, rather than trying to "fix" or change who they are.

Who Can Provide Early Intervention?

At Believe and Achieve Paediatric Therapy, our occupational therapists and early childhood teacher work with your child and family to provide early intervention. 

What Does Early Intervention Involve?

• Play-Based Learning

• Play is a child’s natural way of learning. Early intervention uses play as a fun and engaging way to build communication, motor skills, and social connections.

• Family-Centred Support

• Families are at the heart of early intervention. Support is designed to work within your family’s routines, values, and goals, empowering you to feel confident in supporting your child’s development.

• Collaborative Approaches

• Early intervention often involves health professionals, such as occupational therapists, speech therapists, and early childhood educators, working together with you to support your child holistically.

• Focus on Strengths

• We prioritise your child’s strengths and interests, using these to guide learning and development. This helps build confidence and motivation.

• Respecting Individual Needs

• Every child’s journey is different. Early intervention provides personalised strategies to support communication, sensory preferences, motor skills, emotional regulation, and more.

The Benefits of Early Intervention

• Supports Development: Helps children build essential skills, such as communicating, playing, moving, and self-care, at their own pace.

• Promotes Confidence: Focusing on strengths and celebrating progress boosts your child’s self-esteem.

• Reduces Challenges: Provides strategies to navigate sensory, emotional, or developmental differences in a way that honours your child’s individuality.

• Strengthens Family Connections: Equips families with tools and knowledge to support their child’s development and build positive relationships.

• Encourages Inclusion: Helps children participate meaningfully in community and educational settings, building a sense of belonging.

Rapport building is the process of developing a trusting and positive relationship between your child and their therapist. It is a vital part of paediatric therapy, laying the foundation for successful and meaningful outcomes.

Why is Rapport Building Necessary?

• Creates a Safe Space: A strong connection helps your child feel safe, comfortable, and accepted, reducing anxiety and making sessions more enjoyable.

• Boosts Engagement: When your child feels a bond with their therapist, they are more likely to participate actively in therapy activities, which enhances their learning and progress.

• Tailored Support: Building rapport allows the therapist to understand your child’s unique interests, strengths, and challenges, enabling them to tailor activities that resonate with your child.

• Encourages Resilience: A trusted relationship helps your child feel supported when trying new or challenging tasks, building confidence and resilience over time.

• Supports Long-Term Success: A positive relationship creates a strong foundation for consistent progress, as your child feels motivated and secure in the therapy process.

How Therapists Build Rapport

• Using play and activities that align with your child’s interests.

• Listening to and validating your child’s feelings and preferences.

• Providing a calm, patient, and non-judgmental environment.

• Working collaboratively with your family to ensure therapy feels like a partnership.

Rapport building is more than just a “first step” in therapy – it’s an ongoing process that ensures your child feels valued, supported, and empowered to achieve their goals.

Play therapy is a therapeutic approach that uses play to help children explore and express their feelings, develop new skills, and work through challenges. It is especially effective for children because play is their natural way of learning, communicating, and making sense of the world.

In play therapy, the therapist uses toys, games, imaginative play, and creative activities to connect with the child and support their development.

Benefits of Play Therapy:

• Supports Emotional Expression

• Play provides a safe way for children to express their thoughts and feelings when they may not yet have the words to do so.

• Enhances Social Connection

• Through role-playing, turn-taking, and cooperative games, children learn essential skills like sharing, communicating, and problem-solving.

• Improves Emotional Regulation

• Play therapy helps children develop strategies to manage their emotions, cope with frustration, and navigate challenging situations.

• Builds Confidence

• Mastering new tasks and engaging in successful play experiences can boost a child’s self-esteem and sense of competence.

• Promotes Problem-Solving Skills

• Play often involves puzzles, scenarios, and challenges, encouraging children to think creatively and develop solutions.

• Strengthens Parent-Child Relationships

• When integrated into family therapy, play can help deepen connections between parents and children by fostering understanding and positive interactions.

• Supports Overall Development

• Play therapy can enhance motor skills, sensory processing, communication, and cognitive abilities, helping children reach developmental milestones.

Why Play Therapy Works
Children learn best through play. By using an approach that feels natural and enjoyable, therapists can support children in making progress in a way that feels fun and meaningful. This makes play therapy a powerful tool for helping children thrive.

Sensory integration therapy helps children process and respond to sensory information from their environment in a more organised and effective way. 

Sensory input comes from all around us; through sights, sounds, touch, movement, and even our body’s position in space. When children have difficulties processing this input, it can affect their ability to focus, learn, play, and feel comfortable in their environment.

Sensory integration therapy is designed to support children in understanding and managing these sensory experiences, making it easier for them to participate in everyday activities.

How Does Sensory Integration Therapy Work?

• The therapist uses fun, play-based activities that provide sensory input, such as swinging, climbing, or handling different textures.

• Activities are carefully chosen to match your child’s sensory needs, helping them gradually adapt to and process sensory input more effectively.

• The focus is on creating a safe, enjoyable, and supportive environment where your child can explore their sensory world.

Benefits of Sensory Integration Therapy

• Improved Regulation

• Helps children manage sensory overload, calming their nervous system and reducing meltdowns or shutdowns.

• Enhanced Focus and Attention

• Supports the brain in processing sensory input, making it easier for children to concentrate and engage in tasks.

• Better Coordination and Motor Skills

• Activities improve body awareness, balance, and motor planning, which can support skills like handwriting, dressing, and playing sports.

• Increased Confidence

• As children become more comfortable with sensory experiences, they feel more capable and confident in new environments and activities.

• Supports Social Interaction

• Improved sensory processing can help children feel less overwhelmed in social situations, making it easier to connect with peers.

Who Can Benefit?
Sensory integration therapy is helpful for children with sensory processing differences, autism, ADHD, developmental delays, and other conditions affecting their ability to process sensory input.

Our Approach
We use a neuroaffirming and child-led approach, recognising each child’s unique sensory preferences and needs. Our goal is to empower your child to navigate their world with confidence and ease.

Sensory Integration Activities in Paediatric Occupational Therapy

Sensory integration activities are tailored to your child’s specific sensory needs and preferences, ensuring they are fun, engaging, and beneficial.

Here are some common sensory integration activities and their benefits:

• Swinging (Vestibular Input)

• Activity: Using a swing (e.g. platform swing, hammock swing) to rock, spin, or glide.
• Benefits: Improves balance, body awareness, and coordination. It can also help calm an overactive nervous system or increase alertness for children who are under-responsive to sensory input.

• Obstacle Courses (Proprioceptive and Vestibular Input)

• Activity: Climbing, crawling, jumping, and balancing through a series of challenges.
• Benefits: Enhances motor planning, body awareness, and strength. It also helps children organise sensory input while completing multi-step tasks.

• Weighted Activities (Proprioceptive Input)

• Activity: Carrying, pushing, or pulling heavy objects, such as weighted balls, therapy bands, or pushing a small cart.
• Benefits: Provides calming deep pressure input, improves strength, and helps children feel more grounded and focused.

• Sensory Bins (Tactile Input)

• Activity: Exploring bins filled with materials like rice, sand, water beads, or kinetic sand.
• Benefits: Helps children adapt to different textures, reduces tactile defensiveness, and supports fine motor skill development.

• Chewy or Crunchy Snacks (Oral Sensory Input)

• Activity: Chewing gum, sucking on a straw, or eating crunchy snacks like carrot sticks or pretzels.
• Benefits: Regulates oral sensory input, which can help with focus, self-regulation, and oral motor skill development.

• Spinning or Rolling (Vestibular Input)

• Activity: Spinning on a swivel chair, rolling on a therapy ball, or log-rolling on the floor.
• Benefits: Improves balance, spatial awareness, and sensory modulation (adapting to sensory input).

• Jumping Activities (Proprioceptive and Vestibular Input)

• Activity: Jumping on a trampoline, hopscotch, or jumping off small steps.
• Benefits: Builds strength, improves balance, and provides calming or alerting sensory input depending on the child’s needs.

• Heavy Work Activities (Proprioceptive Input)

• Activity: Pulling a resistance band, squeezing playdough, or doing wall push-ups.
• Benefits: Provides organising and calming input, improves fine motor skills, and supports emotional regulation.

• Music and Rhythm Activities (Auditory Input)

• Activity: Dancing, listening to calming or rhythmic music, or playing with musical instruments.
• Benefits: Helps children process auditory input, improve coordination, and regulate emotions.

• Visual Exploration (Visual Input)

• Activity: Playing with light-up toys, watching sensory bottles, or completing visual tracking games.
• Benefits: Strengthens visual processing, supports attention, and promotes calmness.

Why These Activities Work
Each activity provides specific sensory input that helps organise and regulate the brain’s responses. When done consistently, sensory integration activities can help children feel more comfortable and confident in navigating their daily environments.

By incorporating these activities into therapy sessions and home routines, we support your child’s sensory needs in a playful and meaningful way, empowering them to thrive in everyday life.

What is a Neuroaffirming Approach?

A neuroaffirming approach embraces and respects neurodiversity, which is the natural variation in how brains work and process the world. This perspective acknowledges that differences in thinking, learning, sensory experiences, and social interactions are valuable and should be supported, not "fixed" or changed to fit societal norms.

In paediatric therapy, a neuroaffirming approach means focusing on each child’s strengths, respecting their individuality, and providing support that honours their unique way of being.

How Do We Implement a Neuroaffirming Approach?

• Celebrating Strengths and Interests

• We identify and build on your child’s interests and strengths, using these as a foundation to support skill development and engagement.
• Activities are tailored to align with what your child enjoys, making therapy fun and meaningful.

• Respecting Sensory Preferences

• Every child processes sensory input differently. We create a supportive environment that considers your child’s sensory preferences, providing comfort and reducing overwhelm.
• Sensory strategies are introduced to help your child navigate daily environments with confidence.

• Child-Led Therapy

• We follow your child’s lead during therapy sessions, allowing them to have a sense of control and autonomy. This promotes a positive experience and builds trust.

• Promoting Self-Advocacy

• We encourage children to recognise and express their needs, such as asking for a break or communicating their preferences.
• This empowers them to advocate for themselves as they grow.

• Supporting Emotional Regulation

• Rather than focusing on "fixing behaviours," we help children understand their emotions and develop strategies to feel calm and regulated.
• This approach fosters emotional well-being and resilience.

• Partnering with Families

• Families are an essential part of the therapy process. We work collaboratively with you to understand your child’s needs and provide strategies that can be integrated into everyday life.

• Avoiding Harmful Practices

• We avoid practices that aim to suppress or mask natural behaviours (e.g. stimming) that are part of how your child processes and interacts with the world. Instead, we celebrate these behaviours as an important part of their identity.

• Fostering Connection and Inclusion

• Therapy sessions focus on building meaningful connections, whether through play, social interaction, or shared activities.
• We encourage skills that enhance participation in inclusive settings, ensuring your child feels valued and supported.

Why a Neuroaffirming Approach Matters
This approach helps children feel respected and empowered, building their confidence and self-esteem. By focusing on their unique strengths and ways of being, we create a supportive environment where your child can thrive.

Our goal is to help your child navigate the world while staying true to who they are. Together, we celebrate their individuality and support their journey to achieve their goals in a positive, affirming way.