Kid Link Occupational Therapy

12/12/2025

It’s not that complicated. Families are asking for five clear things that lead to real outcomes; continuity, co-design, neuro-affirming supports, flexible, community-based services, and equity of access.

https://theconversation.com/if-parents-designed-the-new-thriving-kids-program-itd-look-like-this-271182?fbclid=IwZnRzaAOpZqpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEei2cSXinUyrMjl5nM1jFajakAYWJyWt9aCC_QCe-z4Q0R0joJ8oqqbNCrjz0_aem_MNaE_L6HK3g6PqWbyFy4FA

A new survey shows parents and carers have strong ideas about how a program for kids with disability could be designed.

04/12/2025

The Australian Financial Review has claimed there is “no evidence that NDIS therapies help kids thrive”. This is blatant misinformation and we’re grateful to Speech Pathology Australia for speaking out. We expect more professional bodies will follow.

Allied health professionals, including OTs and speech pathologists, are credentialed, regulated and bound by evidence-based standards. Suggesting therapy is not effective ignores the real issues families and providers have been raising for years.

If outcomes have fallen short, it is because:

-Severe workforce shortages mean long waitlists and inconsistent access to therapy.

-Experienced clinicians are leaving NDIS work due to unsustainable pay and conditions.

-Reduced funding leaves families with far fewer therapy hours than needed.

-Planners without clinical qualifications allocate funds based on opinion, not evidence, leaving children without essential supports.

-Price freezes and travel cuts make services unviable, forcing providers to reduce community visits and cancel groups and parent training.

-Outcome measurement processes are inadequate. No one at NDIA has ever requested our data.

The NDIA must take accountability for internal mismanagement and the lack of robust quality assurance.

Regulated providers are not the ones failing families.

The real issues are lack of consultation, poor co-design, inadequate data collection, rushed reforms, slap dash cost cutting and selective reporting.

Ask our families:
Has therapy helped them understand their child’s diagnosis?
Supported meaningful goals?
Improved participation in daily life?
Likely reduced long term costs?
The answer is yes.

Are families “thriving”? Not yet.
Surviving? Barely.
Making progress despite system failures? Absolutely.

Children with disability continue to be scapegoated as “costly” instead of recognised as Australians with rights. And even if we looked only at cost, which we should not, the economic benefits of early intervention are clear and undisputed.

Enough with blaming providers.

Stop, listen, consult properly and fix what is broken inside the system. Decision making seats cannot remain reserved for those least likely to speak hard truths.

For goodness* sake.

*Not the actual language used when I saw the article 🤬

-Jackie Sikic

Australia is pumping infinite money into supply-constrained markets such as disability and childcare, while the government also mandates and helps fund hefty wage increases in these sectors.

29/11/2025

Thank you Pip from All Together Therapy for advocating for both fair access and quality support for families, and providers who value outcome-driven best practice. We’re with you!

This week I attended the Thriving Kids deep dive on behalf of Professionals Australia and raised critical issues on behalf of allied health professionals, families, and children.
Key points we highlighted:
🔵GP-led access won’t work — especially in regional/remote areas. Families often don’t have a consistent GP, many have closed books or long wait times, and trust is essential before sharing concerns.
🔵Protect the existing workforce. Predominantly women, mothers, many neurodivergent or disabled. Credentialling and funding must not exclude experienced practitioners, and private practices must be recognised for their central role.
🔵Children outside “typical” settings must not be missed. Many are not in ECEC or school; supports must be accessible before families reach these systems.
🔵 Programs must be co-designed with disability community oversight valuing lived experience at all stages of planning and implementation. Not just health, professional or education stakeholders.
🔵Follow the Best Practice Framework. Evidence-informed care must balance research, practitioner expertise, and lived experience—not generic, predetermined programs.
🔵Supports must align with the social and human rights model of disability. We must avoid replicating medical-model approaches used in health departments or behavioural models currently used in schools.
🔵Children need the right supports, not “one-size-fits-all.” For example, a child with Childhood Apraxia of Speech requires targeted Speech Pathology, not a key worker—high-quality early intervention matters. Supports must acknowledge the needs of the child across all areas of their lives.
🔵Supports must be trauma-aware, local, flexible and culturally safe. Many families cannot access GPs, ECEC or CFHN clinics; multiple community-based pathways are essential.
❤️We’ll continue advocating for a Thriving Kids model that is evidence-informed, genuinely codesigned, grounded in the social and human rights model of disability, and ensures every child can access the supports they need—when they need them. We acknowledge the importance that every service be supported to become culturally safe and that First Nations children and communities need First Nations led, community-controlled services.

22/10/2025

Today, Jackie Sikic, Tristan Nickless, Christine Kendall, Melinda Schambre, and Kim Drever met with the Federal Member for Deakin, Matt Gregg.
Matt listened and asked thoughtful questions as we shared our current challenges and concerns as local clinicians and business owners supporting more than 1,500 families and numerous schools in his electorate.

We advocated for the children already being removed from the NDIS before Thriving Kids is ready, outlined what the program truly needs to achieve meaningful outcomes and reflect best practice, and raised our major concerns about the sustainability of quality providers following ongoing price freezes and travel cuts.

Thank you for your time, .
We continue to hope that the voices of families and therapists on the ground will be heard by the Government and the NDIA.
We want nothing more than to provide the support and therapy that children with developmental delays and disabilities need. 💜

16/10/2025

Anxiety can show up in many different ways, from specific fears to panic attacks or constant worries.
Swipe through to learn about the key types of anxiety disorders, as mentioned in the DSM-5.

24/09/2025

Hi Kid Link Families 👋🏼

At Kid Link, we’re always looking for ways to improve our services and ensure we’re meeting the needs of every child and family we support.

We’d love it if you could take a few minutes to complete our short satisfaction survey. Your feedback helps us understand what’s working well and where we can do better, so we can continue to provide the BEST OT SERVICE POSSIBLE 😉

👉 Complete the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FBF9JQ9

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Jackie and the Kid Link OT Team 💜💚🧡

Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

18/09/2025

🙅‍♂What not to say to an anxious child...
👇Grab your ticket - link in comments

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A four-part carousel with orange, yellow, and cream tones.
Slide 1: Large text reads “JUST CALM DOWN”… and what else NOT to say to an anxious child. Slide 2: Text explains that kids with anxiety may look fine on the outside but their brain is in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn mode. Being told to “just calm down” can make it worse. Highlighted text reads: Kids can’t simply switch it off – because their body thinks it’s protecting them. Slide 3: Text says Words matter – phrases like “just get over it” or “stop worrying” can make a child feel dismissed. It suggests supporting children by listening, validating feelings, and encouraging coping strategies such as breathing exercises, movement breaks, visualisation, and creating safe spaces. A small doodle of a child’s face with squiggly hair appears on the side. Slide 4: Bright yellow background with text: Want more information on supporting young people with anxiety? An arrow points to a calendar icon with the date 17th November 2025. Another text box says: Our next webinar for clinicians has been released! Supporting Kids with Anxiety: A Functional Approach For Clinicians.

Bottom corner of each slide includes the Instagram handle .

15/09/2025

We’re looking for two early career Occupational Therapists to join our team in 2026! You’ll receive high quality training and support from our experienced team of OTs.

Check out the ad and our socials for more info about the job and what we do. 🤩

👉 Apply via SEEK before THURSDAY:
https://www.seek.com.au/job/86570458?ref=cm-ui

Launch your career with a supportive, experienced team offering reduced caseloads, weekly supervision, 5 weeks leave, & a structured learning program.

12/09/2025

😧 Anxiety doesn’t always look like “worry.”

Image description: Slide 1: White background with purple and yellow cloud shapes in corners. In centre text reads: “Are you aware of the different ways anxiety may show up in children?”. Slide 2: white background with purple accents in corners. In centre, text reads: “For many children, it may not be easy to express or even understand what they’re feeling. Instead, anxiety can show up through physical, emotional, and behavioural cues. It’s important to be aware of these signs in order to support clients accurately!” Slide 3: A header section that reads “Physical signs:” in bold purple. Below, green text box lists “Stomach aches - with no clear medical cause, Headaches, Fatigue or low energy - even if the child is getting enough sleep, Restlessness, Muscle and body tension - clenched fists or jaw, Sleep difficulties, Changes in appetite, Frequent need for the toilet”. Slide 4: Header reads “Emotional signs:” in bold purple. Below, a yellow text box lists Expressing persistent worry or fearful thoughts, Demonstrating irritability or low frustration tolerance, Having increased emotional outbursts or frequent meltdowns, Expressing negative self-talk, such as I'll never be able to do this", Lashing out when overwhelmed. Slide 5: Header reads “Behavioural signs:” in bold purple. Below, purple text lists Avoiding everyday situations, such as school, Engaging in safety behaviours, such as always needing a ‘lucky’ object, Excessive reassurance seeking - asking the same question repeatedly, Withdrawing from activities they used to enjoy, Difficulty separating from caregiver, Perfectionism, Trying to control situations, rules or others. Slide 6: Graphic with purple background and highlighted yellow text reads “Stay tuned”. Below, purple text lists “We’re excited to share that our next webinar on anxiety is coming up on the 17th of November - keep an eye out for more details soon! 17th November 2025! Stay tuned for more details…”

09/09/2025

09/09/2025

Did you know?

The Australian Open is introducing an Accessibility Pre-Sale. This initiative opens early ticket access to fans with specific accessibility needs. 🎾

The Accessibility Pre-Sale runs Monday 15 September from 12 pm until Friday 19 September at 12 pm—giving you a clear runway to secure accessible seats before the general rush

We love seeing big events like this considering the accessibility needs of their attendees.

Register👉

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23/08/2025

F I R S T - W E - B U I L D - I T

Join us by endorsing our response to Thriving Kids

On 20 August 2025, Minister Butler announced the Thriving Kids initiative, shifting children with disability, developmental delay, neurodivergence, and developmental vulnerabilities out of the NDIS into a $2 billion “foundational supports” program.

While ambitious, Reimagine along with many other advocates, peak bodies, parents, carers, and practitioners are concerned the proposal risks harm: it was not co-designed with families or practitioners, it underfunds the scale of need, and it places children into systems that are already failing.

Reimagine Australia has released our collective response: “First, We Build It” — a call to pause, co-design, and rebuild early childhood supports in ways that are inclusive, safe, and grounded in human rights and disability justice.

You can read our DRAFT Position Statement; First, We Build It here:https://reimagine.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/DRAFT-First-We-Build-It.pdf

We are inviting families, practitioners, organisations, and allies to endorse this statement. Endorsements will be included in our submission to the Minister, amplifying our united call for restorative reform.

If you share our concerns and vision, please take a moment to complete this form. By endorsing the statement, you add your voice to a growing coalition calling for reform that is co-designed, inclusive, and grounded in justice. Whether you are a parent, professional, community leader, or ally — your support matters.

Add your details here, by COB Friday 22 August, 2025, to become a co-signatory: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8Hh9W6eknDT6tR7SiJ9WXaYNUn3zmYuoHyhO1-RFisitPdg/viewform

We have a short window of opportunity to make an impact, so please share this information widely amongst any networks you have across early childhood.